Margaret Josephs is sharing her side of her Real Housewives of New Jersey exit — and she’s making it clear she believes it was her decision.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live, Margaret said her departure had been in motion for months.
“I left Housewives of New Jersey, which was in the works since December, truthfully.”
When asked directly about why, she didn’t hesitate to point to boundaries with certain cast members.
“Yes, that’s what it was. And listen, that’s just what I stand on. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. And I was like, when people have nothing to lose, and I have a lot to lose, I don’t want to be around those people.”
She continued, explaining that the direction of the show no longer aligned with her.
“It’s fine. It’s like I felt like the party was going. I left on a vindicated high and I was like I’m going to leave before the lights go on. That’s just me. So, and it was just going in a direction that’s not me. It’s supposed to be about a real group of friends and I have friends on the show who I adore, obviously Melissa and Dolores, but there’s other people who I’m really not friends with and that’s not going to be me. I’m not going to hang out with those people and that’s it.”
Margaret also confirmed she had already filmed with potential new cast members before stepping away.
“I test filmed the new girls back in August. They called me, production had called me. They said ‘You are on, you’re test filming the new girls.’”
According to her, that experience only reinforced her decision — especially when it came to any attempt at reconciliation with Teresa Giudice.
“One of the new girls was trying to get me to make up with Teresa. She said Teresa is amenable to it. Teresa was texting her, calling her the entire time we were filming. I said, ‘I want no part of it. That’s not my life.’ And that was it.”
As for who she was and wasn’t referring to when it came to cast dynamics, Margaret clarified a few names — and threw in some unmistakable shade.
“No. Danielle and Rachel and I speak all the time.”
When Jackie Goldschneider was brought up, Margaret didn’t hold back.
“Jackie definitely and she’s not going back. I mean, she was dead in the water as soon as she like, you know, I humiliated her.”
She also hinted at another longtime cast member without directly naming her.
“So, you know, I’m very close with Jen Fessler. So, you know, you guys could, you know who it is and she’s been on the franchise from the beginning and she just, she’s not my people. I think there were boundaries that were crossed. I wish her no ill. I think she’s a good mother. But she’s just not my cup of tea.”
Margaret maintained a diplomatic tone — at least in parts — but made her stance clear.
“Very diplomatic and I don’t want to be around her.”
While she insists she “left on a vindicated high,” the fact that she had already test filmed with new cast members and was still in discussions with production adds another layer to the timeline.
Still, Margaret is standing firm in her version of events — that she chose to walk away rather than compromise who she films with.