The Jersey Shore Cast Looks A Lot Different Today

When MTV's "Jersey Shore" went on the air in 2009, no one was prepared for the high drama and epic partying that would ensue for six seasons until the crew called it quits in 2012. MTV had already found success in reality television with "The Real World" and "Laguna Beach," but "Jersey Shore" was different. This reality series followed everyday people going wild on vacation, not the glitz and glam of "The Hills" or "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." The "Jersey Shore" cast credits their relatability for the lasting popularity of the series.

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi has an alternate theory. "I'm a hot mess, and people love a train wreck," Polizzi told NJ Advanced Media. Vinny Guadagnino echoed this on "The View." The casting director, Doron Ofir, credits the cast's unapologetic honesty for how the series resonated with viewers. "I think we were the realest reality show," Polizzi told Vulture. "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" offers fans a chance to catch up with the crew and glimpse how they've changed.

Since the series debuted in 2009, the cast has grown up. They have transformed into TV personalities, successful entrepreneurs, entertainers, authors, and parents. The reboot is heading into its seventh season and the cast jokes they will ride it to the retirement home. Stick with us as we update you on what everyone has been up to since the first series ended, and what they were doing before "Jersey Shore" made them the most famous guidos and guidettes in America.

Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio was recruited to be on "Jersey Shore" because of his work as a DJ. "I was in Rhode Island, DJing away, and I got a message on MySpace. They said they liked my look for a potential show," DelVecchio told Vulture. According to the casting director, owning a tanning booth put Pauly D at the top of the list for "Jersey Shore." DelVecchio quickly became a fan favorite with his infectious smile and energy.

In 2013, DelVecchio announced, "I'm a father. I am excited to embark on this new part of my life," telling TMZ about the birth of his daughter, Amabella. Since "Jersey Shore" ended, DelVecchio has kept busy appearing on numerous reality shows including: "The Pauly D Project," "Famously Single," "Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars," "Double Shot at Love with DJ Pauly D & Vinny," and "Revenge Prank with DJ Pauly D & Vinny."

DelVecchio joined the cast of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" in 2018. In addition to appearing in the reboot, DelVecchio is living his dream: Pulling in the big bucks as a DJ and touring the world. DelVecchio even uses his work as a DJ as a platform to raise awareness and give to charity. He still sports his signature spiked crown and deep tan, but has embraced a more mature look by growing a beard while quarantining with his girlfriend during the pandemic.

Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola was part of the original cast, and her tumultuous relationship with Ronnie Ortiz-Magro added drama to six seasons of "Jersey Shore." Their toxic relationship continued when they moved in together after the series ended, but Giancola and Ortiz-Magro parted ways in 2014. After "Jersey Shore" concluded, Giancola appeared in eight episodes of "Snooki & JWoww," but otherwise she left the limelight.

Giancola opened her online boutique, Sweetheart Styles, in 2013. In 2016, Giancola went back to school, studying sociology at William Paterson University, where she played on the soccer team. Two years later, Giancola declined to participate in the reboot with an announcement on Instagram, "I have chosen to not join the show this season because I am at a completely different place in my life right now focusing on my business and relationship." In 2021, Giancola opened a brick-and-mortar store, Sweetheart Coast, in Ocean City, New Jersey, sharing a photo of the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Instagram.

Giancola surprised everyone when she joined the cast of "Family Vacation." Although Giancola and her ex Ortiz-Magro haven't seen each other in 11 years, it seems likely their paths will cross if they both continue with the reality series. Giancola explained on "The View" she choose to join the cast in Season 6 because she was in a better place in her life, but "I probably wouldn't have came back if I knew he [Ortiz-Magro] was still on the show," Giancola admitted to People.

"I saw an audition posting on Facebook for a show called 'Guidos and Guidettes.' I went there drunk, because it was at a bar, and the rest is history," Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi told Vulture. The self-professed party girl was studying to be a veterinary technician when she was cast in "Jersey Shore." She left school to be on the MTV reality show. "I felt very guilty," Polizzi admitted to Vulture.

The episode where a patron punched Polizzi in the face not only banded the cast together — it drew viewers. "It's a horrible thing, but that made the show go viral," Vinny Guadagnino told NJ Advance Media. By the end of Season 1, the series had 4.83 million viewers and 8.45 million kicking off Season 3. Polizzi met her future husband while filming Season 3 and was pregnant with their first child during Season 6. Polizzi signed on for a spin-off series, "Snooki & JWoww" and has made a career out of appearing on reality series.

