Andrei Jackamets/BRAVOCaroline Manzo, the matriarch of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, has no desire to be friends with Danielle Staub.
However, she insists, it has nothing to do with learning that Danielle has a sordid past that includes a major run-in with the law when she was hanging with some very shady characters.
"She's never going to be my friend," Caroline said. "I worry about the Danielle that I deal with on a daily basis today. Her past is where it should be—in the past. The Danielle that I see today, I don't like and it has nothing to do with her past."
Read on for Caroline's take on Danielle's former life, her dirty dancing with son Albie and why no one should be offended by the antigay slur hurled on last night's episode by Teresa Giudice's husband, Joe.
Why did you do a background check on Danielle?
I didn't do a background check. Someone came to us from Danielle's town that knows Danielle. And said, "She is not what she claims to be. There is a book about her." That would make me pretty crazy to go out and do a background check and say "You know what, I don't think her name is Danielle! I don't think who she is who she says. You know what, I bet you her name is this! And I'm going to go Google it."
But this stuff is from more than 20 years ago.
This is a monumental thing to find out about someone. It's more than just silly catty girl things. It's serious, serious things. We are talking about a federal case here, you know. So I don't think anybody in their right mind would just dismiss it and think of it as nothing. But to think that I went on an all-out campaign to investigate somebody…
That's what Bravo made it look like.
Please, I have better things to do. That would make me insane. I would have to be insane to do something like that. This came to me. And not just me—all of us. It was not just me alone. It was me, Dina and Jacqueline in the same room at the same time.
What happened when Danielle was dancing with Albie? Was there a Mrs. Robinson thing going on?
It wasn't as bad as they made it out to be. However, I will say this: It was inappropriate. My son is a grown man. He is not a child. He does not need Mommy to protect him. I just thought she was inappropriate, as did everybody else there. Did I think she was going to eat him alive? No. Did I think she was going to be a cougar and go after him? No. But do I think it was inappropriate? Yes.
Teresa's husband, Joe, is getting a lot of flack for calling someone an antigay slur on the show last night. What's that about?
It was just a comment that you make, the same comment when you're 12. He just made it when he was 38 or however old he is. They had a friend over last night who is gay. I have two gay brothers.
Maybe you say it when you're 12, but not when you're 38.
It was not done with malice, because I know them. It was a slip of the tongue. His "uh-oh" moment. Let's give Joe his "uh-oh" moment. We all get them. The Joe I know has no phobias, has no discrimination, he has family members that are gay. He has friends that are gay. He welcomes and embraces my two brothers that are gay.
What does New York City Housewife Bethenny Frankel think of all the drama across the Hudson River? Check out the exclusive weekly blog she has going on over at Watch With Kristin.
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