Melissa Gorga Talks Her Dream ‘RHONJ’ Cast, Why She Wouldn’t Do ‘The Traitors,’ And Her Sprinkle Cookie Empire

The Real Housewives of New Jersey might be on pause, but Melissa Gorga is not. Following the wildly successful release of Let’s Sprinkle By MG last holiday season, the reality star, Envy boutique owner, and mom of three (four, if you include her husband Joe) is gearing up to expand her latest business venture.

In a 2011 episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa Giudice infamously threw away a batch of sprinkle cookies Gorga had brought for her, starting a years-long road of ups and downs between the sisters-in-law. Now, more than a decade later, Gorga has figured out a way to turn lemons into lemonade by starting her own sprinkle cookie line, Let’s Sprinkle By MG, which has raked in half a million dollars in revenue in its first three months.

The reality star and businesswoman took things up a notch today when she announced the release of her new sprinkle cake — a buttery soft, delicious coffee cake she believes will be a “big hit” this spring.

“I love that this is just another company and business that I’m expanding with and working with,” Gorga said when she stopped by DECIDER’s studio, noting that Bravo’s pause on The Real Housewives of New Jersey has helped bring out her “creative” side. “It gives me that little extra time to kind of do the things that have been on my mind.”

While Gorga still doesn’t know what her future holds on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, she speculated that Bravo will likely cast Season 15 with “some old” and “some new” faces. As for who would be on her dream cast, the “On Display” singer named Caroline Manzo to show “what Jersey is about,” Danielle Staub to “ruffle the feathers,” along with herself, Margaret Josephs, Rachel Fuda, Jennifer Fessler, and Dolores Catania.

“That would be a phenomenal cast,” she said. “There’d be drama, there’d be a little like, you know, hierarchies going on. They’re all crazy. I think it would be great.”

Gorga also revealed why she wouldn’t do The Traitors, teased a future TV project, and offered advice to anyone looking to start a small business. Check out the full interview below.

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DECIDER: I’m so excited to talk to you today. You’ve been keeping so busy since we last saw you on TV. Can you talk a bit about your sprinkle cake and why you decided to expand your sprinkle empire? 

MELISSA GORGA: Listen, sprinkles don’t just have to be cookies, right? Obviously, the sprinkle cookies are the mothership, but this cake, I have always wanted to expand the business and I’m always thinking that way. I’ve created this amazing, buttery – it’s a coffee cake with a crumb streusel on top. Just the perfect amount of sweetness. It’s fun, it’s beautiful, it’s gonna be such a big hit, I think, for Easter, Mother’s Day. It’s colorful, it’s delicious. I’ve had them in my house for a couple weeks now and when I tell you we just slice away every morning, at night before we go to bed, with our coffee, with our tea. It’s really truly the most perfect coffee cake and it’s really moist and delicious.

And, you know, us Italians, we have to keep reinventing so it has like a little Italian twist to it. You’ll taste the vanilla in there as well. But super exciting. I love that this is just another company and business that I’m expanding with and working with. I am still very grateful just over how everyone has just embraced the whole sprinkle cookie line and Let’s Sprinkle, the whole company, in general. People really go nuts for it. And they make great gifts. So everyone’s gifting them. And they’re putting the cutest messages you have ever seen. They’ll be like, “Congratulations on your baby girl. I know she’s definitely not gonna throw these in the garbage. She’s gonna grow up to love sprinkle cookies.” The cutest, fun messages. So it’s a feel-good brand. And it’s fun and it’s delicious. So everyone’s loving it. I’m like, let’s keep going then, let’s go.

We read that Let’s Sprinkle By MG has brought in half a million dollars in revenue in only the last three months, which is amazing! When you and Teresa had that moment over the Sprinkle Cookies all those years ago, did you ever think it would turn into such a lucrative business opportunity for you?

It’s funny. Throughout the years, I always said to myself, and I’ve been very busy, obviously, with filming the show and with Envy, and I have the podcast, right? And three kids. And Joe. So like, I’ve always had in the back of my mind, like, “I need to come out with my own sprinkle cookie.” I never wanted it to be where I was kind of doing a collab with another brand. I wanted it to be my own that I curated, that was to my liking. So I waited, I waited. And believe it or not, even though I waited quite a while, it ended up being the perfect timing. It just blew up and it went viral, obviously, on TikTok. People love it and it’s fun and they love to make fun TikToks and tasting videos. And now I’m sure they’ll do the same thing with the cake. 

Some people are like, “Why now?” But I just keep thinking, “Finally!”

Yes! I’ve been working hard with everything else and this little pause, believe it or not, it brings out my creative [side]. It gives me that little extra time to kind of do the things that have been on my mind and that was like No. 1 that I knew was gonna happen the second I had like an ounce of extra time. So, I’m excited.

In addition to Let’s Sprinkle, you have Envy. Can you give us an update on how things are going? 

