Jennifer Aydin and her family have had a tumultuous Season 12 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. After rumors of her husband, Bill’s prior infidelity came to light early in the season, the focus on her relationship started to break Jennifer down.
While some of her friends rallied around her in support, Jennifer still had a hard time accepting that her decade-long secret was now in the open, and it caused a great deal of friction between her and Bill. She also had to deal with telling her kids about the affair, which was understandably hard on her.
Jennifer now reveals that she wishes she had handled things differently when being questioned about the rumor.
RHONJ’s Jennifer Aydin said she hurts for the damage to her family
During the RHONJ After Show, the ladies of New Jersey discussed the process of this rumor becoming fact. Margaret was the one who first revealed that she knew about Bill’s affair, and Jennifer said, “I was under the impression that [Margaret] wouldn’t bring up something unless she had concrete proof.”
Jennifer feared that Margaret had the receipts to prove that this affair had happened, and instead of denying it, Jennifer flat-out admitted it happened in the heat of the argument.
“Because of the backlash my family is going through right now, I will say I regret that,” Jennifer admitted. “I wish I had just lied like every single f*****g Housewife that has lied before, because it is so much harder to acknowledge the truth,” she said, holding back tears.
Jennifer did say that although she is OK now, “it’s not fair for me to ask my family and my relatives, for them to be OK with it. They are not OK with it.”
She said her family continually questions why she had to tell the truth.
Margaret Josephs said this rumor was not a secret
Margaret wanted to clear the air about where she heard the rumor about Bill’s infidelity.
“I didn’t hear it from Dolores (Catania). A lot of people know, and it’s not a rumor – it’s a fact,” Margaret stated. “I don’t spread rumors. I only say things that are true.”
She elaborated, “It’s not abut the cheating. It’s about, you have this stuff in your backyard. Stop attacking everybody else for the same thing.” She ended, “The truth is other people do know. Maybe not on the cast. But obviously I’ve known for years, and I’ve slipped it in before very slightly.” This refers to the incident where Margaret accused Bill of sleeping in the pool house.
Jennifer and Margaret are still navigating some rocky waters on the Season 12 reunion, which aired this week.
Fans will see if their relationships can be fixed in the coming weeks.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.