Rachel Fuda Shares Why Her Stepson Jaiden Won’t Be on ‘RHONJ’ Season 14 Often (EXCLUSIVE)
Rachel said her stepson, Jaiden, “loves the show” but wants to avoid the drama as much as possible.
May 3 2024, Published 3:57 p.m. ET
When she wasn’t accused of “ratting” out her co-stars, Rachel Fuda’s first season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey involved her legally adopting her stepson, Jaiden.
Rachel’s stepson is the eldest child of her husband, John Fuda, and Jaiden’s birth mother, Brittany Malsch. The Bravo star also has two daughters with John — Giuliana and Giannella.
The Fudas shared that Jaidyn’s adoption had become finalized after becoming a significant part of her Season 13 story.
Ahead of RHONJ Season 14, Rachel exclusively shared her adoption journey with Distractify and her thoughts on John’s ex publicly speaking out.
Did Rachel Fuda adopt her stepson? She said she’s “really excited” about their new journey.
Rachel shared her bond with Jaiden with viewers. In May 2023, Rachel confirmed she legally became Jaiden's parent in 2022, and the adoption took place about a year ago without the birth mother's intervention.
“I want to say it was Nov. 16,” she said of Jaiden’s adoption date. “So it was a while ago, and we’re really excited about it.”
Rachel’s family's excitement about Jaiden’s adoption may not play out on RHONJ Season 14 too much. While the blogger said her son “loves the show,” he won’t be on it as much this year because he is a teenager.
“Jaiden didn’t film as much with us this year,” Rachel admitted. “He wasn't really like around. But he's a 17-year-old boy with his own stuff going on. You know, there's the girl he's interested in and his friends, and he plays three sports. So he's a busy kid. But he loves the show. Loves it. He eats it up. He's a little ham.”
Rachel is more “apprehensive” about making new friends amid John Fuda’s ex-wife’s public comments.
After Jaiden's adoption, Rachel's past was exposed when John's ex-wife, Brittany, made allegations about him from her halfway house prison stay in New Jersey. She accused John of banning her from seeing Jaiden.
In DMs shared with All About TRH in August 2023, Brittany also alleged that John is a cocaine dealer and "ruined" her.
When discussing Brittany's comments about her husband, Rachel stressed that Brittany and her have never had a relationship and that “she has not been in the picture for nine years.”
However, she said her newfound fame and additional eyes on her family made the self-described “big family girl” become even more cautious of whom she gives her energy.
“I think that I'm just a little bit more apprehensive,” Rachel said of navigating new friendships. “When I go to the playground with my girls, and someone comes over, and they start talking to ask to have a playdate, I'm just a little bit more apprehensive now my kids are involved.”
“I proceed with caution,” she added. “And actually, in all my friendships, less is more.”
Catch new episodes of The Real Housewives of New Jersey on Bravo on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST.
