Andy Cohen Speaks Out On Teresa Giudice And Rumor Tiki Barber’s Wife Is Joining ‘RHONJ’

What’s going on with the seventh season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey? During an interview with E! News that was posted on Thursday afternoon, the show’s executive producer, Andy Cohen, talked about Teresa Giudice and the rumors going around about who will be on the seventh season cast.

Andy revealed that he has yet to directly talk to Teresa since she reported to prison in early January but he is keeping tabs on her via her good friend and fellow cast member Dina Manzo. Andy would not say whether Teresa would get a welcome back to the show once she gets out, which may not be until early 2016.

“You know what, I haven’t spoken to Teresa yet. Her access to the outside world is obviously limited. Certainly I’m thinking about her. I woke up thinking about her this morning actually. I’m kind of checking in through Dina to find out how she’s doing and by all accounts she’s hanging in there and doing okay. And we’ll watch what happens with that.”

When asked about the rumor that former NFL star Tiki Barber’s wife, Traci Lynn Johnson, is joining the show, Andy said that the rumor is “so false.” Yet he didn’t actually deny that she’s being considered and is in contact with the casting company.

“I haven’t seen any New Jersey casting. Here’s the thing they’re [the casting company] doing a wide net so we haven’t cast Jersey. So anything you’ve heard about casting Jersey is not true right now.”

E! News previously reported that Traci Lynn Johnson is in talks to join the show. According to a source, the show, which has focused mostly on family drama and Teresa’s legal and financial problems in recent seasons, wants to go in a new direction.

“Yes, the rumor is true. Traci is down the road with the production company. She and Tiki moved to NJ a few years ago. They are next door neighbors with Snooki…When producers approached Traci, they told her they were revamping the show. Their goal is to include more well-known names and make New Jersey look more glamorous, like the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

So what does this mean for The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 6 cast members Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Dina Manzo, Amber Marchese, Nicole Napolitano, and Teresa Aprea? They may or may not be coming back, depending on who joins.

“It’s still early in the process. They’re meeting with a lot of women and trying to determine what ensemble will work best for the show.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Melissa Gorga, Teresa Giudice’s sister-in-law and co-star, was asked by Andy Cohen during her Watch What Happens Live appearance in early March whether she has had any personal contact with Teresa since she went to prison. She told Andy Cohen that she has written to Teresa and that Joe Gorga has spoken to Teresa on the phone, pretty much admitting that they have yet to actually see her.

[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]