A flush bank account is not a hard-and-fast requirement to be a Real Housewives star, but it definitely doesn’t seem to hurt! On The Real Housewives of New Jersey, we’ve seen obvious financial success as well as some major money problems (and prison terms) from our Garden State gals. But out of the show’s current Season 14 cast—which includes long-tenured personalities like Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga and Margaret Josephs, as well as newer faces like Rachel Fuda and Danielle Cabral—who has the biggest net worth?
Related: When Every 'Real Housewives' Franchise Is Coming Back
Here’s a breakdown of the stars of RHONJ, ranked by wealth.
The cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, ranked by net worth
Jennifer Aydin's Net Worth: $11 million
Of course, being married to a successful plastic surgeon like Bill Aydin gives some stability to the old bank account—for moneyed proof, the couple’s Paramus mansion reportedly has a whopping 16 bathrooms alone—but Jennifer Aydin also has a considerable financial portfolio all her own.
A main cast member of the Jersey-set reality series since Season 9, Jen reportedly takes in around $100,000 per season of The Real Housewives. Along with her abilities to stir up drama on the Bravo show, she showed off her entrepreneurial skills by launching the Ultimate Beauty Pillow in 2021, an aid to help those recovering from facial and cosmetic procedures.
Related:The Bickering Is Back! The Scoop on Who's Returning to 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' Season 14
Margaret Josephs' Net Worth: $5 million
Reportedly one of the wealthiest of The Real Housewives of New Jersey women with a $5 million net worth, Marge was a fashion designer and entrepreneur prior to joining the Bravo series in its eighth season in 2017. She'd previously owned the lifestyle brand Macbeth Collection, which earned her a place on Country Living’s Entrepreneurs of the Year list in 2007.
And though her exact per-episode payment has not been made public, it is likely that her RHONJ salary is between $30,000 and $60,000 per ep. Besides reality TV, Margaret also brings in revenue as an author and podcast host—her 2021 book, Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget: How to Survive in Business and Life, is a spinoff of her twice-weekly podcast of the same name.
However, despite that purported financial success, Josephs and husband Joseph Beningo have been on the receiving end of multiple lawsuits about failure to pay off debts. According to The Sun, Josephs was sued in 2019 by Capital One Bank for $12,172.86 in missed payments, in 2018 for $3,568.73 in unpaid legal bills, and in 2022 for $180,000 in unpaid settlements from a foreclosure lawsuit. In June 2023, the couple allegedly settled a $20,000 lawsuit against their former accountant.
Related: The 10 Biggest, Wildest Fights from 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey'
Dolores Catania's Net Worth: $4 to $5 million
Though she made guest appearances on The Real Housewives of New Jersey since the show’s beginnings, Dolores Catania only became a full-fledged cast member in Season 7 in 2016. She reportedly earned $30,000 per episode in her first season, but these days is pulling in double that amount for starring in the franchise, now in its 14th season.
Alongside her successful reality TV career, she also actively owns several locations of Powerhouse Fitness Center gyms and, like Melissa and Joe Gorga, has dabbled in house-flipping with her ex-husband and frequent RHONJ co-star Frank Catania.
Melissa Gorga's Net Worth: $3 million
After her sister-in-law Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga is the second longest-running cast member of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, so it’s no surprise that she rakes in a hefty amount from those Bravo appearances: according to Screen Rant, Melissa Gorga makes $750,000 per season of RHONJ. She also pursued a singing career in the early 2010s with singles like “On Display,” “How Many Times” and “Rockstar,” though her television career was far more lucrative.
Gorga also owns a clothing boutique (Envy by Melissa Gorga in Montclair, New Jersey); has written a book (2013’s Love, Italian Style: The Secret of My Hot and Happy Marriage), opened a restaurant with her husband Joe Gorga and her sister-in-law Melissa (Gorga's Homemade Pasta and Pizza, though it closed in 2018) and regularly flips homes alongside her hubby for a profit. (For example, they bought a million-dollar Toms River home in 2019; they sold it two years later for $2.9 million.)
Related: 'Real Housewives' Star Melissa Gorga's Net Worth Is 'On Display'
Teresa Giudice's Net Worth: $500,000
Money is a tricky subject in the Giudice household: In 2009, The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice and her then-husband Joe (who often appeared alongside his famous wife on the Bravo program) filed for bankruptcy, claiming that they were in debt for a cool $11 million. Five years later, the couple would plead guilty to financial fraud. Teresa was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, Joe 41 months, and the Giudices had to pay close to half a million dollars in restitution.
In the decade since, a now divorced and remarried Teresa is slowly regaining her financial footing: Celebrity Net Worth reports her current net worth at $500,000. That figure largely comes from her various reality-show appearances—along with RHONJ (according to Life & Style, Giudice was making $62,000 per episode in 2020), Giudice has featured on series like Dancing with the Stars, House of Villains and Ultimate Girls Trip. She has also released six books, including multiple best-selling cookbooks and a New York Times best-selling memoir, Turning the Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again.
Related: Teresa Giudice’s Net Worth: The Highs and Lows of This 'Real Housewife of New Jersey'
Danielle Cabral's Net Worth: $500,000
A self-proclaimed “MOMpreneur,” Danielle Cabral is the owner of Boujie Kidz, an online children’s clothing boutique for “little style icons.” She also owns a spin-off line called Boujie Mama for the kiddos’ equally style-conscious parents, which sells cosmetics, lifestyle clothing, fragrances and home decor.
And, despite only joining The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast in 2023, Danielle has a surprisingly long history in reality television. In 2006, she appeared on the MTV series True Life, in the episode titled "True Life: I'm a Staten Island Girl," and in 2012, she starred in an eight-episode TV series titled Family Under Construction on the DIY network.
Rachel Fuda's Net Worth: $400,000
Along with Cabral, Rachel Fuda is one of the most recent additions to The Real Housewives of New Jersey crew, joining in Season 13, which means it’s unlikely that her annual earnings from the show are on the same level as long-running stars like Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga.
However, Life & Style puts her net worth at a healthy $400,000, thanks to her full-time work alongside John Fuda in his family businesses like Valet King and Fuda Tile. After all, her inaugural RHONJ tagline is "I’m too busy running a business to care about yours."
Next,Where Are The Former 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' Cast Members Now?
