Former Real Housewives of New Jersey star Joe Giudice has finally met Teresa Giudice’s new beau, Luis “Louie” Ruelas.
Joe and Teresa were married for 20 years before deciding to end their marriage. RHONJ fans will recall that this decision didn’t come easily for the couple. In fact, they had done their best to keep their marriage intact, even after a legal battle that landed them both in prison for a time.
Speaking to Us Weekly, Joe shared how meeting Teresa’s new man impacted him, and why he decided to make the best of it.
Joe Giudice meets Luis in the Bahamas
According to Joe, the meeting between him and Luis wasn’t as comfortable as some may have assumed, but said that it was important for the betterment of his family, including daughters, Gia, 20, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Audriana, 11.
“You can all imagine how I felt when they walked in the room,” Joe shared with the media outlet. “It was awkward to see my ex after a lifetime together with someone else.”
He continued, “Teresa and I decided to be honest and remain friends with one another for the girls.”
Joe admitted that their top priority is their girls, and that will continue to be the case moving forward.
“Parenting should always be about giving your children the best outcomes for every situation,” Joe shared. “I believe we deserve to all be happy and our children will thank us for it. I am genuinely happy for both Teresa and Luis and wish them the best!”
And it seems that Joe, Teresa, and Louie all made the best of their time together, even posing for a photo with their daughters.
Teresa comes to Joe’s defense in recent RHONJ episode
During a recent RHONJ, conversations between Teresa, her brother, Joe Gorga, and sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, got heated when Teresa came to Joe’s defense.
Emotions got the best of Joe Gorga when he called out his former brother-in-law for the impact he and his legal battles had on his sister and family.
Although, Joe got heated, Teresa did her best to remain cool. She also took to Instagram when the show aired to explain her feelings about the situation and reveal why she felt the need to come to Joe’s defense.
The snap, which features a family pic of her with Joe and the girls, included the caption, “Tonight’s episode is hard for my girls and I. Joe is the father to my children & even though we split I respect his relationship with my daughters so it’s hard for them to see my brother disparage him, for the sake of my daughters who have already been through so much loss.”
The caption concluded, “My mother adored Joe & that’s what my girls saw & remember. I hope from this point we can all move forward on a more positive note for the sake of our family.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.