MINNEAPOLIS, MN (January 25, 2026) — As the mercury plunged well below zero and the acrid smell of smoke mingled with swirling snow in a Minnesota winter, the national conversation over the death of Alex Pretti shifted from the streets to the airwaves. On Tuesday evening, reality television icon and New York Times bestselling author Teresa Giudice delivered a blunt, emotional, and unexpectedly personal defense of federal law enforcement.

The appearance—recorded in a studio far removed from the glitter of the Real Housewives of New Jersey set—marked a jarring pivot for Giudice. Known for table flips, family feuds, and her highly publicized stint in federal prison, Giudice framed the escalating tensions in Minneapolis not through political theory, but through the lens of someone who has faced the full weight of the federal government and learned the hard way that “respect is not optional.”

A Mother’s Heart, A Hard Lesson

Giudice began her commentary by addressing the tragedy at the heart of the unrest: the death of Alex Pretti. Pretti, a 37-year-old local nurse and community fixture, was killed during a confrontation with federal agents earlier this week.

“My heart breaks for the Pretti family,” Giudice said, her voice shaking with genuine emotion. “I know what it’s like to have your family torn apart. I know what it’s like to lose time with the people you love. Alex was a healer, and he’s gone. That’s a pain that never goes away, and we have to respect that.”

However, Giudice quickly pivoted to the controversial issue of the federal presence in the city. Unlike pundits who speak from textbooks, Giudice spoke from experience.

“Listen, I’ve been there,” Giudice said, referencing her 11-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury. “I know the Feds. I know how they operate. You don’t play games with them. But I also know that without rules, without order, everything falls apart. I lived through the hardest time of my life because of mistakes, but I came out stronger because I accepted the consequences.”

“This Isn’t a Table Flip”

The unrest in Minneapolis has unfolded alongside a deepening jurisdictional conflict, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz criticizing the “federal overreach.” Giudice, however, rejected the idea that the federal agents should leave the city to its own devices.

“People think chaos is freedom. It’s not,” Giudice asserted, leaning forward with her signature intensity. “On TV, I flip a table, everyone screams, and then we go to lunch. That’s entertainment. This? What’s happening on the streets? This is real life. You can’t just flip the city upside down and expect everything to be okay.”

She argued that the current state of Minneapolis—with businesses boarded up and residents terrified—requires a strong hand, not a retreat.

“You need a strong foundation,” she explained. “In a family, if the parents don’t have control, the house is a mess. In a city, if the law doesn’t have control, people get hurt. It’s that simple. You gotta have respect.”

Resilience vs. Rebellion

Giudice’s most direct comments addressed the protesters who have clashed with police, claiming that the system is broken and needs to be dismantled. Drawing on her “old school” values and her journey of personal rebuilding, she offered a different perspective.

“I learned that you don’t fix your life by fighting the reality of the situation,” Giudice said. “You fix it by standing strong, doing what’s right, and respecting the process. You think throwing a brick is going to fix the system? No. It just breaks a window.”

She pointed to the collateral damage of the protests, specifically highlighting the impact on families and small business owners—people she identified with closely.

“I’m an entrepreneur. I built my businesses from the ground up,” she said. “To see people’s hard work destroyed in one night… that’s not justice. That’s heartbreaking. The people suffering right now aren’t the politicians. It’s the mothers trying to buy milk. It’s the fathers trying to get to work.”

“Namaste” and Order

Giudice, who famously adopted a “Namaste” approach to life after her release from prison, warned that eliminating federal authority would not bring peace, but danger.

“I want peace. I want love, love, love,” she said, invoking her famous catchphrase. “But you can’t have love if you don’t have safety. The federal agents… they are there to keep the structure. If you take that away, who protects the little guy?”

A Polarizing Voice

As Minneapolis enters another night under curfew, Giudice’s remarks have intensified an already polarized debate.

Supporters praise her for her raw honesty and for using her platform to speak about consequences and respect for the law, viewing her as someone who has “paid her debt” and earned the right to speak on federal authority. Critics, however, argue that her celebrity status and past legal troubles make her an unlikely and problematic voice on issues of police brutality and civil rights.

Giudice closed the segment with a reflection on her own survival.

“I survived because I kept my head up and I followed the rules,” she said, looking directly into the camera. “We need to stop fighting each other and start respecting the law. That’s the only way we get through this storm. You have to stand strong, but you have to stand on the right side of the line.”

As the investigation into Alex Pretti’s death continues, Teresa Giudice’s intervention serves as a surreal but powerful reminder of how far the conversation has spread—from the icy streets of Minneapolis to the reality TV royalty of New Jersey. The debate rages on, proving that in 2026, the line between pop culture and political discourse has completely vanished.