Posted January 13, 2026
Joe Guidice revealed what his then-wife, Teresa Giudice, made during her first season on “Real Housewives of New Jersey.”
Joe appeared on his daughter Gia’s “Casual Chaos” podcast on Monday, where he spilled the beans about their ‘Housewife’ earnings.
“I think the first year, we had a big party in my great room. I think that show cost me $150,000 the first year,” Joe recalls.
He continued, “We got paid nothing the first season. I’ll even say, it was like $25,000. I mean, it was ridiculous, but whatever.”
The 24-year-old podcast host went on to explain how it’s normal for all of the ‘Real Housewives’ franchises to earn barely there wages during their debut season.
“When you’re throwing parties and stuff like that, especially for the first season, you’re putting in more money than you’re actually getting out of it. Then obviously, you grow your way and make your name,” Gia stated.
The salary one makes as a “Housewife” depends on a few different factors. If you’re already famous (a la Denise Richards) you have more leverage to negotiate a higher salary and the more famous you get from being on the show, the more money you’re able to make, if you just ask during contract renegotiations, according to Cosmopolitan.
Bethenny Frankel broke it down in a 2023 Instagram post.
“There are deals that people have for per episode. There are deals that people have for a certain number of episodes. There are deals that people have for the all-you-can-eat buffet, the entire season. You could shoot 9,000 episodes—and the reunion counts as an episode. There are so many different types of deals with Housewives because people are also coming in at different times.”
The father-daughter duo went on to reminisce about the show and how it perfectly captured their family’s hectic life, including all the highs and lows they’ve faced.
FREEHOLD, NJ – DECEMBER 26: Teresa Giudice, Gia Giudice and Joe Giudice pose at iPlay America on December 26, 2014 in Freehold, New Jersey. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
“Our lives were on full display. The good and the bad. So, mom was literally filmed leaving our home from jail. The show was on pause until she came home,” the “Next Gen NYC” star said, referring to Teresa’s 11-month-long incarceration in 2015 for bankruptcy fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
Joe, 53, was also sent to prison from March 2016 to March 2019 for bankruptcy and failure to pay taxes and was deported from the US in October 2019.
NEWARK, NJ – JULY 15: Joe Giudice and Teresa Giudice attend Cirque du Soleil’s “Alegria” at the Prudential Center on July 15, 2009 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)
Joe also admitted on the podcast how he “regrets” letting this family’s legal troubles play out on TV and believes being on the show led to their 2013 indictment.
