Is the Drama to Blame? Why Did Traci Johnson Leave 'RHONJ'?

Friends of the Real Housewives often find themselves embroiled deeply in the drama, especially on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Friends who stick around within the cast are hard to come by, as they've had many women come and go over the past decade. One of these short-lived friends of the New Jersey Housewives is Traci Johnson. Traci joined the show as a friend of Melissa Gorga, as she and Joe Gorga were friends with Traci and her husband, former NFL player Tiki Barber.

RHONJ is one of the longest-running Real Housewives franchises on Bravo. Season 14 has proven that the major divisions within the cast are unchangeable. Subsequently, many longtime fans have grown tired of the cast's bickering over old wounds. The reunion for Season 14 was even canceled, which says a lot about the season. Reunions are for resolving things, and the group was already divided when she joined the show in Season 12, so why did Traci Johnson decide to leave The Real Housewives of New Jersey?

While Traci herself has never provided a clear-cut reason as to why she left the franchise, Jackie Goldschneider did provide some insight following the end of the 12th season. During a visit to Page Six's Virtual Reali-tea podcast, Jackie shared details about Traci and the Season 12 reunion. Traci was noticeably absent from the reunion special. Jackie explained that while Traci was at the reunion, her time was cut because what she said wasn't "groundbreaking" and that she was also at the reunion.

Despite the lack of "groundbreaking" revelations at the reunion, Traci still found herself at odds with Teresa Giudice. One thing Teresa has become known for over the years is bringing up someone else's partner's alleged infidelity. This time around, however, she was referencing Traci and Tiki's marriage, as their romance came with a suspicious timeline, as Tiki had been married prior, and his ex-wife was pregnant with twins when they ended their marriage. Both Traci and Tiki deny that he cheated on his ex.

Season 14 saw a new friendship blossom between Teresa and Jackie. Teresa has said plainly in the past that she was using a friendship with Jackie in her effort to bring down Margaret Josephs. Others have insinuated that Jackie is using Teresa for more screen time since she has not been reinstated as a full-time Housewife. Even with the knowledge of what Teresa said, Jackie praised the newfound bond between them, according to an interview she did with Bravo's The Daily Dish.