Who Is Teresa Giudice's Husband, Luis Ruelas? Everything You Want To Know
When entrepreneur Luis Ruelas first started dating Bravo darling Teresa Giudice, fans put their guard up. Giudice is gorgeous, famous, and it's no secret she's making the big bucks as the only remaining original cast member left on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." Ruelas, on the other hand, was not a public figure before he connected with Giudice, so of course, there were some questions about who he is and his intentions with Tre.
Turns out, Ruelas is a successful guy in his own right. For starters, he's a founding partner of the online marketing firm Digital Media Solutions. Thanks to his years of experience in the digital media industry, he has accumulated a wealth (in a fiscal sense and by way of experience) of expertise in this field. In February of 2020, DMS went public in a $757 million dollar deal, according to the St. Pete Catalyst. We're no Sherlock Holmes, but it sounds like this guy doesn't need Tre's money — he's done rather well on his own.
As interesting as his career path is, it is only a piece of Ruelas' story. Giudice began dating her future second husband in July 2020 after the two connected at the Jersey Shore, and he soon became a fixture of "RHONJ." By October 2021, they were engaged, and the following August, they tied the knot. Let's get into what else we know about him so far.
Luis Ruelas advocates for autistic kids
Luis Ruelas has made it one of his missions to advocate for autistic children. His younger son Nicholas (whom he shares with ex-wife Marisa Dimartino) is autistic, which has inspired Ruelas to become a fierce champion for the community. One of Ruelas' primary areas of focus is autism awareness and support, as many families of autistic kids face significant challenges in accessing the resources they need. Ruelas hopes to help change this, and has teamed up with the Autism Science Foundation. After he and Giudice met with the nonprofit in March 2022, Giudice wrote on Instagram, "we are so proud to support this organization, which funds evidence-based research and helps families through every phase of the autism journey."
In June 2022, Ruelas and Giudice acted as guest judges for an Autism Science Foundation fundraiser. After the event, Ruelas shared on Instagram that ASF raised over $80,000 that night. He went on to thank Giudice, as well as her "Real Housewives of New Jersey" costars Jenifer Aydin and Danielle Cabral, for their support. Ahead of the fundraiser, he said in a statement, "This event combines a fun party with a beautiful cause. It will raise funds for autism research, which will have a positive impact on the life of my son and others with autism."
Luis Ruelas is philanthropic
Luis Ruelas isn't just a successful businessman turned reality star — he's also a philanthropist who dedicates significant time and resources to giving back to his community and supporting causes that he is passionate about. This includes many different charities, in addition to the Autism Science Foundation. Ruelas and wife Teresa Giudice collaborated with an unnamed nonprofit to help feed 300 families during the pandemic, according to Reality Titbit. He's also very involved with another charity called JL Blessings, in his home state of New Jersey. This charity provides backpacks to people in the tri-state area with things like toothbrushes, sanitary products, and so on. Their mission statement says, "We provide the less fortunate men, women, and children of NYC, NY, and NJ with filled backpacks containing the bare essentials. We make sure every backpack includes a handwritten note of encouragement etc."
The couple also participated in a charity softball game with some of their kids for Maimonides Medical Center in August 2021. As Us Weekly reported at the time, the lovebirds not only played ball, but were very affectionate with one another. "When it was their time to bat, they would give each other a quick kiss on the lips," a source told the outlet. We love to see public figures using their fame for good, and if they have a blast while doing so? Just an added bonus.
Luis Ruelas' mantra is family first
If there was a modern day "Brady Bunch," it might be Luis Ruelas and Teresa Giudice's family. Coparenting and creating a close bond with Tre's four daughters has been a top priority for Ruelas. And while blending families can be tricky, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" veteran feels very fortunate that everyone's getting along so well. "It's been pretty amazing," she told Us Weekly. "It really has. Because listen, I've heard other stories with other families, but it's been great."
Teresa and Ruelas sure seem blissed out. As the reality TV star gushed to People, "It's so crazy how it's everything I've ever wanted. ... The way he is with my daughters, the father he is to his sons, it's just everything. He helps me cook in the kitchen. He helps me around the house. We do everything together." What's more, it's important to the couple that the family eat together more days of the week than not.
Ruelas understands that even though he acts as a "father figure" to his four stepdaughters, he's not actually their dad and sets boundaries accordingly. Ruelas has even invited Teresa's ex and father of her girls, Joe Giudice, on group vacations with their new blended family in order to make the girls happy and comfortable. Ruelas also prides himself on being the type of man, father, and husband his stepdaughters can look up to.
