Introducing new cast members to long-standing Housewives franchises can often be a hit or miss. However, when Danielle Cabral joined this season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey and brought equal parts Jerseylicious style and Staten Island attitude, she quickly became a fan favorite.
The business owner and mom-of-two wastes no time bringing her colorful personality to the series and she surely isn’t afraid to stir the pot when it comes to some of the veteran housewives.
From experiencing an immediate disconnect with Jackie Goldshneider to calling out Rachel Fuda for twisting their conversation in the most recent episode, to engaging in an explosive fight with Margaret Josephs in the midseason trailer, Cabral clearly has what it takes to withstand the Bravoverse.
While speaking with DECIDER, the reality star opened up about some of those more heated moments between her and her costars, what it’s like joining the hit series, and what she hopes for her future on the show.
I recently saw a TikTok from your time on True Life. Have you always been interested in reality TV? If not, when did you realize that it was something you wanted to pursue?
So, TV? Always. Movie star? Always! Reality TV, I knew because when I went out to California and tried to make it, the industry is so hard. I mean, I would go to interviews with my hairspray and do an interview like this [talks into hairspray can]. And I’m like, ‘Wait, my personality is kind of unique.’ I just felt like I’d get seen more if I was just more like myself. So reality TV just kind of came to me. I always wanted to be in the entertainment industry. I’m not afraid to say that either. So it was always a dream of mine – and it happened!
How did your prior experience differ from RHONJ?
I was at a totally different place in my life. That was tough. True Life was very hard because I was a kid. I was filming around kids and it was tough because they didn’t accept me very well. They didn’t like the show, because that was before Housewives, before Jersey Shore. So you know, we put the East Coast Staten Islanders on the map in a way and it wasn’t perceived very well.
But now coming into Housewives, it’s already a beloved franchise. And it’s so big. It’s also big shoes to fill, you know, and it’s different. I’m in the best place in my life now. So I’m proud to showcase my life. Back when I was a kid, I was a kid chasing dreams.
Based on what you knew about the ladies beforehand, who were you most intimidated by and who were you most excited to work with coming into it?
I wasn’t intimidated by anybody because I didn’t know anything bad, really. And I think that’s what saved me – that I didn’t know what they were all capable of doing when I met them. I wanted them all to show me who they were as a person because that’s the only way you can really, truly tell [who somebody is]. I was excited to meet all of them, really. I had no preconceived notions about anybody.
You came on as a friend of Teresa’s. Were you ever concerned that joining a show that’s based around a lot of drama might come between your friendship?
With Teresa? Not really. No. I came on very open with her and I’m like, “Listen, I got to be friends with everybody. I know you’ve got problems with everybody.” She told me about a lot of the stuff she went through with everybody. And I said I’m not going to let them disrespect you around me. But I have to build my own friendships. Because nobody likes it when you come in gung-ho for one other person and you can’t get to know somebody for who they are.
Whether it’s between Teresa and the Gorgas or Jennifer and Margaret, you definitely joined the show at a time where there was a lot of existing tension. How were you able to navigate all the drama?
In the beginning, I just sat back and let it all play out. It’s not my drama to be a part of so I didn’t speak on it. Let them handle their stuff or whatever is going on from last year. Eventually, I became involved in a lot of my own stuff so I didn’t need to get involved in their stuff, really. You know, you just have to sit back and let them work it out, which is what I did.
You said you were angry at yourself over leaving the parties early – why do you feel that way?
I don’t ever like to leave a situation. You got a problem? Let’s go, let’s talk it out, let’s hash it out. Let’s go. I don’t like leaving. I’m not a punk. I don’t like letting people get the best of me and I feel like in those two situations, it seems as though they got the best of me because I left. But I left because the first time at the Jersey Shore, I needed time to calm down. I was a raging maniac. You only saw a little bit. But I was so mad because that was the first time I got a little kickback from these women. Every other time it was great. And now I’m like, “Wait, what?”
I’m glad I took a step back because I needed to really figure out how I wanted to verbalize my emotions. If I would have came at them and screamed and yelled and this and that, I wouldn’t have gotten my point across.
And then at Rachel’s house, you guys saw a blip of that conversation. That went on for a very long time. And at some point you need to say, “OK, you’re not getting what I’m saying, I’m just gonna go because I can go be with my kids right now instead of having to sit here and explain the same thing to you for three more hours. Enjoy your meal. I’m gonna go with my husband and go grab my kids and go back to normalcy.” And that’s really what went down. To the viewer, it looks like I was like, “I can’t handle the heat.” But I was smart in how I handled it.
The psychic in the new episode says some pretty accurate stuff. Do you think Jennifer Aydin gave her a run-down beforehand? Or do you believe in all that stuff?
