Snooki says she’s quitting ‘Jersey Shore’ because it’s ‘turning into a nightmare’
The party’s over for Snooki.
The reality show star whose real name is Nicole Polizzi announced she’s retiring from the “Jersey Shore” franchise to spend time with her kids and get away from the constant drama on the series that she says is “turning into a nightmare.”
“Don’t hate me for my decision but I have to do what’s best for me at the moment and I am retiring from ‘Jersey Shore,’” Snooki said on Friday’s installment of her podcast “It’s Happening with Snooki & Joey,” which she co-hosts with best friend Joey Camasta.
“I am not coming back to ‘Jersey Shore’ for a season 4 if there is one,” she added. “And there’s a lot of reasons why, but the main reason is . I just can’t do it anymore. Literally leaving my kids to film it is really, really hard on me and Joey knows I try and quit every single day.”
The pint-sized party girl rose to fame on MTV’s “Jersey Shore” series, which was set in a beach house in Seaside Heights, N.J., and aired from 2009 to 2012. The series made a comeback with the spinoff, “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” which debuted last year and recently wrapped up the first half of season 3. The second half is set to pick up some time in 2020.
Snooki, who was frequently shown boozing it up and even getting arrested on the original series, has slowed down her hard-partying ways in recent years since getting married to Jionni LaValle and becoming a mom. The couple are parents to 7-year-old Lorenzo, 5-year-old Giovanna and 6-month old Angelo.
“I hate being away from the kids,” Snooki, 32, said on her podcast. “I don’t like partying like three days in a row, it’s just not my life anymore and I wanna be home with the kids.”
She added that the show has also changed over the seasons.
“Another reason is when I leave my kids and I film the show, I want to have a good time, and I’m putting myself out there,” Snooki said. “I just wanna come off as a good person and lately on the show, it’s just been very drama and . Our show ‘Jersey Shore’ is about family and about making fun of each other and about having a good time and laughing and just knowing that it’s all in good fun. And lately it’s just like everything is so serious .”
Recent episodes of “Family Vacation” have shown Snooki storming out of a shore house and leaving for the night to be with her kids after getting into a fight with fellow cast member Angelina Pivarnick.
Snooki added that the infighting on the show is creating feuds between fans who become part of a “team” rooting for one cast member over another.
“For me, at 32 years old with three kids and if I’m dong a reality show I want it to be fun and be lighthearted and just lightweight,” she said. “It’s not like that and the show is getting so dramatic.”
She also claims that she’s been “getting death threats, and getting death threats to my children” over drama captured on the show.
“I’m not saying goodbye to reality TV and me working as a reality star,” Snooki said. “I just need to remove myself from the show because I don’t like the direction that it’s going in when it comes to the drama and just the cattiness. I just can’t do it.”
“Enough with the drama,” she added. “It’s supposed to be a happy fun show and it’s turning into a nightmare.”