RHONJ star Teresa Giudice admits she staged prison release photos: ‘If they’re going to get it anyway, I might as well make money off of it’

Teresa Giudice reflected on her time in prison and admitted that she staged her release photos.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 51, recalled being released after serving nearly a year in jail on fraud-related charges in 2015, and revealed she had planned her exit snaps.

“They wanted the first picture and I did that,” she said in an episode of the series Hollywood Raw podcast on Wednesday.

“I was like, ‘If they’re going to get it, I might as well make money from it,'” she told podcast hosts Dax Holt and Adam Glyn of the photos she took PEOPLE.

The reality TV personality — who became emotional as she recalled her story of pleading guilty and serving nearly a year in prison during season 13 of the Bravo series released last year — also noted that it was the only time she ever paparazzi photos.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 51, recalled being released in 2015 after nearly a year in prison on fraud-related charges, and revealed that she planned her exit snaps; seen in a still from the show on the day of her release

She spent 11 months behind bars — after being sentenced to 15 months in addition to probation and fines — on charges related to her ex-husband Joe Giudice’s bankruptcy fraud.

Following her release, the former contractor, 51, spent three years in prison after the couple was indicted on federal fraud charges in July 2013.

Teresa and Joe were accused of exaggerating their income when applying for loans and hiding their fortune in their bankruptcy filing.

Reflecting on her time in prison, she also praised the “beautiful environment” of the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut and said the food was “really good.”

The year after her release, she described her memorable experience in prison in her memoir, Turning the Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again.

Teresa and Joe announced their separation and filed for divorce following his release in March 2019 and deportation to Italy.

During the podcast, she also said that she is now friends with her ex-husband and has finally forgiven him for putting her in a situation that landed her in jail and took time away from her family.

“It took me a long time to forgive him because then I lost my parents,” she explained. “I came home, I lost my mother eight months later.

She previously spent 11 months behind bars — after being sentenced to 15 months in addition to probation and fines — on charges related to her ex-husband Joe Giudice’s bankruptcy fraud. Following her release, the former contractor, 51, spent three years in prison after the couple was indicted on federal fraud charges in July 2013; seen in October 2015

They were married for twenty years and welcomed four children together before splitting; seen in March 2016

“And then my dad came to live with us and he was so upset,” she continued. “He cried for a year right after my mother died, and then I had my father with us for three years, and then he died.

“They were the best parents ever,” she said, adding that her mother was a “saint” who “just lived for me and my brother (Joe Gorga).”

She recalled feeling “so devastated” that she only recently forgave her ex-husband.

“We don’t talk much because we only talk when I need him,” she said. “I need help with this, talk to this one soon.”

She added that her “amazing” husband, Luis “Louie” Ruelas, 48, actually talks to her ex-husband more than she does.

Of Ruelas, she added, “He always does the right thing.

Although she now has a friendship with her ex-husband, she said her “amazing” husband, Luis “Louie” Ruelas, 48, actually talks to her ex-husband more than she does; seen in November 2023

She is a mother to four daughters — whom she welcomed with her ex Joe prior to their 2019 split and 2020 divorce. The former couple shares Gia, 23, Gabriella, 19, Milania, 17, and Audriana, 13

“He’s pretty amazing,” she continued. “It shows the kids that they can get along and they love that.”

Teresa married Luis in East Brunswick, New Jersey in August 2022.

She is the mother of four daughters — whom she welcomed with her ex Joe prior to their 2019 separation and 2020 divorce.

The former couple shares Gia, 23, Gabriella, 19, Milania, 17, and Audriana, 13.