Did Rulla Nehme Pontarelli’s husband, Brian Pontarelli, really try to get Jo-Ellen Tiberi fired from her job? That’s the question Us Weekly’s exclusive clip from this week’s episode of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island is posing.
“Brian called my colleague and talked s*** about me,” Jo-Ellen claims in the third episode of Bravo’s newest series, which is set to air on Sunday, April 12.
Brian claimed that his “intent was not to get her fired,” but Jo-Ellen’s husband, Gary Tiberi, wondered what his intentions were.
“I said, ‘She’s saying certain things, could you have her stop saying certain things,’” Brian explained.
Last week’s RHORI episode revealed that Jo-Ellen discovered social media photos of Brian with another woman. Rulla stated that Brian had an affair in summer 2024 but noted it had come to an end. However, the RHORI cast has alleged that Brian is still being unfaithful.
“I would have expected you to call me and then I would have shut it down or I would have talked to her,” Gary told Brian. “When I hear it goes right to the top, right to her job, it has me all pissed off now.”
Gary continued, “When someone calls my wife’s work, that’s a huge f***ing problem for me.”
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Jo-Ellen chimed in as Brian appeared to snicker at the entire situation.
“We’re not calling jobs. We’re not crossing that line,” she said. “It’s not funny. He doesn’t want me to gossip about his affair? … Everyone knows.”
When chatting with Us Weekly exclusively about their debut season, both Rulla and Jo-Ellen had different accounts about Brian’s phone call.
“I would like to set the record straight. I definitely have to clear it up because I’ve heard it a couple times,” Rulla told Us. “Neither my husband nor I tried getting Jo-Ellen fired from her job.”
Rulla claimed that “the context in the series of events is being manipulated” when it comes to this situation specifically.
“My husband has known Jo-Ellen’s now-former boss for over 20 years. They were friendly,” Rulla explained. “Long story short, [Brian] was on the phone one day … the boss said, ‘How’s [filming] going? How’s it going with [Jo-Ellen] and her husband?’”
Rulla claimed she “didn’t hear every word” in the conversation, but Brian apparently expressed that Jo-Ellen wouldn’t “let up on a certain situation” in his life.
“In speaking with the manager, he suggested that my husband put in a little inquiry, or a little commentary about her overall conduct. That was it,” Rulla claimed. “Not that she should be let go. He wasn’t hammering away. I think Brian could have said and done a lot more, and I certainly could have. I had no part in the conversation.”
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Jo-Ellen told Us that “of course” Rulla and Brian tried to get her fired.
“Brian was not happy that there were things being shared on the internet. They were not being shared by me. A simple screenshot. It’s on the World Wide Web. It’s out of my hands. I didn’t put it on there,” Jo-Ellen claimed. “Maybe they should take ownership of his own behavior instead of putting it on me. I’m not the one that was doing something. I’m not the one that posted it on the internet.”
She continued, “They definitely were coming from my job, and I think that’s very off-limits. … That’s so unprofessional, and that was hard for me, because I really value my job.”
New episodes of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island premiere on Bravo on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET and stream via Peacock the next day.