Luis Ruelas and Teresa Giudice are genuinely inseparable
Despite co-parenting a total of six children, Luis Ruelas and Teresa Giudice still find plenty of time for one another. Ruelas is openly in awe of his wife, ensuring he showers her with words of affirmation and encouragement, as well as whatever else she might want. "Everyday your beautiful smile makes my day," he wrote on Instagram in 2022. "Teresa you are an amazing mother – the results speak for themselves thru the beauty and grace your 4 daughters have. At our age one of the true definitions of success is how your children look at us with love, respect and honor! You have what so many take for granted! I am so grateful for you. Love you babe XO!"
Ruelas also knows how to keep a marriage alive. The couple disclosed to People that they "got busy" up to five times a day following the wedding. "During the honeymoon, I'm like, 'I'm going home with a lot of clean clothes,' 'cause we stayed naked a lot of the time, but it was like... I'm attentive to her needs," Ruelas explained unapologetically. Giudice has gushed that Ruelas "just gets her" and she feels incredibly lucky to have found her soulmate, adding that it's important to her that they show their children what it means to love one another.
Luis Ruelas stepped down from his job
Running a publicly traded company while being a reality TV star can get complicated. When Luis Ruelas joined "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," some of his legal issues came to light. For starters, Page Six reported in March 2022 that his company, Digital Media Solutions, had been involved in a number of lawsuits over the years. Evidently, there'd been some issues regarding the company's business practices. On top of that, a number of abuse allegations against Ruelas surfaced, which concerned Giudice's costars and "RHONJ" viewers. He denied the claims.
In the wake of all of these reports, Ruelas had to leave his position at the company that he founded and helped take public. "They called me up and said you have to step down, and that really sucked," shrugged Ruelas on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" Season 12 reunion.
He also went on to deny the domestic violence allegations involving his ex-wife. "Two incidents come up recently, and those are arguments with my wife over my children. We were getting divorced," he said. "If I'm the only guy in America that basically had arguments with his wife, and she walks in the house and calls the police ... that's basically the extent of it."
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
Teresa Giudice gets along with Luis Ruelas' ex-wife
Making a blended family work isn't always easy, but it does help when all of the exes can get along. This is precisely what Luis Ruelas had hoped for as he arranged for his ex-wife Marisa Dimartino to have dinner with Teresa Giudice and her four daughters when celebrating son Luis Ruelas Jr.'s 19th birthday in Atlantic City in 2022. While they all made the family dinner look easy, Dimartino admitted to Page Six that it did take her some time to get to this place and feel comfortable. She also told the outlet that while she and Ruelas didn't really interact much, she and Giudice have a totally amicable dynamic. "She's very nice," Dimartino shared. "Everything was cordial." Giudice apparently was also super mindful of social media content and asking Dimartino if she was cool with being in posts. Dimartino also said her kids are big fans of their dad's new partner.
This isn't the first time Dimartino has sung the relationship's praises. In 2021, some months after Giudice and Ruelas' love story began, she told In Touch Weekly (via Heavy), "I'm really happy for Teresa and Luis. ... Luis is actually the father of my children, and he's a really good person. ... As normal things happen. We're very good with each other, and that's basically it."
He's dealt with the highs and lows of reality stardom
It's never easy being the new kid on the block, and that's exactly what Luis Ruelas was when he first appeared by Teresa Giudice's side on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." Ruelas faced intense scrutiny from the other cast members as well as "RHONJ" fans. "It was horrible," he shared on the Season 12 reunion. "No fault to anyone here in the room, I just felt really judged without having a chance to give my own story." He went on to explain that Giudice had good intentions in seemingly not letting him speak much at first, but it ended up backfiring; viewers started to wonder if he had something to hide.
Giudice continues to back her other half, and as she noted in an interview with ET, adjusting to reality TV stardom isn't exactly easy. "He's new to all this, to public scrutiny, which is sad, and this is not something he signed up for," he said
On an episode of Giudice's podcast, "Namaste B******," Ruelas touched on what it was like getting thrust into the public eye overnight and why his relationship makes it all worth it. "But the core of her was what I like, let's say, sacrifice my own humanity for this relationship because s***, it's tough," he said. "I remember the first time I was getting coffee at Starbucks and somebody came up to me says, 'Are you Teresa Giudice's boyfriend?' ... You know, it was crazy." It seems he's since found his footing.