Margaret Josephs calls Danielle Staub's infamous ponytail pull 'premeditated': 'I knew all along'

The latest season of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" proved to be an all-time great season of reality TV, but there was one moment in particular that stood above the rest during the long-running Bravo series' tenth season: the ponytail pull heard 'round the world.

It made headlines when it first happened during filming, made headlines again when it was teased in the season's trailer and made headlines for a third time when it finally aired in full: Friends-turned-enemies Margaret Josephs and Danielle Staub get into an argument before Margaret dumps water on Danielle's head; in retaliation, Danielle dumps the contents of Margaret's purse into a burning candle before she grabs her by her ponytail and pulls her across a store.

To say it was an instantly iconic Housewives moment would be an understatement and, during a recent interview with In The Know's Gibson Johns, Margaret opened up about the painful experience of reliving the altercation on national television, saying that, while it was difficult, she's now in a place where she can laugh at it.

"That horrible ponytail fall is going down as an iconic moment. It's upsetting. I think some fans are like, 'You deserved it. You deserved it.' I thought that was a little bizarre," she said. "People were trying to equate me pushing [Danielle's ex-husband] Marty in the pool to that: 'You tried to hurt an old man!' I was like, 'Are you kidding me?' It's something that goes on at people's high school parties. Little kid parties, pushing people in the pool. It's a fun thing! I'd still push people in a pool."

"It was very hard to relive it and rewatch it and see it all, because it was super, super emotional," Margaret went on. "That was also cut down to a smaller scene of it — it did play out longer, and then I knew all along it was going to come out that it was premeditated. Everything was premeditated, because I had already filmed the whole scene. So, that was upsetting."

At the end of the day, the three-season Real Housewife acknowledged that they "gave everybody what they needed" with the dramatic moment and that "laughter is the best medicine" when it comes to shaking fights like this off.

For more from Margaret Josephs — including her desire for co-star Teresa Giudice to start dating after her split and an update on "RHONJ" shutting down production on the next season — listen to her full, 20-minute interview with In The Know below:

For reference, see below for a timecode breakdown of In The Know’s interview with Margaret Josephs:

0:48 – 4:02: Margaret talks about how she’s been spending her time during the quarantine, including urging her followers to give back.

4:03 – 5:16: Margaret talks about production shutting down on the next season of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

5:17 – 11:51: Margaret talks about the most recent season of “RHONJ,” her feud with Danielle Staub and thinks back to some of her most iconic lines on the show.

11:52 – 14:23: Margaret talks about her friendships with Melissa Gorga and Jackie Goldschneider, and the different criticisms that each of them have received from their co-stars.

14:24 – 16:31: Margaret talks about whether she thinks people cower to Teresa, and why sometimes they’re easier on her than other people.

16:32 – 18:50: Margaret talks about what she hopes the next season of “RHONJ” looks like.

18:51 – 21:35: Margaret talks about her podcast, “Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget.”

If you liked this story, check out In The Know’s recent interview with Bravo star Ramona Singer here.

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