Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi may be leaving 'Jersey Shore,' but she's not leaving New Jersey

Chris Jordan | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Snooki and Gov. Christie get a face-to-face Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi and NJ Gov. Chris Christie have a face-to-face meeting on the Seaside Heights boardwalk after appearances on the Today show.

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi may be leaving “Jersey Shore,” but she’s not leaving New Jersey.

“I’m still here in jersey Mary, and will always be,” replied Polizzi on Friday, Dec. 6 to a tweet from former Jersey radio host Mary Walter. “Come at me, bruh.”

Polizzi, who lives in Florham Park with her husband and three children, announced that she will not be participating in Season 4 of “Jersey Shore Family Vacation” during the latest episode of the “It’s Happening with Snooki and Joey” podcast, which was released on Friday, Dec. 6.

“I am retiring from Jersey Shore,” Polizzi, 32, said. “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. Joey knows this. I try and quit every single day. I just hate being away from the kids. 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.”

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Polizzi also said she doesn’t like the direction the show is going in.

“Our show, ‘Jersey Shore,’ is about family and making fun of each other and having a good time and laughing and just knowing that it’s all in good fun,” Polizzi said. “Lately, everything is so serious. It’s not about a team anymore.”

Polizzi ran out screaming of a boardwalk rental house in Point Pleasant Beach on Aug. 6 saying that she couldn’t take it anymore during a taping of Season 3 of “Jersey Shore Family Vacation.” She had butted heads with fellow cast member Angelina Pivarnick.

“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,” Polizzi said. “I just cant do it.”

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She wouldn’t be the first to leave. Pivarnick left during Season 2 of “Jersey Shore,” although she did return for the series reboot, “Jersey Shore Family Vacation,” in 2018. Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola decided against participating in “Family Vacation.”

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino missed several episodes of Season 3 of “JSFV” as he was serving a sentence for tax fraud in federal prison.

Polizzi, a native of Marlboro, New York, now has deep roots in New Jersey, which includes her “Snooki Shop” in downtown Madison.

Her “It’s Happening with Snooki and Joey” podcast, which also features co-star Joey Camasta, recently announced a tour that includes two shows in New Jersey, Jan. 25 at Harrah’s in Atlantic City and Jan 31 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown. A third show is Jan 9 at the Wilbur in Boston.

Visit nicolepolizzi.com/tour for more info or tickets.

Polizzi said that she’ll continue to be a public figure in the future, just not on “Jersey Shore.” Her reps confirmed the news of her departure from “Jersey Shore” to the USA Today Network. Reps for MTV have not replied to a request for comment.

“I’m not saying good-bye to reality TV or me working as a reality star anymore,” Polizzi said. “I’m not going away and hiding like a hermit — I don’t want to do that. I just need to move on from the show because I don’t like the direction that it’s going in.”

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. His multiple awards include recognition for stories on Bruce Springsteen and Snooki. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com. Stay with app.com or consider a subscription today.