Teresa Giudice Shoots Down Rumors Her Reconciliation With Brother Joe Gorga Was For TV

"Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice is a bit happier these days, considering she and her brother, Joe Gorga, finally made amends after years of estrangement. However, some people aren't buying their family reunion, suggesting that they only made up so they'd both be asked back to the next season of the hit Bravo show. But during a new podcast, the "House of Villains" star denied the claims that she reconciled with her family for the press, declaring she doesn't move that way.

During the "Undressed with Pol’ and Patrik" podcast, covered by Page Six, Giudice opened up about reuniting with her brother, Joe Gorga, and his wife, Melissa Gorga.

"We reunited way before BravoCon," she said, noting that they've been back on speaking terms for well over a month.

According to Giudice, she can't be concerned with the comments some people are making, insinuating she only made amends to secure a spot on season 15 of "RHONJ."

"Some people were saying, ‘Oh, it shouldn’t be done for the press.’ It wasn’t done for the press. It was done for us. And anyone that knows me knows the truth. I wouldn’t be doing it for press or TV," she said.

While Giudice was more than happy to welcome her brother back into her life on her own terms, she admitted that her daughter, Gia Giudice, was truly the catalyst behind their reconciliation.

"Gia, she’s so happy," Giudice shared, explaining that Gia and Joe have always had a special bond. "She adored my brother," the reality star added.

As she went on, Giudice shared that Gia encouraged her to put her issues with some of her biggest foes behind her while they were competing on season four of Fox's "Special Forces."

"As she was saying that to me … as a mom, you’re always wanting to teach your kids things in life and be a good example," Giudice said, later revealing that her words prompted her to reach out to Joe and Melissa.

While at this year's BravoCon in Las Vegas, Melissa also touched on her new relationship with Giudice, saying they're "in a different place" than they were just a few months ago.

"We're working on it. We're trying to move forward and we've, you know, hashed a lot of things out privately without all of this. And I think that's a good thing," she said.

"Whatever it takes to wake someone up is, you know, that's how life goes, right? And you never want it to be a funeral or a wedding or someone in the hospital. Like, that's not what we want. So, this was a more of a natural reason," she added.

Giudice clashed incessantly with Melissa and Joe during the first few seasons of "RHONJ." Things, however, reached the point of no return during seasons 13 and 14, prompting Bravo to place the series on an indefinite hiatus.

But now that the show's two marquee players are back in a good place, could there be a future for them both on the next season?

According to Melissa, she doesn't know who will return to the New Jersey iteration of the popular franchise, but she does have ideas regarding casting.

"I would love to stay and I hope I do, but I do think we need a little of both," she said. "I don't think it works when they just, like, wipe the slate clean. I think they like the familiar faces and we always need some, like, new, fun, crazy — whatever — to jump in."

Also during BravoCon, "RHONJ" veteran Margaret Josephs broke her silence on Giudice's recent reunion with Melissa and Joe, implying that a public reconciliation isn't the best option for the famous families.

"It's their family. I want it to be genuine for the sake of Melissa and Joe — I know it’s genuine on their part," she said. "I think things like this have to be done in a therapeutic setting and behind closed doors, and not to be played out in the press. This has been done many, many times."

She finished by expressing her reservations about Giudice's intentions and even offered some advice to the Bravo heavyweights.

"I feel it shouldn’t be played out in the press, and I think it’s weird to be played out in the press, but that’s just me," she opined. "I don’t think every move you make needs to be a public statement. I don’t think that’s really necessary."