Katherina Wakile (''née'' Pierri; born October 4, 1965) is an American
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
personality. She starred in the
Bravo
Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels
*Bravo (band), a Russian rock band
* Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984
*Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...
series ''
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
''The Real Housewives of New Jersey'' (abbreviated ''RHONJ'') is an American reality television series that premiered on May 12, 2009, on Bravo. Developed as the fourth installment of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has aired twelve season ...
'', which features the lives of her and her family members.
Early life
Wakile was born October 4, 1965 in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. She has a younger sister, Rosie, and three brothers.
Wakile resides in
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
Franklin Lakes is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,079, an increase of 489 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 10,590, which in turn reflected a ...
with her husband of over 20 years, Richard Wakile, an owner/operator of NJ gas stations, and their two children, Victoria (b. 1994) and Joseph (b. 1996). Kathy and Victoria frequently participate in events that raise awareness for brain cancer, an illness they take close to heart, as Victoria underwent two operations to remove a benign
brain tumor
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...
.
Career
Wakile joined the show's third season in May 2011. She was put in the middle of confrontations between her cousin,
Teresa Giudice
Teresa Giudice ( , ; ; born May 18, 1972) is an American television personality best known for starring in ''The Real Housewives of New Jersey''. Besides appearing on the show, Giudice wrote multiple ''New York Times'' bestseller cookbooks and ...
and her cousin-in-law,
Melissa Gorga
Melissa Ann Gorga (née Marco; born March 21, 1979) is an American television personality, author, singer, designer and businesswoman. She is a member of the cast of ''The Real Housewives of New Jersey'', joining the show in its third season in ...
. The show mainly shows how Wakile deals with her kids' growing up, daughter’s health issues, and her wish to open a restaurant one day. In Season 3, Wakile feuded with Cousin, Teresa and also had difficulties getting to know
Caroline Manzo
Caroline Manzo (née Laurita; born August 23, 1961) is an American television personality and entrepreneur. She is best known for starring in the reality television series ''The Real Housewives of New Jersey'', and her own spin-off show, ''Manzo' ...
due to the latter’s allegiances with the former. In Season 4, Wakile still argues with Teresa. Her sister, Rosie, who is gay, has also been featured on the show and gained a following due to her story of being different and
coming out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
. Wakile also appeared in the fifth season of the show and this season saw the repair of many friendships including the relationship between Wakile and Teresa. In May 2014, it was announced Wakile would not return for the series’ sixth season, but would make periodic appearances throughout. She was credited as a ‘Friend of the Housewives’ for the show’s seventh season too.
Aside from appearing on the series, she has introduced three product lines since joining the show, including ''Dolci Della Dea'', which includes a cannoli kit, ''Goddess Eye Jewelry'', a jewelry line which gives portion of the sales to the
National Brain Tumor Society
The National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) is the largest non-profit organization dedicated to the brain tumor community in the United States. It was formed in 2008 by the merger of the National Brain Tumor Foundation and the Brain Tumor Society. ...
, and ''Red Velvet Cosmo,'' a ready-to-pour cocktail. Red Velvet
Cosmo
Cosmo may refer to:
Business and media
* Cosmopolitan (magazine), ''Cosmopolitan'' (magazine), a magazine for women, sometimes referred to as "Cosmo"
* ''Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure'', a 1992 video game
* Cosmo On-Line, a Brazilian generic Intern ...
is based on one of her favorite desserts,
red velvet cake
Red velvet cake is traditionally a red, red-brown, crimson, or scarlet-colored layer cake, layered with ermine icing. Traditional recipes do not use food coloring, with the red color due to non- Dutched, anthocyanin-rich cocoa.
Common ingredi ...
. The drink won a medal in a national tasting competition. Wakile has also written a cookbook ''Indulge: Delicious Little Desserts That Keep Life Real Sweet''.
In May 2017, Wakile announced she would be opening up a restaurant in