Jo-Ellen Tiberi Opens Up About Childhood Trauma While Doubling Down on Cheating Claims

Jo-Ellen Tiberi is opening up even more about her difficult childhood after revealing painful details on the current season of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.”

In a new interview with USA Today, Jo-Ellen shared that her mother sent her away to multiple behavioral programs as a teenager — and she still struggles with it today.

“I wouldn’t call them boarding schools. They were like behavioral programs,” Jo-Ellen explained. “People would get restrained, there were people who were cutting, there were people there for arson, there were people there for rape… It was really bad growing up.”

According to Jo-Ellen, the situation escalated after typical teenage behavior, including telling her mother to “shut up” and jumping out of a window.

The RHORI Star Says She Still Questions Why She Was Sent Away

Jo-Ellen admitted she still has difficult conversations with her mother about the experience.

“I have talked to my mom about it, like, how could you do that?” she said. “How could you send me to these places?”

Her sister was also reportedly sent to a wilderness program in Utah.

“Thank God that wasn’t what I had,” Jo-Ellen added. “I mean mine were bad, but I couldn’t live outside for a day.”

Jo-Ellen said her mother later admitted she “didn’t know what to do” with her at the time.

“And I’m like, ‘well I wasn’t that bad,’” she continued. “I think you didn’t know how to be a parent and I know it’s hard because I’m a parent and I don’t know what I’m doing, but it’s definitely not sending my children away across the United States for years.”

Despite everything, Jo-Ellen said she is thankful she still has some kind of relationship with her mother today.

She added that she’s “very surprised” she turned out “as normal” as she did.

Jo-Ellen Tiberi Doubles Down on RHORI Cheating Drama

Away from the family trauma, Jo-Ellen is also standing firm on the cheating allegations currently playing out on “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.”

This season, Jo-Ellen has repeatedly claimed that Rulla Pontarelli’s husband, Brian Pontarelli, continued cheating on her.

Rulla has continued denying the allegations and insisted Brian’s infidelity happened in the past.

Speaking to Page Six, Jo-Ellen defended her decision to bring the information forward.

“If somebody’s lying, I think that somebody deserves to know if their husband is cheating on them,” she said. “That’s being a girl’s girl. That’s just being a good human being and friend.”

Jo-Ellen also claimed Rulla refused to believe the evidence she presented.

“I don’t think it’s that she didn’t want to hear it,” she explained. “I think she just was like, ‘that’s not true, you’re lying, you’re lying, I need more proof.’”

According to Jo-Ellen, she showed Rulla photos and even shared text messages allegedly connected to the mistress.

At one point, Jo-Ellen claimed Rulla suggested the evidence could have been created using AI.

The drama has quickly become one of the biggest storylines on the debut season of RHORI.

New episodes of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” air Sunday nights on Bravo.

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About Perry Carpenter

Perry Carpenter has been covering entertainment news for more than 20 years — and yes, she absolutely has opinions about the latest Bravo casting shake-ups. Throughout her career, she has specialized in celebrity news and television, with a particular obsession for all things Bravo, "The Challenge," "Outlander," of course, Travis & Taylor, and the ever-expanding Taylor Sheridan universe. A member of the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors, Perry has built a storied freelance career covering pop culture's biggest moments and smallest Easter eggs. Her work has appeared in Showbiz Cheatsheet, Daily Express, Radar Online, and on her Muck Rack profile.