Amazing. We just had the one-year anniversary of my second store in Huntington, New York. That was actually just last week. And that’s been amazing. In Huntington, Long Island, they gave me such a warm welcome. And it’s been so great there. And I feel like, you know, Envy is a beast. I mean, I’m 10 years in business. And I think everyone has watched me build that company myself from the ground up. I’m extremely hands-on. I am the buyer for the store. Everything I wear is basically from there, like, 90% of the time. And I truly just love really running and owning a business and also having such amazing women work with me. And we work together to create this company and this boutique that people come into, they have so much fun, we find them cute outfits. I feel like fashion is fun. It’s fun for me. It’s playful. It’s feel-good. Everything I do, I wanna feel good. I wanna see sprinkles and clothes and fashion. Like all feel good things. So yes, I’m blessed. And at the end of the day, I do it all for my family. It’s to show my daughter and to, hopefully for their legacy, pass things down. I don’t know, my daughter’s going to college for business. You never know. Maybe she wants to work with mommy’s business one day, right? So yeah, it’s all about just growing throughout the years and leveling up and just trying to do the best I can and make everything as delicious as I possibly can. 

This must be something that’s so much fun for you to share with your kids. On Real Housewives, we saw you kind of teaching Antonia the ins and outs of owning a small business. Does she want to follow in your footsteps? 

I think she does, yes. I think that’s why she’s going to school for business. I think wants to work for herself. I think she would like to be a business owner, whether it be something with me or a branch off of something that I do. And if it’s not, I’m fine with that. But I do think her goal is to be a business owner one day. 

Well, she has a good role model!

You know, she’s always watching me work, work, work. She’s like, “Oh, my gosh!” But, you know, she’ll never say her mother’s lazy. Let’s just say that. 

That’s true! What’s the best piece of advice you could give someone who wants to start a small business?

I think in the beginning it’s a little bit scary because you’re going into a territory that you’re not sure. And you’re gonna invest money probably to find a location or even if it’s e-commerce, you’re building a website. So you do have to invest a little bit of money and a lot of bit of time depending on what business it is. But I always say never live with regrets. I always say to go for it. If there’s something you’ve been wanting to do, if there’s a business that you’ve been thinking about, baby steps. You don’t have to go out there and create this huge thing or you don’t need the huge rent. Start small and build yourself up. My first store was a lot smaller than my second store and I just kept growing. So I say do it but start small, get your feet wet a little bit, start to create sales and start your business that way. You just need to build slowly upon it. But never just sit back and say, “I wish I did it.” Like, you need to go for it. 

I want to shift gears a little bit. Your Real Housewives co-star Dolores Catania just won The Traitors Season 3. Were you watching the season? What did you think of her win?

You know what’s funny? The other two seasons that were on, I don’t know why I don’t think I put enough attention to it. I thought it was confusing. I was like, I don’t understand. Who’s the Traitor? Who’s the Faithful? What’s going on here? But now that Dolores was on, I really paid attention and watched every single episode and I thought, “If Dolores can’t win this, no one can.” I mean, who plays Switzerland better than Dolores? And the game is all about Switzerland. It’s all about, like, don’t get them mad at me. Don’t them at mad me. I don’t want them to vote me out. I’m like, “Oh, if she doesn’t win this, no one’s gonna win it.” I knew she was gonna win. I knew it. I was like, “This is her game.” 

There have been some rumors that Margaret Josephs was contacted about Season 4. What would you think about her going on?

I called her right away. I’m like, “Are you going to be on Traitors? Don’t lie to me.” Who knows? I have no idea. She says no.

Would you ever want to go on The Traitors or any other competition show?

I would. I think there are some things in the works right now that you might hear about soon. But Traitors is not one of them just yet and I’ll tell you why. I can’t put my phone down for three weeks and have zero communication with Envy or Sprinkle or Antonia or Gino or Joey or Joe. I just can’t. I’m not there yet. You literally cannot – you can’t check an email, you can’t make a phone call. Not yet. I’m not there. I can’t do that yet. 

I get that. Well, I’m excited about whatever this other opportunity is!

Yeah, maybe, who knows. I’m willing to do things that come.

I feel like every day there’s some new report about who is and isn’t returning to The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but there’s been no confirmation from Bravo or any of the cast. Andy Cohen even said we might not hear anything until 2026. Have you heard anything yet? What do you hope for the future of the series? 

Listen, Jersey’s a huge franchise. I believe we were like the highest-rated premiere of 2024 of all the Housewives shows. So it’s definitely not laying on the floor. I truly believe it’ll be back. And I think, you know, they’re gonna do exactly what you’ve been hearing, which is some old, some new. But it’s coming. I truly believe in my heart it will be back.

Do you think the wait until 2026 is a bit too long or do you think it’s necessary?

I do think that’s a little long. But obviously, you know, they’re the boss. They know what to do. So we’re just going to roll with it. 

Out of everyone who has ever been on the show, who would be your dream cast? 

I like Caroline Manzo. She gave something that other Housewives don’t give. She was very unique in her own way and she is really what Jersey is about too, as well. So I would bring Caroline. I know that you need someone to ruffle the feathers. Believe it or not, I thought Danielle Staub, as much as she would come for me or whatever it was, I didn’t care, like, I actually thought she was some kind of great TV. I really did. So, I would choose her, too. I think Margaret’s great TV. Dolores and I, Rachel, Danielle. I love everyone. Jen Fessler. That would be a really great cast. I think that would be an awesome cast. 

