Lauren Manzo says is speaking out and says it kills her that Dina Manzo’s daughter Lexi feels let down by the Manzo family. After Lexi appeared on Gia Giudice’s podcast, Lauren Manzo, daughter of RHONJ alum Caroline Manzo, took to TikTok on May 29 to share her side of the story and defend her family amid intensifying backlash online.
“I do love my cousin Lexi so much and I have a soft spot for her,” Lauren began in one of two lengthy TikTok videos. “She lived with me for many years when she was a little girl. We were her siblings.”
Despite that closeness, Lauren Manzo noted she “never wanted to have to address” the family tension publicly. The Manzos, she explained, have tried to remain quiet out of respect for the complexities involved. “We don’t speak on the situation,” Lauren said, referring to the long-standing issues between Dina and her ex-husband Tommy Manzo. “It impacts both sides of the family.”
@laurenmanzo #fyp ? original sound – Lauren Manzo
For context: Dina married Tommy — the brother of Caroline’s husband, Albert Manzo — in 2007. They separated in 2012 and finalized their divorce in 2016. In 2024, Tommy was sentenced for hiring a member of the Lucchese crime family to assault Dina’s now-husband, David Cantin, back in 2015.
Lexi she claimed that after Dina and Tommy split, Tommy “essentially threw them out of the house and kept all of their stuff.” She also said that after Tommy was incarcerated, she reached out to Lauren for help retrieving the belongings — but felt the effort fell short. Lexi even alleged that “some of her and Dina’s heirlooms were found in the garbage at The Brownstone,” the Manzo family’s well-known New Jersey banquet hall.
The social media backlash that followed Lexi’s podcast appearance ultimately led Lauren to speak out.
“I called Tommy for Lexi,” Lauren explained, stating that her family “did not have a relationship with him.” She said she had a “really nice” conversation with Lexi and was fully on board to help: “I felt a major responsibility to help Lexi in this mission.”
But Lauren claimed that complications arose quickly. She wasn’t permitted inside the home and described the people in control of the property as “not good people.” Instead of being able to recover the belongings directly, she said those items ended up in a garage sale. Lauren and Caroline went to the sale in person, determined to help: “I was fighting for Lexi,” Lauren said. Caroline, she added, was ready to “buy everything” if necessary.
Despite their efforts, Lauren said she “was met with a lot of resistance” and came away from the experience deeply hurt. “It became extremely clear we were not welcome in the house,” she said. As a result of their attempts to help, Lauren admitted that “we burnt those bridges” with certain members of the family — and she has no regrets about it. “I stand by burning those bridges. I’m still upset. I still think about it often that we weren’t allowed in.”
@laurenmanzo #fyp ? original sound – Lauren Manzo
The most painful part of the ordeal, Lauren shared, was Lexi’s disappointment. “It kills me that she feels we let her down,” she said.
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