Jersey Shore's Snooki': 'Not the News That I Was Hoping For'

Nicole Polizzi, 38, says she has Stage 1 cervical cancer, but it was caught early and 'could be worse'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 21, 2026 7:50 AM CST
Jersey Shore 's 'Snooki' Announces a Cancer Diagnosis
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 11, 2024, at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.   (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, file)

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi announced on Friday that she has cervical cancer. The former Jersey Shore star said in a video posted to TikTok that a biopsy had revealed the Stage 1 cancer, per the AP. "Obviously not the news that I was hoping for," she said, sitting in her car between medical appointments. "But also not the worst news, just because they caught it so early, thank freaking God." She urged her followers to get Pap smears, noting that she's likely to have a hysterectomy after her initial treatment.

"So 2026 is not panning out how I wanted it to, but also—could be worse," she added. Polizzi became one of the breakout stars of Jersey Shore after its debut on MTV in 2009. She was on the reality show for six seasons and appeared in the later spinoffs Snooki & JWoww and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. Now 38, Polizzi still lives in New Jersey, has been married for just over 11 years, and has three children with husband Jionni LaValle.

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