Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi Says Jionni’s Absence From ‘Jersey Shore’ Helps Their Marriage (EXCLUSIVE)

Fans of MTV's Jersey Shore franchise know Karma nightclub meant A LOT to the entire cast, though it was especially near and dear to Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi's heart.

The club was the epicenter of many of her most meme-able moments and, on a romantic note, the beginning of her love story with her husband, Jionni Lavelle.

Nicole and Jionni met at Karma in 2010 and have lived their lives as a unit ever since, marrying in 2014 and welcoming three children: Lorenzo Dominic LaValle, born in August 2012; Giovanna Marie LaValle, born in September 2014; and Angelo James LaValle, born in May 2019.

However, since Nicole and her longtime friend group returned to reality TV for Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, she's braved the reboot without Jionni.

In an exclusive interview with Distractify in partnership with M&M’S Halloween Rescue Squad, Nicole explains her husband's absence from the show and the benefits of maintaining their family's privacy.

Nicole told us she and her husband are doing better than ever. And while fans might suggest otherwise due to him not being a cast member on Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, she says Jionni decided reality TV wasn't for him after spending the beginning of their relationship filming alongside her.

"I feel like he had his dose of reality, and he killed it, and he was so funny and so great at it. But then he was just like, 'Alright, I'm done,'" Nicole exclusively told Distractify. "He's like, 'I did what I wanted to do, and that's it. Like, I want a break. This is your career. This is your stuff.'

"So now he just wants to be private," she continued. "And I respect that, and I love that, actually, because I feel like that makes our relationship amazing."

Soon after Nicole and Jionni started dating, she and her BFF Jenni "JWoww" Farley starred on their spinoff, Snooki & JWoww, which aired for three seasons.

Then, in 2016, the couple took fans along for their real estate pivot with their short-lived series, Nicole & Jionni's Shore Flip. According to Jionni's IMDb, he also served as a producer on the show before it was canceled after three episodes.

Since his time on reality TV ended, Jionni and Snooki have continued fostering their family away from MTV's cameras, allowing her to use her to spend her filming days literally on vacation from her daily life. She says she also benefits from the now-intentional distance between the separation of her reality TV life versus her actual reality, stating she already feels "like I show so much on the show of me" and is now drawing the line at her marriage.

Although Nicole says Jionni's lack of interest in filming Jersey Shore: Family Vacation has nothing to do with their relationship, she knows there are some who believe otherwise. Throughout their marriage, fans have suspected they were headed for divorce due to both Jionni's absence from the show and their not posting one another on social media as much as their marriage has progressed.

Nicole says she routinely asks her husband to shut the rumors down with at least one cameo.

"I did ask him to eventually make a peep on the show to do a sneak peek of, 'Hey, I'm here. We're fine,'" she admits. "Because everyone always thinks we're not together because he's not on the show. And we hardly post pictures together, but when we do, everyone's like, 'Oh, there he is. He's still there."

Nicole and Jionni proved they're still going strong in November 2024 when they celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on Instagram. And, with more seasons of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation to come, there's always a chance we'll see the OG "Guido" and "Guidette" couple back on the small screen!