Roxanne 
Jo-Ellen Tiberi is opening up about one of the most personal parts of her Real Housewives of Rhode Island journey.
The RHORI star has been brutally honest on the show about her difficult upbringing and her strained relationship with her mother. While Jo-Ellen admits that speaking about her childhood on camera was one of the hardest parts of filming, she says she does not regret sharing her story.
In a new interview with Boston Magazine, Jo-Ellen was asked about opening up on RHORI and whether she has any regrets.
“I don’t have any regrets about sharing them,” Jo-Ellen said. “I think that was the hardest part of filming—opening up about my past and my childhood, because it’s something that I’ve tucked away—but I’ve always felt it.”
Jo-Ellen explained that her relationship with her mother has been difficult for as long as she can remember.
“It’s been very difficult for me with my relationship with my mother since I can remember,” she shared.
Although Jo-Ellen does not regret being honest, she admitted that talking about those issues on the show may have made things harder between them.
“Bringing it up on the show? I will say that I think it strained my relationship a little bit more with my mom,” Jo-Ellen said.
Still, Jo-Ellen made it clear that she loves her mother and believes that love goes both ways.
“But, things ebb and flow. I love my mom, I always will, and I know that my mom loves me,” she said.
Jo-Ellen’s comments give fans a deeper look at why some of her RHORI moments have felt so emotional. While she has been labeled a truth teller, pot-stirrer and no-nonsense personality by viewers and castmates, her honesty about her family shows a more vulnerable side.
She explained that at this stage of her life, her priority is the family she has built with her husband and children.
“But I’m an adult now with three kids: My family is the most important thing to me, and that’s my priority in life,” Jo-Ellen said. “Unfortunately, everyone else has to take a backburner.”
Jo-Ellen said she has accepted that reality, even if it means her relationship with her mother is not always front and center.
“I’m not saddened by that. I’m okay with that. My kids and my husband come first before everyone, so if that means my mom is on the backburner, then that’s okay, because I think that’s the circle of life.”
For Jo-Ellen, sharing that history may have strained her relationship with her mom, but she stands by the decision.
And if RHORI has shown anything, it is that Jo-Ellen is not afraid to say the truth, even when it comes at a personal cost.
