Jackie Goldschneider Shifted to Friend Status for 'RHONJ' Season 13 Amid Eating Disorder Recovery

Jackie Goldschneider is addressing her status update on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Earlier this week, Bravo released the first trailer for the upcoming 13th season of the reality show.

After watching the trailer, many fans were surprised to see that Jackie, 46, who joined RHONJ in season nine, will now be appearing as a Friend of the main cast, losing her full-time Housewife status.

In a new interview, Jackie opened up about taking a smaller role in the new season.

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“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 recalled 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.”

As RHONJ can recall, Jackie has been struggling with an eating disorder for over 18 years and has been focusing on her recovery.

Jackie went on to share that she told Bravo that “recovery was my priority,” adding, “I just wasn’t sure how to balance the time commitment for the show with my recovery.”

After hearing her concerns, Bravo then offered Jackie a Friend role for season 13.

“They were so supportive,” Jackie shared. “And even though that was a really tough pill to swallow and it was hard for me to step back a little bit after having been such a big part of the show for so many years, I really knew that that was probably the best solution.”

The new season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey premieres on Bravo on Tuesday, February 7.

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