Polizzi has written five books, is the co-host of a podcast, and is a co-host on the MTV show "Messyness." She is the founder and CEO of The Snooki Shop. Polizzi announced her retirement from "Family Vacation" after the birth of her third child because it was too difficult being away from her children — but this retirement was short-lived, and she quickly returned to the cast. On "The View," Polizzi expressed her frustration with people's comments on her appearance, urging them to stop focusing on weight.

"I was trying to do fitness and underwear modeling and it wasn't really working out. Someone told me that VH1 was trying to do a show about guidos from the East Coast," Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino told Vulture, adding, "I did the pilot." This VHI pilot led to Sorrentino becoming the first person cast on "Jersey Shore." "Mike was the pivotal cornerstone of what moved the concept forward," Doron Ofir told NJ Advance Media.

Sorrentino's washboard abs and many hook-ups were documented in the series. He starred on several other reality series during "Jersey Shore," including "Dancing with the Stars" and "Big Brother." In a hard-partying group that drank like fish, Sorrentino's private struggle with addiction was obscured. In March 2012, Sorrentino checked himself into rehab for his growing addiction to opioid pain medication. "I stayed sober season six [...] I was almost setting myself up for failure," Sorrentino explained to Vulture.

After the reality show ended, Sorrentino reunited with his college girlfriend, Lauren, and they appeared in "Marriage Bootcamp: Reality Stars" together. Sorrentino joined the cast of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" but took a break from filming during an 8-month stint in prison for tax evasion. After being released from prison, Sorrentino and his wife had two children. In August 2023, Sorrentino announced on "The View" he has been sober for seven years and has written a memoir. Sorrentino underwent a huge life transformation, becoming "The Inspiration" for others on their road to recovery.

Jenni "JWoww" Farley was a graphic designer and club promoter before she joined the "Jersey Shore" household. "I worked at a nightclub in Long Island. We held casting calls all the time. They were casting for a VH1 show called 'Paris Hilton's My New BFF' and my best friend wanted to be on it so bad." Farley told Vulture she tried out with him and got a call about doing another show weeks later. She also published a book, "The Rules According to JWOWW," in 2011.

Farley starred in a spin-off series, "Snooki & JWoww" with Polizzi after "Jersey Shore" ended. She also tried her hand at acting, joining the cast of the soap opera "One Life to Live" for 14 episodes, and became an executive producer on some of her projects. In 2015 Farley married Roger Matthews, who she met while filming Season 1 of "Jersey Shore," and they had two children together. Farley hosted "Young Americans" and launched a lifestyle website, Miss Domesticated.

In 2018 Farley joined the cast of the reboot, and the dissolution of her marriage made headlines when she filed for a restraining order months after filing for divorce. In 2019, Farley started dating pro-wrestler Zack Carpinello, and they got engaged in 2021. Farley is an advocate of autism inclusion, joining the board of Kulture City after her son, Greyson, was diagnosed. "I really just want to break the stigma," Farley told People Magazine.

"I had a shore house with my friends already in Belmar. I was out one night, doing whatever I do — I guess being a creep, if you wanna say — and a lady approached me. She was like, 'Listen, you fit the criteria of somebody that we're casting for a show. Would you like to try out?' Then I did a video audition," Ronnie Ortiz-Magro told Vulture, adding, "Of course, I acted like a complete crazy person."

Ortiz-Magro worked in real estate when he joined the cast of "Jersey Shore" and made calls on the duck phone during Season 1, as Vinny Guadagnino told Vulture. Ortiz-Magro's relationship with Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola was a source of drama on "Jersey Shore," and some believed he was the reason Giancola didn't initially join the reboot. They parted ways in 2014 after Ortiz-Margo reportedly cheated on her.

In 2018, Ortiz-Magro joined the cast of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," and his toxic relationship with Jen Harley, the mother of his daughter Ariana, made headlines. Both Harley and Ortiz-Magro were arrested for domestic violence as their relationship disintegrated. In 2021, Ortiz-Magro stepped away from the show to focus on his mental health, but he returned in Season 6 to update Mike Sorrentino on his changing life. Ortiz-Magro has custody of his daughter and is one year sober. Ortiz-Magro is moving to Miami to open a sneaker store and get a much-needed change of pace from his drama-filled life in Los Angeles.

Vinny Guadagnino graduated college with a degree in political science and planned to go to law school before he was cast on "Jersey Shore." Guadagnino was studying for the LSAT when a friend gave him an application as a joke and he filled it out. "Then I got a call back a year later. They were like, 'Hey, remember you filled out that thing?' I'm like, 'What thing?' Next thing you know, I was in the house with those crazy people," Guadagnino told Vulture.

