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Jackie Goldschneider is speaking out after being demoted from her full-time position on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
After denying claims of a “friend” role for months amid production on the upcoming 13th season, Jackie reacted to a couple of messages she received from fans, who expressed their frustration with her reduced role after she promoted the new episodes on Instagram.
“The countdown begins! Tune into the season 13 premiere of the [RHONJ] next Tuesday, Feb 7th, at 9pm!” Jackie wrote in the caption of a series of photos from the new season on January 30.
After Jackie shared the slideshow, she was met with a fan who said they weren’t happy about her lesser role on the Bravo reality series.
“I’m not happy you’re a ‘friend’ but if you’re ok then I guess I’ll be ok,” they wrote, along with a series of emojis.
And Jackie confirmed that she was alright with the decision.
“Thank [you]!! Yes I’m ok it’s all good!” she shared.
Another person said that while they didn’t appreciate Jackie’s demotion, they were looking forward to the show’s premiere.
“I wish you were full-time but I’m excited to see you on my screen!!!!” they said.
“Awww thank [you]!!” Jackie replied.
As RHONJ fans will recall, Jackie denied that she was being demoted from her full-time role on season 13 throughout production — even after Frank Catania confirmed the lesser role during an appearance on The Morning Toast podcast.
“I show up. I’m filming all the time no matter what you want to call me, so whatever Bravo decides to call me, I’m here and doing the same thing,” Jackie insisted to Page Six in July.
And around the same time, she released a similar statement to E! News.
“I filmed yesterday, I’m filming tomorrow, I’m filming all next week,” Jackie revealed. “So really, no matter what Bravo’s decides—and sometimes they make these decisions at the last second—no matter what they decide, I go into filming doing the same exact thing that I’ve been doing for the past five years.”
Then, after her “friend” role was confirmed, Jackie suggested that after approaching Bravo with concerns about her ongoing eating disorder recovery, she was offered a reduced position that would allow her to remain on the show while also giving her the time she needed to prioritize her health.
“When Bravo approached me about casting for season 13, I obviously was very excited to be a part of the show again because I love the show,” Jackie explained to PEOPLE. “But my recovery was not in the place that I expected it to be. It was moving very slowly. I was still being triggered by stress and I still needed a lot of intense therapy.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 premieres on Tuesday, February 7, at 9/8c on Bravo.
