How Did Teresa Giudice Go From Bankruptcy to $9,500 Hair? (Net Worth 2023)

All about Teresa Giudice's marriages, convictions and side hustles.

Teresa Giudice is well known for her and former husband Giuseppe "Joe" Giudice’s financial woes. Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey documented a lot about the couple's net worth in their bankruptcy, fraud convictions and appeals. The couple were parodied on The Hotwives of Orlando by Bravo superfan Danielle Schneider and her real-life husband, UCB’s Matt Besser.

But despite all the content made from it, Teresa Giudice’s life isn’t for entertainment purposes only. The housewife has been through jail time, family feuds and divorce. But now she’s got a new man and a nearly $10,000 wedding hairdo. Here’s everything you need to know about Teresa Giudice’s net worth, relationships and court cases.

What is Teresa Giudice’s net worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Teresa Giudice is worth $500,000. Giudice’s net worth is definitely still rebuilding, after filing for bankruptcy in 2009. The bankruptcy listed $8.7 million in debt, including $2.6 in mortgages on three homes and $6.1 in debt to credit card companies, department stores and banks. "What is true is that due to the economy, most of my husband's real estate ventures failed despite his hard work and effort,” Giudice said in 2010. “As a result, we looked to the Bankruptcy Court for a 'fresh start.'"

That fresh start didn’t go exactly as planned. The Giudices were scheduled to auction off much of their property as part of their bankruptcy filing, according to People. That never came to pass, as the couple withdrew their petition for bankruptcy in 2010. This bankruptcy filing would eventually lead to both Joe and Teresa Giudice going to jail.

Why did Teresa Giudice go to jail?

In 2013, the Giudices were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud. There were 39 charges in the indictment, per a Department of Justice press release. “The indictment returned today alleges the Guidices lied to the bankruptcy court, to the IRS and to a number of banks,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said in the release. The pair eventually pleaded guilty to 41 counts of fraud in 2014.

According to Vulture, Joe was sentenced to 41 months in prison and two years probation. He was also ordered to pay $414,588 in restitution. Teresa was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Because the courts didn’t want the Giudice children to be without both parents, the couple’s sentences were served back-to-back. Teresa went to prison first, eventually writing a memoir that detailed her time in prison. According to her memoir, Teresa’s prison job was in the cafeteria, making 12 cents an hour cleaning the tables.

How much does Teresa Giudice make on Real Housewives of New Jersey?

Teresa Giudice has been a cast member on The Real Housewives of New Jersey for all 13 seasons—even during her prison stay. The show has documented her marriage, her divorce and her feud with sister-in-law Melissa Gorga. Her season 13 tagline will be "Blood may be thicker than water, but it's harder to clean when it spills," per People. According to Life & Style, Giudice was making $62,000 per episode in 2020.

Giudice’s TV experience goes beyond RHONJ, however. Her IMDb page lists a guest appearance on Mercy, as well as her brief run on Dancing with the Stars. “I love dancing. I don’t have any dance experience,” she told E! News. Even though Teresa’s time on DWTS was teeny, her family may have better luck in that field. Giudice told E! that her youngest daughter Audriana Giudice is “a competitive dancer.”

What other revenue streams does Teresa Giudice have?

Teresa Giudice can turn lemons into lemonade—and a prison stay into a memoir, which became a New York Times bestseller, a feat Giudice celebrated on Twitter. Giudice has also written a second memoir and a handful of cookbooks.

Food and cooking have come up in a lot of Giudice’s business ventures. Teresa and her brother Joe Gorga opened a restaurant in May of 2017. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed in 2018, according to People. Giudice also had a bottled Bellini beverage, Fabellini.

How much did Teresa Giudice spend on her wedding?

Teresa and Joe Giudice divorced in 2020. On The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa explained that the marriage was under strain due to accusations of infidelity as well as being separated by prison sentences. “In our divorce settlement, I got the house and Joe walked away with nothing because I paid off all his debt,” Teresa said in a season 11 confessional. “And I’ve been taking care of our daughters for five years now all on my own.” Teresa sold the house they’d formerly shared. She and then-boyfriend Luis “Louie” Ruelas got a $3.35 million “investment property,” according to the NY Post.

Luis and Teresa got married in 2022, and it was an expensive affair. It was widely reported that Teresa’s elaborate hair cost $9,500. Teresa also said she had to pay for extra security after Ramona Singer put her invitation on Instagram. I’m like, ‘Ramona, take down my invitation off your Story! Why would you do that?’” she said at an appearance in Philadelphia. “I’m like, ‘You’re on TV, I’m on TV, why would you do that? My husband-to-be has crazy f–king exes, are you kidding me?’”