It’s been nearly 7 years since “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Joe Giudice was deported after serving 41 months behind bars for financial fraud. After relocating to Italy following his deportation, Joe later moved to the Bahamas to be closer to his four daughters and has been residing there ever since.
However, Bravo fans have watched as his and Teresa Giudice’s eldest daughter, Gia Giudice, has campaigned to bring her father home and, in 2025, posted a video of herself writing letters to President Donald Trump to ask for a presidential pardon.
Appearing on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” on Wednesday, September 9, Gia shared a new update on her father’s hopes of coming home.
Gia Giudice Reveals Where Things Stand With Dad Joe Giudice’s Return to the U.S.
GettyAppearing on WWHL after the “Next Gen NYC” season 2 finale, host Andy Cohen asked Gia Giudice about the status of her and her family’s “quest to bring” her father, Joe Giudice, home.
Gia remained somewhat coy about the details of her dad’s potential return, though her comments suggested positive progress.
“You know, it’s going,” she said, and Cohen responded more hopefully. “I feel like you’re going…I feel like it’s going to happen. I feel like Trump’s going to do it. He knows your mom…”
“At this point I don’t even care who does it,” Gia replied. “I just want him home. I think that’s the goal. I think that’s the hope. We do have things in place, and it’s just a matter of when, you know, people will sympathize with his story.”
As previously mentioned, Joe was deported to Italy in 2019 after serving 41 months in federal prison, before making a permanent move to the Bahamas in early 2021. At the time, he spoke to the Daily Dish about why he decided to relocate.
“Its a lot easier for my family to come visit [the Bahamas], and it only makes sense. [Italy] is great, you know what I mean. It’s a great country and all,” he shared. “But I want to be closer to the family and start a little business over there. I got some things going over here and some things over there.”
Since his move, his four daughters, Gia, Audriana Giudice, Milania Giudice, and Gabriella Giudice, have visited him often, sharing loving photos on social media.
Gia Shares She & Her Family ‘Are Doing Everything We Can’ To Get Her Dad Home
In August, Gia appeared on Fox 5 New York, where she was also asked about an update on her dad’s possible return to the U.S. The reality TV star shared that she and her family filed a “humanitarian packet” for Joe, adding, “Just trying to do everything we can to get him pardoned and hopefully come back, even on visitation. We’re still actively working through that and trying everything we can.”
She continued, “I mean, I think any family would want their dad home. Any daughter, child, would want their father home.”
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a humanitarian packet contains legal forms and documents submitted to the U.S. government requesting a deported person to be brought back to the States “temporarily” due to “an emergency or urgent humanitarian reason or significant public benefit.”
Since his deportation, Joe has missed major milestones in his daughters’ lives, including their high school graduations, proms, college experiences, and eventually watching them move out and live on their own. Here’s hoping this latest news will bring the family closer to being reunited.
If I see that idiot Theresa on any more shows I’m banning Bravo. How two felons and losers continue to make money while flaunting their theft money purchases bc Cohen likes this trash makes me sick. Her daughter Gis seems ok, but her cabbage for brains and vulgar mother need to crawl back under a rock.
Thanks I feel like I’m alone on an island with no support. I feel exactly the same way as you do. Why are we making these people out to be some kind of remarkable hero’s that deserve over whelming support. A humanitarian visa now I’ve heard everything. They flaunted their crooked wealth all over tv and thought no one would catch it!
He wouldn’t have been deported had he not been here for years living life illegally. They drew attention to their flashy life by way of reality tv and it caught up with them. So, Gia’s fighting to get him pardoned to return to America/NJ so he can live illegally and/or get his felonious charges dropped. That negates the entire purpose of the mass deportation that 47 has in place. He can’t do for a some and not all!….that’s why it appears to be racially based. Haitians and South American ppl aren’t the ONLY illegals here. There are plenty of Russians, Ukrainians, Italians, Greeks, Albanians, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, the list goes on, that are laying low in America. Many who support 47, so long as he doesn’t come after them. The excuse that he knows Teresa by way of his debunked reality show proves that they are using him to get what they want. They don’t respect the process or our Country! If by chance Joe is pardoned, will he ultimately file for citizenship? I’d hope so, or it’s a slap in the face and he’s learned nothing these past 7yrs. My daughter’s father was Sicilian and he came to America illegally when he was a child. His mother, father, zias/zios, and siblings were/are ALL here illegally. They have lived and live very well! Neither of them thought over the decades to become legal. They all support 47 heavily! When asked why he never filed for citizenship, he said he never thought about it and never had time. So, what’s not broke, don’t fix! Ppl who are fighting the deportations and arguing that America was built on the backs of immigrants, no one is discrediting that. We’re also not saying that we don’t want them here. Like many who did come here legally and respect our American laws, we want the many who have entered illegally or overstayed after their visas expired, to file the proper paperwork in their Country and wait to be approved….however long that may take.