I believe in all that stuff. I believe that dead people follow me all the time. I feel it in my bones. I believe it. I spoke to Jenn. I’m like, “Jenn, did you tell her? I mean she said ‘endorsements.’ What’s going on?” She said, ‘Danielle, I didn’t say nothing. I didn’t say nothing.’ She said she didn’t say anything. So am I gonna be just like everybody else and question it to the point of like, ‘I know you’re lying!’ Let it be! She’s a great psychic. Let’s give it up for her. She was a class act. They went at her and she just kept her cool.
Things get heated between you and Rachel Fuda after she relayed your conversation to Margaret. In your confessional, you referred to her as “guilty and insecure” for not apologizing. Do you still believe that today? Or do we see you come to a resolution on the show?
The show goes like this with me and Rachel [makes wave motions with hand]. I was mostly disappointed in Rachel. She twisted my words. Our conversation was very light-hearted like, “This one does that, this one does that. We’re new here.” And she kind of twisted it to make it like I was really going at Margaret. And that’s why I was upset. She wanted to make me look like the bad guy.
I was hurt too because I thought we had a really nice friendship. I thought we kind of were going in together. And you know, she was my girl and I got hurt by it. For me, whenever I hurt somebody and I really don’t mean it, I apologize and I want to make sure, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I did not mean to hurt your feelings.” And when people don’t do that and they get even more nasty, [you] gotta watch out for those. It’s disappointing. It’s like, “Yeah, but you hurt my feelings. Validate it. Just apologize.” So that one upset me a little bit.
In the mid-season trailer, you and Margaret really go at it at one point, with Margaret seemingly getting restrained by Melissa. Without spoiling too much, what can you tell us about that argument?
It’s a big boil-up of a lot of things that go down. It’s not just one altercation. It’s constant. It’s to the point where it’s unbearable for me. I think at that moment, it blew up in ways that I didn’t even know was gonna blow up. I’m like, “Woah, where’s this one coming from?” It’s wild how that night goes down.
Do you think you allowed Jennifer and Teresa’s warnings to get in the way of you forming a relationship with Margaret?
No, I had a great relationship with Margaret. I love Margaret. She helped me with my business. She helped me with my logo. We had a great relationship. That’s why when she was coming at me and I’m like, “Margaret, I don’t think this of you. It’s taken out of context.” And she doesn’t stop for the rest of the season. Then that becomes a problem. And that’s where it all just kind of comes to a head.
You and Jackie definitely got off on the wrong foot. Why do you think Jackie cares so much about uncovering more to the story behind what happened with you and your brother?
I don’t think she likes me. I think she was shocked that a personality like myself came into the friend group. I think she was maybe looking forward to a more sophisticated or educated tootsy-fruitsy type of housewife – and here comes me. And I think she just didn’t like me from the get-go. She had a problem with me and it’s evident in how she treated me.
Another one – like, if you didn’t really feel the way that you did – but you did, you actually admitted that you looked me up and down – apologize to me. If you made me feel a certain way that I didn’t invite you to my house then say, “My bad I made you feel like that. Sorry.” No one knows how to say they’re sorry nowadays, right? If you hurt somebody, say sorry. You don’t have to go be a mega-bitch to try to make up for it.
You’ve been very open about your strained relationship with your brother. Have you heard from him since you began speaking about it on the show?
No, I haven’t. I haven’t heard from him or his wife. I haven’t heard a thing. I don’t know if they watch it. I don’t know what their thoughts are. I know none of that.
The internet seems to be obsessed with Jennifer Fessler. Did you notice how she was eating mozzarella cheese at your Mozz party? What did you think of the memes following the episode?
No clue that she ate it like that. Not surprised. I’m not surprised. That’s Jenn Fesler in a nutshell. And thank God for her. She brought some fun. She not really serious about herself. She’s the goofball of the group. God bless her because we all needed a little bit of comic relief.
Were you at Teresa’s wedding, and what do you think of her internet-breaking hairdo?
I was there and I can say that it was a breathtaking moment for sure. When the doors open and she came out, it was so Jersey, it was so Teresa. She gave you everything you would have wanted for her wedding in, like, a weird way. She looked gorgeous. She looked beautiful and she was happy. And everybody that was there, was happy to be there. So it was a beautiful wedding.
What are your hopes for your future on the series?
That’s a really great question. No one has ever asked me that. There’s a lot of stuff going on in my life that I’m excited to showcase and I think the beauty about this show is it’s about all these women’s lives. We see what goes on with all of our lives individually and then how we can bring it together as a group. I would love to be able to share my personal life in a positive way with these ladies. Like, things may happen to me in the next year that I’m going to be excited about and I want to have them there and be supportive. And I think we need to start doing that more – be supportive of one another. Because we’re all individually amazing women that have accomplished amazing things. So let’s applaud that and let’s celebrate. But we’re on the Housewives, so that’s probably not gonna happen.
What can you tease about the rest of the season?
I know for me it’s very hard from this point out. It gets very difficult for me and challenging. And I think a lot of the storyline of what you see with Teresa, Joe, Melissa, that big fight at the finale – it all unfolds. And it’s gonna be hard for me to watch again, to go through it again, but buckle up.