Jim Marchese | Entertainment News, Photos, and Videos

Michael Turchin, a visual artist who is also married to Lance Bass, is a huge Real Housewives fan.

When Michael found out about the story that Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Jim Marchese is reportedly refusing to pay for his son’s college tuition because he’s gay, he DM’d his wife Amber Marchese to find out more.

“If you know me you know I’m a big Housewives fan so when several months ago former RHONJ @amber_marchese and her husband made the news by publicly saying gay people are ruining society, families, the holidays, and that gay children are a curse on their families (her husband’s words) I reached out to her to see if she felt the same way—yes she does,” Michael posted on Instagram. :She doubled down saying she doesn’t hate gay ppl but that being gay is a harmful chosen lifestyle that is ruining the youth of America. Today in he news it has been revealed that her stepson came out as gay and she and her husband told him they won’t pay for his college tuition unless he gives up that harmful lifestyle and live as a straight man instead (as if it’s his choice).”

Michael continued, “I brought this up to her attention again and she responded by saying I’m a mentally disturbed, troubled, angry, and ‘slightly retarded’ man for telling her to treat gay ppl especially her stepson equally and with dignity. So naturally I thought why not post this to Instagram and get everyone else’s opinion. Glad these despicable ppl are off TV! Good call @bravoandy.”

Michael then shared the screen grabs from their extensive back-and-forth DMs. See the direct messages in the gallery…

Jim Marchese is reportedly refusing to pay for his son’s college tuition because he’s gay.

The former Real Housewives of New Jersey and Marriage Boot Camp star, who was married to Amber Marchese, is accused of not paying for his son James‘ tuition after finding out his son is gay.

“James has dreams of attending Fairfield University in Connecticut this fall. All was going to plan until his father found out he was gay and pulled all of his college funding. Now James has had to resort to creating a GoFundMe page in order to raise enough funds for tuition outside of the scholarships he’s earned in order to attend his freshman year,” Instinct reported on Tuesday (June 25).

“I hope to take what has happened with my father and turn it into something positive…I want to be able to help other teenagers and students to feel safer being who they are so that they don’t have to feel like the whole world is against them,” James writes on his GoFundMe.

“This has nothing to do with sexuality. It has to do with money. He wants to go to a no name college in Connecticut that costs $275,000 when he doesn’t even have a career path that he’s focused on versus going to a state school that would cost $40,000. Who pays that much for Fairfield college? If he had gotten into Yale, Harvard, MIT, U Penn, Wharton Business School- any of the top 20 schools- we would have a conversation. The idea that he wants to spend $275,000 without regard to the fact that he’s got four other siblings who also need financial help is absurd and selfish,” Jim hit back in a statement to Champion Daily.

“His complete go fund me page is a fraud. I just paid for him to complete Christian brothers Academy, an elite private school, and for him to complete pre high school at an elite private school at a total expense of $200,000+. His mother did not pay any of it. He’s clearly trying to use Amber’s celebrity stature to literally sucker people into paying so this spoiled rich kid can attend an egregiously overpriced no name school.”