In a tense moment captured during a remote interview with WGN9 in Chicago, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice, 53, abruptly ended a video call when local anchor Larry Potash broached the topic of her family’s tax issues. The awkward exchange, shared via a clip on X on Friday, showcased Giudice’s swift reaction to questions about unpaid taxes.
Potash asked, “How is it that a family doesn’t pay their taxes for years? Is that what the fraud charges were?” Giudice, visibly caught off guard, responded, “Um, who’s — what family are you talking about?” When Potash clarified, “Your family,” Giudice immediately attempted to shut down the conversation, saying, “OK. Let’s just hang up. That’s it.” Moments later, the screen displayed text reading “Teresa’s iPhone” as the call disconnected.
Potash, stunned by the abrupt end, remarked, “She didn’t like that question,” while his co-anchor could only muster, “Yeah. Well.” In a witty re-post of the clip on X, Potash quipped, “In the words of one of our viewers, she evaded that question like … taxes.”
According to documents obtained by Page Six in March, Giudice owes $303,889.20 in tax liens, while her husband, Louis “Luis” Ruelas, whom she married in 2022, faces a staggering $2.6 million in tax debts. This is not the first time Giudice has faced legal and financial scrutiny. The “Dancing With the Stars” alum and her ex-husband, Joe Giudice, to whom she was married for 20 years before their 2020 split, both served prison time for mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud. Teresa spent 11 months behind bars in 2015, while Joe served two years before his release in 2019, followed by deportation to his native Italy.
The former couple shares four daughters: Gia, Gabriella, Milania, and Audriana. Gia, 24, who bears a striking resemblance to her mother, addressed the family’s financial troubles on her “Casual Chaos” iHeart podcast in March. She defended her mother, stating, “My mom has been the sole provider for my sisters and I since the minute my father left for prison. The second my mom got home from jail, she has been working her ass off to make sure that my sisters and I live a stable life and that my family is financially stable.”
Gia emphasized her mother’s hard work, saying, “I can’t stress enough how hard my mom has worked,” and reassured listeners that “everything will be resolved.” She added, “My mom has everything under control, and there’s nothing to worry about.”
The abrupt end to the WGN9 interview highlights the sensitivity surrounding Giudice’s financial and legal challenges, leaving fans and viewers buzzing about her quick exit from the conversation.