Nicole Polizzi

Nicole Elizabeth LaValle (née Polizzi), born November 23, 1987, and widely known by her nickname Snooki, is an American reality television personality. She gained national prominence as a cast member on the MTV reality television series Jersey Shore, which premiered in 2009. She subsequently starred in spin-off series, including Snooki & Jwoww and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. Beyond reality television, Polizzi has participated in hosting, authored multiple books, engaged in business ventures, and appeared in professional wrestling events.

Polizzi was born in Santiago, Chile, and was adopted at six months old by Italian-American parents, Andy and Helen Polizzi. She was raised in Marlboro, New York, where she attended Marlboro High School and participated in cheerleading. During her school years, she received the nickname Snooki from her friends after a character in the film Save the Last Dance. After graduating high school, Polizzi attended Brookdale Community College in Middletown Township, New Jersey, where she studied to become a veterinary technician. DNA testing she took in 2014 and 2019 indicated a background including Native Chilean, European, Asian, and Jewish ancestry.

MTV first introduced Polizzi on the series Is She Really Going Out with Him? before she was cast on Jersey Shore by Doron Ofir Casting. Polizzi became a breakout member of the show, earning up to $150,000 per episode by its final season. In 2012, she began starring alongside her co-star Jennifer Farley in the MTV spin-off Snooki & Jwoww, which chronicled her pregnancy and early years of motherhood across four seasons until 2015. She also competed on season 17 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013, finishing in eighth place. Polizzi later appeared on Nicole & Jionni's Shore Flip, The New Celebrity Apprentice, and the web series Snooki & Jwoww: Moms With Attitude.

Polizzi made numerous television and public appearances during the height of her reality show popularity. She presented at the 2010 CMT Music Awards, appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards, and rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. In 2011, she appeared on WWE Monday Night Raw and competed at WrestleMania XXVII in a six-person Mixed Tag Team match, which her team won. Later that year, she received the WWE 2011 A-Lister of the Year Slammy Award. Polizzi also co-hosted MTV's Club New Year's Eve 2013 live from Times Square.

In addition to her television work, Polizzi published three books: A Shore Thing in 2011, followed by Confessions of a Guidette later that year, and Gorilla Beach in 2012. In 2012, her venture Team Snooki Boxing co-promoted a professional boxing card in Atlantic City. Polizzi married Jionni LaValle in November 2014, and the couple has three children. In early 2026, Polizzi revealed she had been diagnosed with Stage 1 cervical cancer following years of abnormal pap smear results and subsequent medical procedures.