Joe Gorga is facing a wave of criticism on social media after posting a controversial story that appears to allude to the academic scandal surrounding his niece Gia Giudice
In the story, which lasted just seconds and was shared to Instagram on Thursday evening, Joe – the brother-in-law of Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice – posted a black background photo with simple but meaningful white text
“There’s a line between real learning and acting – and the truth never needs props”
Within minutes of the story being posted, hundreds of followers took screenshots and circulated it on Twitter, with the obvious suspicion that it was a direct jab at Gia Giudice, Teresa’s eldest daughter, who is currently under an internal investigation at Rutgers University for allegedly using ghostwriting services for her term papers
A university source confirmed to the media that the Disciplinary Committee had opened an investigation emergency meeting after receiving anonymous letter accusing a group of students, including Gia, of submitting papers written by a third party instead of completing them themselves
The online community immediately split into factions. Although Joe Gorga did not name anyone, the phrase “real learning and acting learning” is believed to refer to no one other than Gia – who has appeared on TV many times with Mother Teresa and has always been described as a “good child and good student” amid family turmoil
One user wrote
“Joe knows exactly what he is saying – if he wasn’t targeting Gia, why would he post at this time?”
Another was more harsh
“If he really loves his grandchild, he should have called him privately instead of using his story as a cheap attack”
Many of Joe’s supporters also said that he was just expressing a general view on “real education” and not targeting anyone in particular. One commenter
“People are being too sensitive – that statement is true in all situations and no one is being called out by name both”
However, this is not the first time Joe and Teresa have been involved in public family drama. Although they are siblings, they have repeatedly argued and attacked each other through television interviews and social media for nearly a decade, especially since Teresa remarried and moved out of the Gorga family's sphere of influence
Gia Giudice has not yet commented on her uncle's controversial story, but a source close to her revealed that she is "very sad and disappointed" to know that her family is not standing by her in the storm
Teresa Giudice has not publicly responded either, but has posted a photo of the mother and daughter holding hands with a meaningful caption
"In a real family, people don't leave each other when times are tough - they stand by each other"
The photo was immediately seen as an indirect response to Joe
Meanwhile, the investigation at Rutgers is still ongoing and the school has not made any official conclusions about the wrongdoing of the students involved Including Gia Giudice
The incident is becoming became a hot topic not only in the RHONJ fan community but also spread to the educational media when a famous student was involved in an academic ethics scandal. At this time, every statement, whether indirect or not, became fuel for the smoldering fire between the two bloodlines Giudice - Gorga.
