Entertainment TV Reality TV Teresa Giudice Defends Husband Luis Ruelas’ Comments About Margaret Josephs' Son: 'He Was Upset' "People make mistakes," Giudice insisted on the Aug. 11 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' special By Liza Esquibias Liza Esquibias Liza Esquibias is an Editorial Intern at PEOPLE. She is a rising senior majoring in Journalism at Pepperdine, where she is the editor-in-chief of the school's magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 12, 2024 06:18PM EDT Comments Close Teresa Giudice (left), Luis Ruelas (middle), Margaret Josephs (right). Photo: Emma McIntyre/Variety via Getty; Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Teresa Giudice is not budging when it comes to defending her husband. During the Aug. 11 Real Housewives of New Jersey special, which replaced the traditional end-of-season reunion, the cast watched the finale back and fans got to see their reactions. When the clip of Luis "Louie" Ruelas saying he hoped Margaret Joseph’s son “suffers” played on screen, the ladies’ jaws dropped. “I had to make the sign of the cross,” said Josephs, who was in a separate room from Giudice. “I’m horrified.” Teresa Giudice's Husband Apologizes for Wishing Margaret Josephs' Son 'Suffers': 'Disappointed in My Actions' Cameras then flipped to the other group with Giudice, where Dolores Catania warned her that she and Luis were going to “get a lot of s--- for that.” “I don’t care,” Giudice responded. “Listen, my kids suffered. My stepson suffered. My daughters suffered.” Margaret Josephs. Theo Wargo/Getty “No kids getting hurt is okay,” Catania pointed out. Not showing much care for the impact of Ruelas' words on Josephs' family, Giudice doubled down on her defense of her husband. “He was upset,” she insisted. “People make mistakes. I know he did not mean to say that.” She then promised: “I’ll make sure he says sorry.” Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas' Relationship Timeline Luis Ruelas (left) and Teresa Giudice (right). Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images After the season finale aired, Ruelas took to Instagram to explain his words and apologize. “The finale was very tough for me to watch and I wanted to address it with you all,” he began his post. “After watching the finale, I was disappointed in my actions in bringing up Margaret Josephs son. The reason he was even brought up was because I have been dealing with being falsely accused of calling [Margaret’s] son at work which is simply not true.” “For the last year Margaret kept putting this narrative out there that I called her son at work and I have had to deal with it knowing I am being lied on,” he went on to claim. “Still, I know better not to bring someone’s child up and it is something I deeply regret so I do want to apologize and acknowledge that I was wrong.” Andy Cohen Weighs in on Luis Ruelas' Comments About Margaret Josephs' Son: 'I Would Go Absolutely Mental' Ruelas went on to explain that in his mind, he was standing up for himself and his family at the “Last Supper” taping. “There’s been a lot of toxicity on the show that has affected everyone on the show,” he concluded. “We have been dealing with a lot of frustrating things behind the scenes and it has been very hard for our entire family and my children who have been really impacted by all that’s happened at the hands of certain people. Two wrongs don’t make a right and I deeply regret saying what I said.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Real Housewives of New Jersey can be streamed on Peacock.