Gia Giudice says 2025 has been a big year for personal growth and self-reflection. And it’s thanks in large part to Next Gen NYC.
The influencer made her small-screen debut in The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 1, when she was introduced as Teresa Giudice’s sassy 8-year-old daughter. Although she essentially grew up in front of the cameras, Gia admitted that her RHONJ experience was much different than being on Next Gen NYC, which marked her transition into a full-time cast member role.
Did Next Gen NYC leave Gia Giudice with any regrets?
Gia spoke about the journey during a recent episode of her Casual Chaos podcast, recalling what it was like watching herself on Next Gen NYC‘s inaugural season.
“It was different,” she told special guest Vanderpump Rules alum Lala Kent. “Everything that we talked about today on this pod: the feeling that you are doing the right thing in the moment, but then when you watch yourself back, you wish that you maybe handled it differently. But at the end of the day, you said it, and this is how it happened.”
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Gia Giudice admits she can occasionally “come off harsh”
Next Gen NYC followed Gia and her group of friends navigate the ups and downs of young adulthood in the Big Apple. And that, of course, included friendship disputes and heated exchanges.
Season 1 saw Gia get into several tiffs with her castmates, like fellow Housewives daughters Riley Burruss and Ariana Biermann. Gia told Lala she took accountability for her role in the on-screen drama as she admittedly had a “temper”; however, she said those incidents were not a true reflection of her character.
“I genuinely have the biggest heart, I am a hustler, I’m a hard worker,” she said. “I think people who have watched Jersey from the start saw that I am compassionate, and I do mean well, but sometimes I come off harsh, and sometimes I can come off a little aggressive… even though I’m not trying to.”
Gia Giudice says Next Gen NYC inspired her to “be a better version” of herself
Gia said watching Next Gen NYC was like looking in a “mirror,” and she wasn’t always pleased by what she saw.
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“I need to check myself and be like, ‘All right, yes, this is you, Gia. You’re a protector. You have that mom instinct, but you also need to be a friend, and you can’t always insert your opinion. Not everybody’s like you,’” she explained. “So that was hard for me to kind of balance… And I loved watching myself back because… I self-reflected and I was like, ‘OK, now I know how I’m going to be a better version of myself moving forward.”
Next Gen NYC Season 2 was officially announced on October 22, but the premiere date and casting details have not been revealed. Look back on what went down during Season 1 and where the cast members stand today.
