Melissa Ann Gorga ( née Marco; born March 21, 1979) is an American television personality, author, singer, designer and businesswoman. She is a member of the cast of '' The Real Housewives of New Jersey'', joining the show in its third season in 2011.
Early life
Gorga was born on March 21, 1979. She is of Italian descent and grew up in
Toms River, New Jersey
Toms River is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. Its mainland portion is also a census-designated place of the same name, which serves as the county seat of Ocean County. She attended
New Jersey City University
New Jersey City University (NJCU) is a public university in Jersey City, New Jersey. Originally chartered in 1927, and known as Jersey City State College for 40 years of its history, New Jersey City University consists of the School of Business, ...
Gorga joined Bravo's reality television series '' The Real Housewives of New Jersey'' as a main cast member in 2011. In 2011, she appeared on the magazine cover of the August issue of ''Boardwalk Journal''. She has also appeared in pictorials for ''
Paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...
'' and ''
Us Weekly
''Us Weekly'' is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to American Media Inc ...
.''
She also has pursued a music career. Her single "On Display" was released on iTunes on August 13, 2011. Other singles were previewed on several season-four episodes, and Gorga issued a four-song EP. As of July 5, 2012, she has released two additional singles on iTunes: "How Many Times", released April 29, 2012, and "Rockstar", released June 10, 2012. Her fourth single, "I Just Wanna", was released September 2012. Written by and featuring hip hop singer Santino Noir, it was accompanied by a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
. In January 2016, Gorga told
E! News
''E! News'', previously known as ''E! News Daily'' and ''E! News Live'', is the infotainment, entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and prima ...
she wouldn't be continuing her music career, but expressed interest to returning to music in the future.
Her book titled "Love, Italian Style: The Secret of My Hot and Happy Marriage" was published by St. Martin's Griffin in 2013. In 2014, Gorga introduced a jewelry line on
HSN
HSN, an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Qurate Retail Group, which also owns catalog company Cornerstone Brands. Based in the Gateway area of St. Petersburg, Flo ...
. In late 2015, she opened a clothing boutique called Envy by Melissa Gorga in
Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. ...
, in premises built by her husband, Joe. In January 2017, the store was temporarily closed due to a dispute with her business partner, Jackie Beard Robinson; it re-opened later that month. In December 2017, Robinson sued Gorga, alleging Gorga falsely accused Robinson of stealing merchandise from Envy.
In May 2017, the Gorgas opened a restaurant in
East Hanover, New Jersey
East Hanover Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 11,157, reflecting a decline of 236 (−2.1%) from the 11,393 counted in the 2000 Census, whic ...
with Teresa Giudice named Gorga's Homemade Pasta and Pizza. In January 2018, the restaurant closed in search of larger space and new management.
Gorga starred in '' The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip'' a spin-off featuring various women from
The Real Housewives
''The Real Housewives'' is an international reality television franchise that consists of 57 programs; 11 American installments, 20 international installments and 26 spin-offs. Most of the franchise documents the personal and professional lives ...
franchise, that premiered on
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...
in November 2021.
In December of 2021, Gorga launched her own interview and lifestyle podcast with PodcastOne titled "On Display" named after her first single.
Personal life
She is married to Giuseppe "Joe" Gorga, who also appears on '' The Real Housewives of New Jersey'', who is the brother of cast member
Teresa Giudice
Teresa Giudice ( , ; ; born May 18, 1972) is an American television personality best known for starring in ''The Real Housewives of New Jersey''. Besides appearing on the show, Giudice wrote multiple ''New York Times'' bestseller cookbooks and ...
. The Gorgas have 3 children: Antonia, Gino, and Joey and reside in
Montville, New Jersey
Montville is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 21,528, reflecting an increase of 689 (+3.3%) from the 20,839 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in tu ...