Jennifer Aydin came in with a bang as a new Housewife in Season 9 of Real Housewives of New Jersey and has steadily kept the drama coming every season.
Jen has had ongoing battles with Margaret Josephs, Melissa Gorga, and Jackie Goldschneider, and this season, faced a rift in her family as news was revealed that her husband, plastic surgeon Bill Aydin, had an affair years ago.
She is now speaking out on why she chooses to be transparent while on national TV, and talks about what she views as stark differences between her and Jackie.
Jen prides herself on her honesty while being on a reality show
Jen was a guest on In The Know, an online pop culture show, and host Gibson Johns asked Jen about how she stays true to herself in the hard moments.
“One of the reasons why I’ve been a success on this show is because I don’t do what I think the cameras want to see,” Jen revealed, “I just do whatever it is I would do had they not been there.” She added, “The camera is on me 24/7, and you have a hit show!”
Gibson told Jen, “I think when you and Jackie both joined, the show just got kind of a new life.” Jen responded, “Jackie is very different than me. She’s more about hiding who she is.” Jen further explained what she meant by saying, “A lot of people can’t handle my honesty.
“The more honest I am, I think even some of my cast members probably look at me and think like, ‘why is she being so honest because now we have to so be honest,'” Jen said, following up with her thoughts that fellow Housewives resent how open she is.
Jen said she thinks her castmates are threatened by her because she feels that hiding her life while being on a reality show is impossible. “We’ve gotta show the good, bad, and the ugly. So Jackie and I are very different.” However, fans remember that Jen was desperate to keep the secret of Bill’s affair out of the public eye.
Jen did go on to praise Jackie for being so open about her struggles with an eating disorder, and that she was proud of Jackie’s honesty about her recovery process. Jen said, “I’m really rooting for her.”
Jen struggled this season with marriage issues
This news of Bill’s affair was Jen’s main storyline throughout the season. There were many moving parts, including Bill talking with the husbands about what happened, and Jen talking to her oldest daughter, Gabby.
Dolores Catania weighed in on finding out about Bill’s affair, noting she even worked as a surgical assistant for him and had no idea anything had ever happened. Jen didn’t think it would ever be addressed, and then Margaret opened that wound and let the entire group know what Bill did.
Things have worked out between Jen and Bill for years, and she decided to stay and make things work after forgiving him for what happened. Jen revealed wasn’t concerned about protecting Bill at all, but it was her kids she was worried about. Their lives could have been impacted drastically, and she knows this firsthand now.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.