Caroline Manzo Is Leaving 'Real Housewives of New Jersey'

"Going back to film another season would only make me a hypocrite," says Manzo

Published on October 14, 2013 09:10 AM

Caroline Manzo, one of the original Real Housewives of New Jersey, has announced that she is leaving the series after five seasons.

It’s been wonderful guys,” the mother of three, 52, who was often the voice of reason on the show, posted on her Twitter exactly one minute after the show’s reunion finale aired Sunday on Bravo.

“I’ve decided to leave #RHONJ this season was my last. Love and kisses to you all. Xoxoxo”

Manzo’s departure doesn’t come as a complete shock. Bravo recently revealed that she was filming a pilot for her family’s own spinoff, Manzo’d With Children.

“I may be leaving Housewives, but my relationship with Bravo will continue as we started production on a pilot, Manzo’d with Children, which if [it] goes to series promises to give the viewers a very different look into the world of the Manzo Family,” she wrote.

“We are having an absolute blast filming it, and I hope you all join us as we start our new chapter within the Bravo network. We didn’t close the book, we just turned the page.”

The new show will focus on Manzo, her hardworking husband, Al, and her three children, Albie, Lauren and Chris, who have long been featured on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Manzo and castmate Teresa Giudice, who along with her husband, Joe, currently face the possibility of 50 years behind bars for multiple counts of fraud, have battled incessantly over recent seasons.

And they kept it up until the very last seconds of the Oct. 13 reunion finale, on which Giudice said, “You know I have a good heart,” and Manzo replied, “No, I can’t say that in all honesty. I consider you someone I used to know I’m done.”

“I’ve always prided myself on giving you the truth of who I really am, the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Manzo wrote on Bravo’s blog. “Over the past few years my outlook on the show has changed from something I couldn’t wait to show my future grandchildren to something I hope my future grandchildren never see.”

Manzo, who also seemed to grow weary of the ongoing family feud between Giudice and her brother, Joe Gorga, summed up her thoughts on leaving on the blog: “Going back to film another season of Housewives would only make me a hypocrite. For me, peace and integrity cannot be bought with money or fame. As I said on the reunion, I’m done I have nothing more to give.”