Frank Catania just dropped a major bombshell: Jackie Goldschneider has been demoted to “friend of” status for Season 13 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. “I didn’t know for sure, [but] I went out to dinner the other night with Jackie and Evan [Goldschneider],” Frank said on Monday’s episode of The Morning Toast. “And, yes, I heard. Yes, alright, she is a ‘friend of.’”
HollywoodLife has reached out to Bravo for comment.
After the show’s co-hosts said they “didn’t agree with Jackie’s demotion at all,” Frank said that Jackie — who joined the show in 2018 — was having one of her best seasons this year.
“I thought she had a great season. Not only did she come out with her respective eating disorder, which I know wasn’t easy for her … [but] look at Jackie evolving over time,” he noted, referring to Jackie’s openness about her anorexia and how she’s dealt with the disorder over the years and shared that evolution with fans. “She’s been on the show, she came on as a timid little rabbit to the point where now she speaks her mind,” he continued. “I love Jackie.”
He also added that the season 12 “friend of” Traci Lynn Johnson and husband Tiki Barber also got the boot. “I heard Traci’s gone,” he teased, saying that “nothing’s definitive ever here.”
Frank added that the cast has “just started” filming the new season, teasing some “new girls” joining the cast. To add to that speculation were a few Bravo fan accounts, such as “@rhonjobsessed” which claims next season’s cast will include newcomers Danielle Cabral, Rachel Fuda, and Jennifer Fessler.
Although nothing has been confirmed by the network or Jackie herself, she did just post an Instagram on Tuesday — the day after Frank gave his interview — making a hint at the possible demotion herself. “The comeback is always stronger than the setback,” the reality star wrote in the caption of two photos of herself in a tight yellow mini dress with a jean jacket slung over her shoulder.