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The Daily Dish The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Reza Farahan Applauds Jennifer Aydin's "Very Difficult" Talk with Her Mom About Her Brother's Sexuality

"It's going to save lives!" the Shahs of Sunset cast member said of the RHONJ moment.

By Laura Rosenfeld

Jennifer Aydin is sharing some very intimate conversations with her mother this season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 14 premiere May 5th at 8/9c on Bravo and stream next day on Peacock.

In the January 15 episode of RHONJ, Jennifer confronted her mother about her lack of recognition and acceptance of her brother, who is an openly gay man. Jennifer reflected on this during The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 10 After Show above, sharing that she "wasn't shocked" when her mother wasn't honest with her daughter Gabriella about how much she knew about her son's sexuality.

"You know, it's something that my mother has struggled with," Jennifer said. "This is the first time ever that any of us have pushed my mother to face it, like head on, so I wasn't surprised at all."

Jennifer then opened up about the difficulty of getting her mother to open her mind as she adheres to her traditional Turkish values. "That's just how they thought, and it doesn't make it right, but I understand the mentality," she explained. "They came up in a generation where that was sacrilegious, very taboo, and for me to now change the narrative, it's just gonna take her some time." 

She then noted how she is taking a more progressive approach in raising her five children. "You know, it's baby steps," Jennifer said. "I mean, I wish she was more open about it because I try to do a different style of parenting with my kids. I try to be open and honest with them. I feel like kids are resilient, and they can handle a lot more than what we think they can."

Reza Farahan, who has been open about his own struggles with finding acceptance in his family and his Persian culture as an openly gay man on Shahs of Sunset, applauded Jennifer and her mother for sharing this personal moment with viewers. "Kudos to @JenniferAydin [and] her mom [for] having the very difficult talk about homosexuality in Mid East families," he tweeted on January 16. "It’s going to save lives! And thank you @BravoTV."

Jennifer isn't going to give up the fight. "I’ll never stop.....#loveislove," she tweeted.

See more of Jennifer's discussions with her mother, below.

Jennifer Aydin's Daughter Confronts Her Grandmother About Her Beliefs

Photo: Getty Images

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