I agree! Now I have to ask this, but is there any world in which you and your former sister-in-law would be able to come together again for the sake of the show? Or has that ship completely sailed?

I think the ship has sailed. Yeah, I mean, I think you guys got that last season. Fans didn’t like it, I don’t think.

I admire that about you. You’re able to recognize something when it’s gotten too toxic and do what’s best for you.

See, I’m not dead-set on one thing. One thing is not going to make me or break me, right? So if it continues on, I’ll handle that. If it doesn’t, I will handle that. I believe in reinventing yourself or whatever or if it comes back in some capacity to make it that much better. I’m busy and I’m okay either way and however that works out, I truly feel like, “Okay, whatever it is, we’re gonna do it. We’re gonna deal with it.” So I’m just waiting like everyone else to hear the news. I’m one of you just waiting to hear what’s gonna happen. 

Well, I’m hoping you’re back and maybe the cast you named. That would be a fun cast!

That would be a phenomenal cast. There’d be drama, there’d be a little like, you know, hierarchies going on. They’re all crazy. I think it would be great.

The Housebands of New Jersey are fan favorites! Is Joe still hanging out with the fellas? Who does he see the most? What’s their latest hijinks? 

Obviously, we see Frank Catania the most. They were at my house yesterday drinking Johnnie Walker Blue on a Sunday while I was making them pasta. My house on a Sunday is a revolving door. It’s insanity. There’s just food and wine and that’s always the Gorga household on a Sunday. So Frank was over yesterday and we actually made the funniest TikTok. It was so funny. It’s ridiculous. But the guys have so much fun together. And Frank Catania lives around the block from me. And of course Joe sees John Fuda, Joe Benigno. We see everybody. We pretty much see them all.

I love that about Jersey – that the husbands are just as fun to watch as the wives.

Yes, what you see on the show of the men is truly the men. They are completely unaware of cameras. Joe Gorga in person is exactly Joe. I mean, if anything, he’s even like softer, I would say, in person. He’s just such a softy. And I feel like sometimes, of course, with the show, you don’t always see that because you see the hardest parts in life that he had to go through and when he had to suffer that way or whatever it was with family. But he’s the easiest going. Whatever you want, wherever you guys want to go. He’s just such a chill, fun guy. He really is. 

We’re just like lifers, I say. Like we’re just about like, let’s make a memory today. If we’re going to go to dinner, it’s going to be the best dinner we ever had. We’re just about life, enjoying life. And we’ve tried to put the fun into everything, right? Like we try to find the positive. I’d rather see the glass, in this case, my coffee cup half full.

I love that! You are one of Bravo’s most stylish stars. Who do you think is the best dressed Bravoleb, besides yourself? 

There’s a lot of them and there’s a lot that are not. So who do I think has great style? I can say who has great style, who has more of my style, honestly. But I honestly think Paige DeSorbo, which she should get this, I do like what she wears. I like her little outfits. She had cute pajamas on the other day. I’m like, “I like those pajamas.” 

I know you are incredibly busy, but are you keeping up on the BravoVerse? Are you Team Craig or Team Paige?

I mean, I’m seeing it. As long as you turn on Instagram, you can see anything these days. I’m seeing it and I’m sad. I’ve spent time with them. They’re very nice. They’re both great. I actually love them both. It’s sad but I think everyone kind of saw that coming. 

Your podcast, On Display, is so incredibly popular with Bravo fans, but you and your frequent co-host Joe Gorga talk about marriage, relationships, family, etc. Is there any topic that’s off-limits? Is there something you two are dying to talk about? 

No, I think there’s not really a topic that’s off-limits for us. Last week, we were discussing our sex life. And like, oh, please, with Joe, nothing’s off. There’s nothing off limits when it comes to Joe. For me, not really, no. I mean, I try to not embarrass my children as much as possible. And when he starts talking, I’m like, “Antonia is probably listening.” I just want to give him, like, a little reminder. But not really. We talk, we say it all. 

Do your kids ever have a strong reaction to the things you talk about?

Gino got mad once because we mentioned something about something that happened with his coach in sports and he was like, “Why did you do that?” And outlets picked it up. It was me. I accidentally slipped and I was, like, “I’m sorry. I was just talking to your father. I forgot.” I mentioned something that had happened with him and his coach and I said it and then it got picked up and I was like, “Oh, my God.” My son’s like, “Really, Mom? My coach is probably reading about me.” I’m like, “It’s okay, don’t worry, he’ll forget about it.” And I was like, “Shit.” That was the only time I really slipped a little bit. 

Do you have any other exciting projects in the works? Any chance we will see you on TV again soon? 

There are definitely some projects I’m working on and the biggest thing for me right now is my sprinkle coffee cake. This is taking over my world right now and it’s gonna take over your world too once you taste it. It’s gonna take over your mouth. And there’s definitely some talks going on and so there’s more to come, for sure. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.