There really are Real Housewives all over New Jersey — at least according to Melissa Gorga.
Melissa, 46, revealed in Us Weekly’s exclusive clip from Amanda Hirsch’s “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast that she “just saw” Caroline Manzo and her daughter, Lauren Manzo, at a “local restaurant” — and it wasn’t a planned run-in.
“They just happened to be there and we just happened to be there,” Melissa continued. She and husband Joe Gorga had a total “blast from the past” moment when they saw each other.
“It was so funny, she was actually eating dinner with Lauren’s ex-husband’s new fiancée,” Melissa said. “I was like, ‘Wow, see. This would be interesting.’”
Lauren’s 8-year-old daughter, Marchesa, was also present, according to Melissa.
“It was nice to see them. I always loved the Manzos,” she added. (Caroline and Melissa crossed paths on RHONJ for three seasons. Caroline departed the show after season 5 in 2013.)
RHONJ fans have stayed invested in Caroline’s life after she left the Bravo show, especially where her kids are concerned. Lauren, 37, married Vito Scalia — who had several appearances on RHONJ — in July 2015. However, they were faced with split rumors in 2017 when Vito no longer appeared on Lauren’s social media.
Lauren shut down fan speculation in 2019, telling fans that she and Vito were “perfect” in a Facebook post at the time. By October 2023, The Sun obtained divorce documents stating Lauren and Vito had split due to irreconcilable differences. Lauren took to social media that same month to break her silence on the divorce.
“I just want to let you guys know we’re all good. This has been done for a very long time,” she explained. “The last part of the process was filing. We were on the same page. This is something that we did together.”
The Daily Mail broke the news in February 2025 that Lauren and Vito had finalized their divorce months prior. According to court documents obtained by the publication, their split became final in November 2024, with a judge signing off on joint legal custody of their daughter, Marchesa. Caroline’s house was also reportedly listed as the “exchange point” for Marchesa.
In 2023, Vito moved on with wellness coach Dominique Valenti, who is seemingly the person Melissa saw with Caroline and Lauren. It’s unclear if or when Vito and Dominique got engaged.
Despite their split, Lauren and Vito have been putting on a united front as coparents. The exes went viral in October 2025 for dancing together in a video featuring Marchesa.
Lauren explained during her 2023 Instagram video that their daughter is “all that matters” as they navigate their split.
“Our privacy is important to us. We haven’t been on TV in seven years, which is why we did not feel the need for some dramatic announcement,” she said at the time. “We continue to move forward with love and respect for each other. And we will always be a family, and that’s it. It’s about our daughter and her privacy, because she didn’t ask to be on TV — we did.”
The full episode of “Not Skinny But Not Fat” with Melissa Gorga drops Tuesday, February 3, on all podcast platforms and Wednesday, February 4, on YouTube.
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