‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Star Teresa Giudice Claims Prison Time Was Like ‘Being in College’
Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice continues to speak out about her time as a prisoner at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. She claims her 11-month stint was “like being in college” in a new podcast interview.
Teresa Giudice likened her prison term to a college experience
In an interview for the podcast Hollywood Raw, Teresa Giudice claimed her time in prison wasn’t as bad as she anticipated. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star said it was a lot like “being in college.”
“It wasn’t bad where I was,” Teresa explained. “I tell my daughter it’s like being at college.”
She continued, “But the only thing is I just couldn’t leave. I had to stay there.”
Furthermore, Giudice revealed, “I mean, I could go outside and get fresh air. And I have to say the grounds were so beautiful. The scenery was beautiful.”
The ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ star raved about prison food
“I have to say the food was really good,” Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice revealed on the Hollywood Raw podcast. “And I actually cooked there also ’cause, you know, I’m a three[-time] New York Times bestselling author for three of my cookbooks out of four.”
Giudice claims she cooked “dinner for everyone” at the facility. Additionally, she made a chicken stir fry for an estimated 200 women.
“I’m telling you, the food was so good,” Giudice continued. “My favorite was when I first got there; they had banana nut muffins.”
“I would have a banana nut muffin every morning. It was so good! And then they ran out of them, and I was so mad because they were so good! They were really good.”
Teresa Giudice ‘used to talk to God’ in prison: ‘Why did I have to come here?’
Along with the food and the experience, Teresa Giudice likened her prison experience to a “camp setting.” However, she that didn’t stop her from lamenting on her situation, and reaching out to a higher power for comfort.
Giudice revealed the Danbury, CT prison housed many who committed “white-collar crimes.” However, she shared that she “used to talk to God” during her darkest moments and asked, “Why did I have to come here?”
“I know I’m not a criminal. I know I did not intentionally commit a crime,” she said. The reality star maintains she was given jail time because she was on television, and “they want[ed] to make an example” out of her.
Giudice and her husband Joe plead guilty to bank, mail, wire, bankruptcy, and tax fraud. Subsequently, Giudice was found guilty of fraud charges and sentenced to 15 months in jail in October 2014. Teresa served first, and within two months of her release, Joe began his sentence.
“I thought she could really see who I really was,” Teresa lamented. “But [U.S. District Judge Esther Salas] kind of stereotyped me.”
Giudice reveals, “She was talking to me like she knew who I was. She said, ‘You were trying to keep up with the Joneses.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, no, I wasn’t.’ It was because of everybody — even my brother [Joe Gorga] and cousin—stuff they were saying on the show.”
Teresa Giudice stars in The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The Bravo series is currently on hiatus.
