Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi says when she realized she was forcing herself to do something she didn’t want to do was the moment she decided to leave “Jersey Shore.”
Polizzi spoke on “The Mel Robbins Show” to talk about that pivotal moment.
“I think when I was, like, actually forcing myself to be in a situation that I wasn’t happy in.
Like, I was forcing myself to be ‘happy’ and I’m like that’s not me. I’m not genuinely happy. That’s when I’m like. ‘I’m out!’ “
It’s only been a few days since Snooki announced her departure from the show, which she had been a part of since its start in December 2009.
She spoke out about her retirement on “It’s Happening With Snooki and Joey” on Dec. 6, sending shockwaves through the Jersey Shore world.
She and the rest of the GTL (Gym Tan Laundry) crew stayed on “Jersey Shore” until 2012.
Their later series, “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” began in 2018.
Snooki says another reason she left the show was because of her kids.
“The main reason is really… I just can’t do it anymore. Literally, leaving my kids to film it is really, really hard on me.
I try and quit every single day. I quit every time we film because I just hate being away from the kids.”
And the fact that she’s not out partying every night may have something to do with her decision, though she’s not ruling out a night on the town once in a while.
“I don’t like partying three days in a row. It’s just not my life anymore. I want to be home with the kids. I don’t mind here and there going to a dinner or whatever, but it’s just really hard for me to leave the kids and film the show.”
It’s clear she’s moved on from that whole lifestyle, though she’s not closing the door completely on it.
“I’m not saying goodbye…I just need to move on from the show because I don’t like the direction it’s going in when it comes to the drama and the cattiness.”
She says she didn’t come across the decision lightly.
“It was really hard. But I had to think about my happiness and where I really wanted myself to be and it’s being a mom and being [with my] kids and not drama and drinking and drama.”
Snooki has three kids: Lorenzo Dominic, 7, Giovanna Marie, 5, and Angelo James, six months.
