As reality-television introductions go, Nicole Polizzi, known to many by her nickname Snooki, had a memorable one. On the series premiere of “Jersey Shore,” she strutted into a wood paneled house in Seaside Heights, N.J., and declared “Party’s here!”
And over the show’s original six seasons, she brought the party. Cameras captured her arrest for public intoxication after she asked “where’s the beach?” while standing mere feet from the ocean, fist-pumping through countless clubs in New Jersey, Miami and Florence, Italy, and showing up to the filming of the final season three months pregnant.
After the show ended in 2012, Polizzi continued to film. She starred in a spinoff with her best friend and “Jersey Shore” co-star Jenni Farley, flipped houses with her husband, Jionni LaValle, in “Nicole & Jionni’s Shore Flip,” and in 2018 she rejoined her original castmates for “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.”
“Sometimes when we’re together and the kids aren’t there and it’s just us, we feel like we’re 21 again,” Polizzi said of her co-stars, whom she refers to as “the roomies.”
Even though the eighth season will be the last on MTV, Polizzi and the others aren’t planning on staying off our television screens for long.
“We always said we were going to film until we’re in the nursing home, and we’re old and fighting with each other,” Polizzi said.
Outside of filming and reality TV, Polizzi’s time is spent raising her three children, managing her retail stores and, of course, the occasional fist pump.
On a phone call from her bed before taking a nap, she discussed extraterrestrials, the hardest thing about being a mom and how she’s preparing for the end of the world. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Aliens
I’ve always liked believing in aliens. The Hudson Valley is known for U.F.O.s, and I remember being in my mom’s pool and I saw this dot in the sky. I felt like it said hi to me, which was so weird. It was moving back and forth really quickly and then just disappeared. A couple of nights later, I had a dream that I was in a spaceship with aliens, and they touched my back. But even before that, I always was so curious about the universe and space and other planets and if there’s life on them.
Apocalypse Movies
My favorite horror movies are with zombies and watching the end of the world happen and people having to live in this new world of zombies. I’m actually filming a ghost show in Canada right now, and I’m training to be a ghost hunter. Everything paranormal I’m obsessed with.
Doomsday Prepping
I’m definitely a prepper. I have food that lasts for 20 years, I have a ton of water, I have windup clocks and tents and walkie-talkies, a ton of batteries. I have swords. I just want to be prepared for anything.
Sleeping
I am not a morning person, I just love to sleep all day. After a work day or a travel day or when I socialize too much, I just need to lie in bed. I just like to be cozy and I love sleep. If I could be in a nap club, I totally would. The hardest thing about being a mom was not being able to sleep in and not getting to sleep when I wanted to.
Pickles
I love all pickles. I definitely love the butter pickles the best. I like the garlicky pickles. I don’t discriminate over any pickle. I love every single brand. You know how everyone’s obsessing over the deli pickle sandwiches? I’ve literally been doing those since I was little.
Wine
Obviously I love wine. I just feel like the wine hangovers are the worst, so we have to go lightly with the wine.
Cheering On My Kids
I love being competitive and my kids are competitive, they’re athletic and they work so hard with their sport. It makes you so proud as a mom and you just want to cheer them on and be so proud of them and be there for them and say how good they’re doing.
Crafting
I’ve always been into crafting and repurposing furniture. I used to have my own Etsy store and I would sell jewelry that I was making. It’s very therapeutic, too.
Decorating for Christmas
Christmas is just a vibe and it makes me feel so happy. Every time I gave birth, I was playing Christmas music because it calmed my soul and made me excited and happy. I start decorating on Halloween night. I’m like, “Bye, pumpkins.” I want my trees up.
Pets
I grew up with three cats, I’m a cat person generally. But when I married my husband, I knew that was gone, because he’s severely allergic to cats. All my dead cats, I have frames of them, like my best cat, Rocky. I have Rocky’s cat head on top of angel wings, so he’s looking at me. All my dead cats are staring at me in my bed.
Shivani Gonzalez is a news assistant at The Times who writes a weekly TV column and contributes to a variety of sections.
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