ET spoke to the couple on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night.
Melissa and Joe Gorga are keeping it real when it comes to questions about missing Teresa Guidice's her wedding to Louie Ruelas. ET's Rachel Smith spoke to the couple on the red carpet at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night, where they shared that though they were invited, they chose not to attend.
"I mean that’s a long story," Melissa, who stepped into answer after Joe looked visibly upset, said when asked about their absence at Teresa's Bravo-packed affair.
It's still a difficult topic for Joe to discuss, with the reality TV star adding that talking about the complicated dynamic between them and his sister is "really, really hard.
"It's very difficult for me to talk about," Joe admitted. "It’s hard really, really hard."
While the couple couldn't go into detail about the wedding or their rift with Teresa, they did promise that viewers will see it all go down on the next season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
"It's a rough situation, it really is, and you know what, I think everyone will see -- obviously, because a lot of was filmed for The Real Housewives," Melissa teased. "It’s hard to discuss right now, so we can’t really discuss it, but we wish them the best, and we're very happy.
"She looked beautiful," Melissa added. "And it was a beautiful wedding."
Melissa and Joe first addressed skipping Teresa's wedding earlier this month, in an episode of her podcast, On Display.
"Obviously, we did not attend your sister’s wedding. We have a laundry list of reasons in our heads," Melissa said. "Obviously there was something that went down at the finale of filming the Real Housewives of New Jersey."
While Melissa was unable to share what transpired while filming, she did say that, given what happened, it would have been weird for her and Joe to be at the wedding. "There was plenty of reason for Joe and I to say it would be very strange -- including everyone in that room, by the way -- to look at Joe and I to say, like, 'Yes, it would be very strange for you guys to just be sitting in the pews tomorrow, wishing them well on their wedding day.' It would be strange."
And judging by what the husband and wife had to say, it seems like their decision to join the show more than a decade ago remains an issue with Teresa. "What you can be upset with is that we actually accepted... the invitation, that we accepted the proposal," Melissa said, referring to the opportunity to audition. "Yes, we did. Did we do that? 100 percent. Did she, deep down, not want us to do that? I’m sure. I’m sure that’s what’s irked her, but guess what? I can take an opportunity just like anyone else."
Despite their issues, it was still a difficult decision for Joe not to be at his only sibling's wedding. "We lost our parents and, to me, it was devastating. It really was. It was one of the hardest days of my life," Joe said. "It was bad."
But it seems whatever unfolded at the reunion has left a permanent stain on their relationship. "Let’s go back to the reunion. She did this. This was all on her. This is what she really wanted. She didn’t want you in the wedding. She didn’t want any of my children in the wedding. She barely wanted me," Joe said, noting he was never asked to walk his sister down the aisle.
"She hates us," he accused. "She really didn’t want us there."
Though the two were sad about the unfortunate circumstances, it seems like they've had enough.
"Sometimes when things are too toxic and you try over and over and over again," Melissa said, "and it just keeps coming back around to the same thing, that it’s just sometimes -- even if it's family -- you have to let it go."
As for how Teresa feels about the whole thing, she said she's "totally fine with it."
"I found out a few days before my wedding that they weren't coming. I'm totally fine with it," Teresa said on a recent episode of her Namaste B&tches podcast,. "You'll see it play out on TV... The way that everything played out with my wedding, everything that happened is the way it was supposed to be. I'm all about that. I'm all about good energy, and whoever wanted to be at my wedding was there."
As for what led to Joe and Melissa's wedding absence, Teresa only said, "You'll see it the way it plays out on TV, so I can't really say much on that."
The MTV Video Music Awards air Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
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