Teresa Giudice is pleading for compassion as her daughter Milania navigates a difficult period in her life.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 54, addressed the situation Monday, hours after police bodycam footage surfaced showing a heated exchange between her and Milania, 20, at Tampa International Airport.
“Milania has experienced tremendous heartbreak and significant psychological trauma after losing two of her best friends,” Teresa wrote on Instagram.
The footage, recorded September 23, captured Teresa and her eldest daughter, Gia, attempting to get Milania onto a flight.
Teresa Giudice tells cops daughter Milania had fentanyl in her system.
— TMZ (@TMZ) September 28, 2026
: Tampa International Airport Police pic.twitter.com/vvtDY8cPR4
“She had fentanyl in her system,” Teresa told an officer.
Milania responded, “because I was laced. I was laced. I go to college.”
When Milania asked whether her mother wanted her back in a psychiatric ward, Teresa replied, “No. I want to save you.”
Milania has been struggling since her close friend Victoria Zardoya died in July following a fall during a boating trip off Florida.
Milania was also arrested in May on a simple assault charge.
In her statement, Teresa acknowledged the public interest surrounding her family but urged people to handle the news with sensitivity.
“Milania is my daughter before she is anything else,” she wrote. “Right now, my only focus is my daughter.”