RHONJ Melissa Gorga :: Shows Her Pride!

JC Alvarez READ TIME: 4 MIN.

New Jersey Housewife Melissa Gorga is comfortable wearing many hats. She's a wife and full-time mom, but when she hears the high-energy beat of the dance floor, Melissa can't help but unleash the performer inside. "There's definitely two sides to my coin," she admits. She's the fierce mom at home and protector of the hearth that we all see on the hit Bravo reality series "The Real Housewives of New Jersey", but..."There's that second that I get on that stage when that diva comes out." This Friday night she returns to host a very special evening at Splash Bar in New York City serving things up as the unofficial "New Jersey Ambassador to Gay Pride."

Melissa Gorga is practically a resident of the Chelsea hot spot. She's been invited before by nightlife architect Mark Nelson to perform on his coveted Friday night "F*Word," drawing crowds of fans wanting to get a glimpse of the reality show sensation. "I've gotten to really love Splash," says Melissa. "I appreciate the folks that come out there. It's always so much fun."

Although she won't be performing her latest track, she will be premiering a remix from the evening's headlining DJ -�Eddie Baez who is also celebrating his birthday. The track is called "Never Let Me Go" and MG promises it'll be a hi-energy dance confection unlike any she's delivered before. "It's my favorite [track] so far," she added. "It's about when times get rough someone's going to have your back. Basically, it's about my husband." Melissa's husband Joe has managed to sometimes to steal MG's thunder from time to time.

Can anyone spell "big guns"?! Melissa loves the attention her hunky husband gets. She calls him "the cherry on top". "He's charming - I am nothing without Joe. He's my rock."

Living On Camera

That support has certainly come in handy lately. Gorga often finds herself played out as the villain on "Housewives" especially when she's confronted by her sister-in-law Teresa. Melissa admits she handles it all in stride. "Season to season you never know what's going to happen, or how you're going to be portrayed," she says, "but people know me as the person I am. I think they get that sometimes things may get flip-flopped every once and a while."

Given the opportunity and the platform that the show has afforded her, Melissa is certainly grateful to the Bravo show. Does she ever wish she could turn the cameras off?

"Sometimes I wish I could turn them off," she said specifically when she's working on music, "but it's kind of nice that the cameras capture it. People get to go behind-the-scenes as I'm being creative." It's a process Gorga doesn't take for granted and keeps her grounded. "People need to see me struggle -�that I do have to work for it. I hope people appreciate it that I put it all out there."

Now as the "New Jersey Ambassador to Gay Pride" Melissa Gorga is grateful that she can be a part of the one of the city's greatest annual festivals. "New York City Gay Pride is unreal! I've always supported Gay Pride," she said. "Everyone is just so excited to be here -�it's a celebration. On that particular day everyone gets to see how joyous everyone can be. Pride is about acceptance and freedom and not having to hide anything."

And what Melissa Gorga wants more than anything is for her gay fans to know is that she's got their back, and she's never letting go!

Come catch Melissa Gorga this Friday night, June 21 celebrating with DJ Eddie Baez for her latest remix at Splash Bar's "F*Word." Splash Bar is located at 50 West 17 Street, New York City. www.splashbar.com.


by JC Alvarez

Native New Yorker JC Alvarez is a pop-culture enthusiast and the nightlife chronicler of the club scene and its celebrity denizens from coast-to-coast. He is the on-air host of the nationally syndicated radio show "Out Loud & Live!" and is also on the panel of the local-access talk show "Talking About".

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