RHONJ's John Fuda Defends Criminal Past and Teresa Giudice's "Drug Dealer" Claims

Bravo finally ended the Real Housewives drought with the return of its always-controversial show, The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The Season 14 premiere debuted on May 5, 2024, with the returning cast needing more time to get over the drama from the previous season.

RHONJ OG Teresa Giudice started the explosive season by engaging in a feud that would last the entire season.

Her beef with Rachel Fuda and her husband, John Fuda, escalated at Jennifer Fessler’s party in the season premiere when Teresa repeated allegations about John’s criminal past.

“Your husband is the biggest drug dealer in Bergen County,” Teresa told Rachel during their spat.

Teresa’s allegations of John sparked the entrepreneur to defend his background on social media. In the report, he clarified what exactly he went to jail for and whether it had anything to do with what Tre repeated.

John and Rachel came onto RHONJ after years of marriage and growing their family. The couple met when Rachel was 22 and John was 24. At the time, John was a single father raising his son, Jaiden, alone before Rachel helped raise him and adopted him in 2022.

During their debut New Jersey season, John’s ex and his son’s birth mother, Brittany Malsch, made multiple accusations against John.

One of the allegations Teresa fought about with Rachel at Jennifer’s party was that John was a notable cocaine dealer when Brittany met him and was responsible for introducing her to narcotics.

John responded to Brittany’s claims in July 2023. In an interview with Page Six, the father of three said that, while he was arrested in 2008 for operating a motor vehicle while in possession of a narcotic, he never served any severe jail time.

“I was never convicted, and charges were dismissed,” John said.

John also stated that, despite what Teresa’s “Tre Stumps” say, his arrest had nothing to do with him changing his last name. Born Jonathan D’Atria, John said he switched to his mother’s maiden name after his parents’ divorce.

In addition to Rachel and Teresa arguing back and forth about John’s allegations before Teresa eventually walked off to get candy, John clapped back at Teresa on Instagram.

In a statement shared on his Instagram account in May 2024, John claimed his co-stars were attempting to “disparage” his character and used his past to "discredit him and undermine his reputation.” While taking accountability for his arrest, John shared that no one—especially not Teresa and her husband, Luis “Louie” Ruelas — was going to take his “integrity” away from him.

"I am grateful for the support of my friends, family, and fans who see me for who I am today -- a person dedicated to growth, kindness, and authenticity," he added. "I will continue to rise above negativity and remain true to myself."

Ahead of the RHONJ Season 14 premiere, Rachel hinted at wanting to see Teresa’s run on the show ended, stating there was room to remove the “bad apples” from the show. However, she was traveling through London and Paris on the weekend of the premiere and appeared unbothered by the mess fans were sure to witness.