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Ashley Holmes-Malleo was not happy when he found out about his mother Jacqueline Lauritareunion with Theresa Judge.
During a recent interview, the The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum admitted that when he found a photo of Jacqueline and Teresa Las Vegas on Instagram, he immediately texted his mom and “called her out.”
“I saw him hooking up with Teresa again, and I was like, ‘Teresa? Really?'” Ashlee, 32, admitted to Page Six on March 2. “I was very blunt. My mom and I have a sister relationship. I was like, ‘You know, I hope you’re doing well.’”
According to Ashlee, she was “skeptical” at the “time” at first due to the fact that Jacqueline recently slammed Teresa’s nemesis, her sister-in-law. Melissa Gorga.
“I told my mom, I was like, ‘You know, there could be an ulterior motive,'” he recalled. “[I] not as received at first.”
After posting and deleting a sarcastic “congrats” comment on Jacqueline’s post about her and Teresa’s reunion, Ashlee chatted with her mom, while Jacqueline “explained the whole situation.”
“It makes sense,” she said, adding because Jacqueline “did not return” to RHONJhe doesn’t believe that Teresa is “trying to frame him to recruit him as a little ally on the show” or “talking about Melissa on camera.”
“When they met, they didn’t talk about Melissa or any of the events,” she continued. “It’s just kind of recapping [that] both of them were under a lot of stress during the fallout.
As Ashlee explained, reality television “isn’t a healing environment” because cast members are “constantly having to fight old fights.” But now that Jacqueline is “separated from the show,” the two “can do it.”
Besides, he added, Teresa “went to therapy” and her husband, Luis Ruelashas “helped [her] work alone.”
As for where Jacqueline and Teresa stand after their “five-hour lunch” in Sin City, Ashlee says they’ve “talked about it all.”
“Since [their meet-up], I’d be on the phone with my mom, and she’d be like, ‘Oh, hold on, Teresa’s calling. Let me call you back,'” Ashlee said. “As you get older, it’s harder to change, but I’m sure it’s possible. I believe people can change and grow. If not, what’s the point?”
Ashlee also revealed that Teresa has tried to reconcile with Jacqueline several times “in the past” but Jacqueline “doesn’t pick up the phone.”
“So I think he’s in a place where he’s ready to reconnect,” she said. “However, it was difficult for me, because I was really close to my aunt [Caroline Manzo]. I just want everyone to get along!”
Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 13 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.