Chris Laurita Sets the Record Straight After Allegations That Jacqueline Called the IRS

As the husband of longtime Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member Jacqueline Laurita, Chris Laurita has witnessed and also been a part of his fair share of reunions, but they haven't gotten any easier over the years. "I think all the reunions have been difficult for one reason or another," Chris recently told Bravotv.com. "This one was difficult as well. I really feel like Jacqueline was kind of on her own island." 

Chris said that it seemed like Melissa and Joe Gorga especially had it out for Jacqueline at the reunion. "I was really surprised to see Joe and Melissa going after her because they were the ones who kind of made us hate Teresa [Giudice]. They said so many things to us over the past few years that really put us in a place where we can't possibly trust her," he said. "And then all of a sudden, we get to this year's reunion, and it's a whole different ballgame. Now we got Joe and Melissa against us, especially against Jacqueline, and Teresa's jumping on the bandwagon. And it's kind of like they had a plan to attack her, and that's what they did." 

Of course, Teresa did some finger-pointing at Jacqueline as well, such as when she accused her of setting her up and calling the IRS on her and her husband Joe Giudice, eventually leading to their multiple fraud charges and jail time. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life," Chris said of Teresa's accusations. "I'm sorry, but first of all, we have never called anyone on anyone for anything. And we certainly had no involvement with that whatsoever. That was all going on before we even really got to know them."

You Set Me Up!

Chris explained his and Jacqueline's side of the story during Sunday night's second and final part of the reunion, which he called "frustrating." He said that he and Joe Giudice's mutual friend told Chris that there was a real estate dispute and another person was going to go to the feds. Chris tried to mediate between the various parties, but Joe Giudice was not interested in making a deal so Chris did not get involved any further. 

However, Teresa maintained that Jacqueline was still involved, which Chris saw as an attempt to deflect responsibility. "It's really, really simple. All I was trying to say was take responsibility for your own actions. At what point do you take responsibility? Stop blaming everybody else. At the end of the day, nobody did those things but you. So just take responsibility. We don't care. We're not gonna hold it against you. But just stop blaming everybody. Last year, she was blaming her brother. This year, she's blaming Jacqueline. Who's next? It's just ridiculous," he said. "I think it's all about owning what you've done and saying, 'Look, I screwed up' and 'I'm sorry' and move on. It's that simple." 

Even though this season seemed like the final nail in the coffin in Teresa and Jacqueline's friendship, Chris said there was a glimmer of hope at the end of the reunion when his wife expressed a desire to move on with her onetime bestie before the group hug. "Anything is possible," Chris said. "She's not afraid to tell you what she's thinking or tell you how she's feeling. But if you have a conversation with her and you tell her and she tells you, 'OK, I got everything out. It's off my chest. Let's move forward,' she will 100 percent move forward without looking back. But that's who she is. I'm just not sure if Teresa is capable of that. Or Melissa." 

Relive the surprisingly sweet final moment of this season's RHONJ reunion, below.

Are the Ladies Willing to Hug It Out?