Keeping it quiet. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s decision to leave Jersey Shore: Family Vacation shocked some of her costars who were not in the know before the big reveal.
“Nicole did not tell all her Jersey Shore castmates that she was retiring before she made the announcement,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “It came as a surprise to more than one of them.”
Polizzi, 32, shared the news during the Friday, December 6, episode of her “It’s Happening With Snooki & Joey” podcast. “OK, you guys, I love you so much, and 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,” she explained. “I am not coming back to Jersey Shore [Family Vacation] for a season 4, if there is one. And there’s a lot of reasons why, but the main reason is really … I’m just like, I just can’t do it anymore.”
The reality star noted that her family with husband Jionni LaValle factored into her retreat from the MTV series. The couple, who tied the knot in November 2014, share son Lorenzo, 7, daughter Giovanna, 5, and son Angelo, 6 months. “I hate being away from the kids,” she said. “I don’t like partying three days in a row. It’s just not my life anymore. And I wanna be home with the kids. You know, like, I don’t mind a here and there going to a dinner or whatever, but it’s just really hard on me to leave the kids and film the show.”
The Chile native pointed out that onscreen drama led to her departure too. “You know, when I leave my kids and I film the show, like, I want to have a good time,” she told listeners. “And I’m putting myself out there, and I just wanna come off as a good person. And lately, on the show, it’s just been very drama. … I don’t like the person I’m portrayed as.”
The TV personality hinted at her hesitance to sign on for another season during a September set visit. “I’m still trying to figure that out,” she told Us of juggling her family and the show. “They’ve very stressed. I love being here. I love being with the roomies. But at the same time, I miss my newborn, I miss my two kids. So honestly I’m still trying to find that balance.”
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation returns to MTV in 2020.
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With reporting by Brody Brown
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