RHONJ alum Dina Manzo’s daughter Lexi opens up about ‘uncomfortable’ relationship with stepdad Tommy Manzo

Dina Manzo's daughter, Lexi Ioannou, recently addressed her relationship with her stepfather, Tommy Manzo.

Ioannou, during her recent appearance on the May 26 episode of the podcast, Casual Chaos with Gia Giudice, detailed the nuances of the relationship with Manzo, which she called ‘uncomfortable.’ Ioannou said,

“No, he was never inappropriate, but he definitely was very affectionate, and that was something I was very uncomfortable with because neither of my parents are that way, so to receive it from a stepfather is kind of like extra strange when you don't receive it from your actual father."

Continuing, Ioannou explained,

"My dad's very lovey, dovey, kissy, huggy. Yeah, and you know, I was told to pay him that kind of affection out of respect. Therefore, I felt like our relationship was very uncomfortable for me.”

Dina and her daughter, Lexi, gained national recognition when they first appeared in Season 1 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship were an important arc of the reality show, which documented the professional and personal lives of women in New Jersey.

However, the relationship between Manzo and Ioannou in the years drew public and media attention for a separate but important issue which went beyond the arc of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. In particular, this was related to Manzo’s relationship with her ex-husband, Tommy Manzo, and the difficult period that followed the couple’s separation and eventual divorce. The impact that the actions of Manzo’s ex-husband had on Lexi Ioannou also drew a lot of media attention.

Dina Manzo’s daughter detailed Tommy Manzo’s contradictions

Lexi Ioannou went on to detail the nuances of her stepdad, Tommy Manzo’s, personality, which affected her emotionally. While she shared her ordeal during her appearance on Casual Chaos with Gia Guidice, Ioannou went on to point out the contradictions that lay underneath her stepdad’s affection for her.

According to her narration, Ioannou stated that she had to leave her stepdad’s house after her mother, Dina, separated from him. However, her stepfather maintained Ioannou’s room in his house in the same way she had left it. Further shedding light on Manzo’s views and expectations, Ioannou shared,

“For years, people would tell me that he kept my room exactly the same because he thought I was going to come back. I can’t even begin to understand why he would think I would ever come back there.”

Lexi alleged that she found her stepfather’s behavior to be strangely contradictory, as it was he who had asked her to leave his house. In her Substack blog entry a few months ago, Ioannou had recalled that she was abruptly she was asked to leave Mango’s residence.

According to Ioannou, her stepfather, upon realizing that her mother had ‘moved on’ from him after their separation, asked Ioannou to leave the house “within thirty minutes.” According to Ioannou, her stepfather did not give her any prior warning about this move, and the incident took place during a cold, early morning, when she was awoken by her stepfather while she was sleeping.

The lawsuit against Dina Manzo’s ex-husband

Tommy Manzo was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment after he was convicted of hiring and assisting mobsters to assault his ex-wife, Dina Manzo’s husband, as per NBC Philadelphia. According to a report by the publication, U.S. Attorney Sellinger, regarding the case,

“Whether you’re actually in the Mafia or not, hiring the mob to assault someone because of your marital problems is abhorrent…Covering up the role you played only makes it worse. The jury’s verdict, and today’s sentence, make clear that this office will spare no resources to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes.”

As per the prosecutor’s charge against Manzo, he hired an established gangster belonging to a known crime family to attack his ex-wife’s new husband, reported the LA Times. The jury in the case unanimously found Manzo to be guilty.

Ioannou had also spoken out about the trial against Manzo. In her Substack blog, Ioannou shared that during the trial, which eventually led to Manzo’s incarceration, his defense team tried to use his stepdaughter as a ‘pawn’ to defend allegations raised against him.

After Mango’s conviction, Dina Manzo responded through social media. As per People Magazine, Dina, without mentioning Manzo by name, wrote on her Instagram stories,

“I am cleansed and disconnected from anything that may drain me. I am shielded from any energy that does not serve me…I am safe. I am protected. I am whole. And so it is”

People Magazine also noted that Dina Manzo wrote that her power and her energy had returned to her.