When it comes to the Real Housewives shows, The Real Housewives of New Jersey came along as the fourth offering from Bravo after RHOC, RHONY and RHOA. The series oozes Italian-American family feuds, trips to the Jersey Shore, extravagance, loyalty and did we mention family feuds?

RHONJ premiered on May 12th, 2009 and 13 years on, the Bravo show is still going strong. The season 12 cast may look slightly different from the ladies who first appeared on The Real Housewives of New Jersey but the show still has fans all over the world tuning in. So, let’s take a look at where the original cast is today as the show becomes a teenager.

Teresa Giudice is the OG of of RHONJ

As she pointed out on the Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, Teresa Giudice has been a cast member on RHONJ since the very beginning. She was cast before her sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, who joined the show in season 3.

Teresa, 49, hails from Paterson, New Jersey and she and her brother, Joe Gorga, grew up with their current castmates including Dolores Catania.

When Tre was just starting out in reality TV, she was married to Joe Giudice, however, the couple split in 2020. Teresa and her four daughters have been a staple on RHONJ and her relationship with Luis Ruelas is a storyline in the latest seasons.

• OMG: Frank Catania’s RHONJ fame while running a gym hints at jam-packed wallet

Where is Caroline Manzo today?

The first voiceover heard on RHONJ season 1 is Caroline Manzo saying that her family is “thick as thieves and protect each other ’til the end“.

That statement perfectly sums up Caroline Manzo who was also an original cast member on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. She has an old-school attitude toward being a housewife and said in season 1: “I think I’m a throwback, my career is secondary“.

Caroline, 60, is a mother-of-three who would go to the ends of the earth for her family, at points in the show she’s said that she lives for her children. She married Albert Manzo in 1984 and together they had three children, Albie, Lauren and Christopher.

The former RHONJ star was born in Brooklyn, New York and appeared on the show from season 1 to season 5. Caroline and her family went on to have their own show, Manzo’d With Children, which ran for three seasons from 2014 to 2016.

Today, Caroline has swapped her red cropped hair for silver and she’s a grandmother to Lauren’s daughter, Marchesa. She has 812K followers on Instagram @carolinemanzo and often takes to the ‘gram to share her life.