Fans of ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ received some not so shocking news this afternoon from the shows original cast members Caroline Manzo. The RHONJ Matriarch took to social media and to her blog this afternoon to announce what has been rumored for the past few weeks now, that she indeed would not be returning to the next season 6 of ‘RHONJ’. Manzo is in the process of shooting a pilot for her new show to be aired on Bravo ‘Manzo’d with Children’. Peep her official statement below:

Here we are, at the end of the Housewives Road. It was quite a season, wasn’t it? I hope you all enjoyed it.

I think I’m going to make this short and sweet, because to put all my thoughts into a single blog would take forever and quite possibly turn the blog into a novel, so here goes: I have made the decision to leave The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Over the past couple of years Bravo and I have had numerous conversations regarding my position on Housewives, and they accept and understand where I’m coming from.

When we started filming Housewives so long ago, Al made me promise him one thing. He said, “Just be yourself and have fun with it.” I’ve always prided myself on giving you the truth of who I really am, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Over the past few years my outlook on the show has changed from something I couldn’t wait to show my future grandchildren to something I hope my future grandchildren never see. I’ve always prided myself on being a good example for my children and my decision to leave is based on advice I’ve always given them: “Be true to yourself and be proud of who you are, you are born with a name and you die with a name, don’t dirty it up.” Going back to film another season of Housewives would only make me a hypocrite. For me, peace and integrity cannot be bought with money or fame. I practice what I preach, and as I said on the reunion, I’m done.I simply feel that my role has run its course and I have nothing more to give.

I may be leaving Housewives, but my relationship with Bravo will continue as we started production on a pilot, Manzo’d with Children, which if goes to series promises to give the viewers a very different look into the world of the Manzo Family. We are having an absolute blast filming it, and I hope you all join us as we start our new chapter within the Bravo newtork. We didn’t close the book, we just turned the page.

I posted this quote earlier today on my Instagram, I think it sums my thoughts up perfectly:

“There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy.”Thank you so much for being a part of one of the most amazing experiences of my life. You guys are the best.

xoxo

See you soon on Manzo’d with Children on Bravo!