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The Daily Dish The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Dolores' Boyfriend Sent an Amusing Birthday Message to Her Ex-Husband, Frank

The RHONJ mom also shared a special note for the "OG Mr New Jersey."

By Joshua Espinoza
DoloFrank

The love was pouring in for Frank Catania.

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 14 premiere May 5th at 8/7c on Bravo and stream next day on Peacock.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey dad kicked off Memorial Day weekend with an intimate birthday celebration at the Jersey shore. Frank, the ex-husband of RHONJ’s Dolores Catania, documented the shindig on his Instagram Stories and shared a slew of sweet messages he received on his special day.

Of course, many of the birthday wishes came from fellow Bravolebrities, including everyone from RHONJ’Melissa and Joe Gorga to Margaret Josephs and The Real Housewives of Orange County’s Tamra Judge. Even Dolores took the time to wish the "OG Mr New Jersey" a happy birthday; however, the most notable and somewhat unexpected message came from Dolores’ boyfriend, Paul “Paulie” Connell.

The Irish-born businessman posted a photo of him and Dolores enjoying a night out with Frank and his girlfriend, Brittany Ann Mattessich.

“[Frank] happy birthday & as we say in Ireland (not in irish) your only as young as the woman your feeling [sic],” Paulie wrote in the Instagram Story. “So you must be feelin fookin really good right about now.”

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Frank and Paulie's Past Tensions

The message came just months after Frank suggested there was a bit of drama between him and Dolores’ new man.

“We’re not on the best of terms because Paul is not used to the dynamic between Dolores and me,” Frank told Us Weekly at BravoCon 2022. “If you spend more time with Dolores and me, you get to see there’s nothing to worry about, right? I love her. I will always love her. I always take care of her.”

Frank Bday

Dolores, who shares two children with Frank, briefly addressed the tension during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where she was asked about Frank comparing Paulie to the animated character Buzz Lightyear.

“[Paulie] laughed. He was like, ‘That’s pretty funny,’” Dolores recalled in the February 7 episode. “He took it like a man. He took it well. He made a joke out of it. And Frank actually had a blanket made for [Paulie] with his face on Buzz Lightyear.”

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Dolores' Most Recent Ex Celebrated Frank's Birthday

Dolores and Paulie went Instagram official on Valentine’s Day 2022, less than a year after the New Jersey Wife announced her split from David Principe. While dating Dolores, David developed a close friendship with Frank and even allowed him to live in his house back in 2020. Though their bond was mildly surprising, it appears to be going strong, as David was among the friends who attended Frank’s most recent birthday bash. You can check out his cameo below.

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