Guadagnino was the nice guy who brought a level head to the "Jersey Shore" household. After the reality series ended, Guadagnino dabbled in acting, hosted the talk show "The Show with Vinny," and did a Food Channel series with his mom, "Vinny & Ma Eat America." Guadagnino starred in "Double Shot at Love" and "Revenge Prank" with DelVecchio, whom he bonded with while filming "Jersey Shore." He also appeared on "Dancing with the Stars" and published the bestselling book, "Control the Crazy."

Guadagnino lost weight and became a devoted proponent of the ketogenic diet. "I struggled with my weight my whole life [...] I'd get up to around 200 pounds. I'd drop weight. Then I would gain weight again," he told Newsweek. Guadagnino published "The Keto Guido Cookbook," sharing the diet that he finds most sustainable. Guadagnino showed off his enviable abs — rivaling The Situation's — in "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," and thrilled audiences in several Chippendales dance reviews in Las Vegas.

Deena Nicole Cortese was a server and had her dental assisting license before being on "Jersey Shore." She was actually cast for Season 1 but dropped out before filming began when her grandmother died. She finally joined the cast in Season 3, replacing Angelina Pivarnick during one of her absences from the reality show. Cortese brought her booty-shaking dance dubbed the "Jersey Turnpike" to the reality show and went by the moniker "The Blast in a Glass." For 58 episodes Cortese and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi's antics cracked up audiences.

After the show wrapped, Cortese was on eight episodes of "Snooki & JWoww," one episode of "Fear Factor" and she was a guest on multiple talk shows. From there, Cortese took a big step back from the limelight, becoming a dog trainer at The Green Leaf Pet Resort in New Jersey. Sadly, Cortese's father died in 2016 from leukemia. Cortese married Chris Buckner in 2017, six years after they met during her time on "Jersey Shore."

Cortese and her husband have two sons together, and one glance at Cortese's Instagram makes it's clear she's all about her family. She and her family joined the cast of the reboot "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation." Cortese told "The View" she will not hide the original "Jersey Shore" from her children. Like her co-stars, Cortese believes her past mistakes contributed to her transformation.

Jionni LaValle met Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi while she was filming Season 3 of "Jersey Shore" and they became involved romantically. Polizzi was engaged to LaValle and pregnant with their first child during the last season of the reality series. Because of their relationship, LaValle appeared in 20 episodes of "Jersey Shore" and 40 episodes of her spin-off series "Snooki & JWoww." The couple also collaborated on "Nicole & Jionni's Shore Flip."

When LaValle declined to appear on the reboot "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," rumors circulated that their relationship was in trouble. LaValle hasn't taken part in the show, as many other partners have. "Nicole and I are going great and became even stronger together while raising our beautiful kids. HOWEVER you will not see me on her reality show. Being a reality star was never something I wanted to be when I grew up," LaValle wrote on Instagram in defense of their relationship and his choice to not join the cast.

Polizzi verified this is his stance. "He really just doesn't want to be on camera, so I respect it," Polizzi told Hollywood Life, explaining "He just really wants to be the home base when I'm filming, which I'm so thankful for." The couple has three children together and LaValle keeps busy as a devoted dad and runs an Etsy shop dedicated to his love of golf.

"We're in this club, and I feel some girl tapping me on the shoulder. She goes, 'Listen, I've been watching you for half an hour, and I think you're amazing. I want to interview you for something,'" Angelina Pivarnick told Vulture. Although she was part of the original cast of "Jersey Shore," Pivarnick was kicked out after three episodes of Season 1 when she refused to work at the Shore Store. Pivarnick was also kicked off the show in Season 2 after a physical altercation with Sorrentino and Polizzi. She made guest appearances in Seasons 5 and 6, and other reality series like "Couple's Therapy."

Pivarnick was in a Twitter feud with Jenni "JWoww" Farley because of her stance on gay marriage, later issuing an apology after changing her opinion. She later released a single with Adam Barta, whom she had also argued with over the issue of gay marriage. Pivarnick became an EMT in 2016 but left the job in 2018. She received a settlement for a sexual harassment suit she filed while working as an EMT.

Pivarnick returned to the reboot "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" in 2018 and married Chris Larangeira in 2019, although he filed for divorce just three years later. She has moved on with her fiancé, Vinny Tortorella. Pivarnick has gone through quite a transformation in the last couple of years and she's been transparent with fans about her plastic surgery. "I was very insecure with my body because of my weight loss from the first two seasons," Pivarnick told Life & Style Magazine.