Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi Explains Her Departure From ‘Jersey Shore’; ‘I Just Feel Like People Move On Sometimes’

During a recent stop by ET Jersey Shore star, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, the self-proclaimed meatball who fulfilled out guilty pleasures for over a decade, revealed that she is ready to leave the Shore behind for good.

The 32-year-old reality star, accompanied by fellow Jersey Shore Family Vacation stars Deena Nicole Cortese, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Jenni “JWoww” Farley, explained her decision to walk away from the series, stating, “I just feel like people move on sometimes. And having three kids and leaving and doing all of it is just really, really hard for me.”

Snooki also revealed to ET’s Ash Crossan that leaving her children to do the show weighed heavily on her. She shares three children with her husband, Jionni LaValle, 7-year old Lorenzo, 5-year-old Giovanna, and 8-month-old Angelo.

“I’ve said this before, but I don’t want to leave my kids and go into a toxic environment where there’s drama, and I’m upset all the time. I just can’t do that. So, I just had to make a move.”

Snooki will be featured in the final episodes of season three, JWoww confirmed, adding that her friend’s exit is far from uneventful.

“This whole season that’s coming up, Nicole is a part of it, because we filmed it already. She made the decision after the season wrapped. Because what the viewers are going to see is, it is really dramatic.”

However, castmate Deena alluded to there being another factor to Snooki’s exit that fans will have to stay tuned to see.

“I’m going to miss my meatball. There’s more to her leaving than just the kids. You’ll see,” She revealed.

Snooki is not the only cast member who has a hard time leaving their children to go work. Both Jenni and Deena revealed to ET that they are “going through the same emotions” as their good friend. Deena and her hubby, Christopher Buckner, welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Christopher John, last January. JWoww shares two kids with her now ex-husband Roger Matthews, 3-year-old Greyson, and 5-year-old Meilani.

“It’s like we’re going to leave our families, we’re going to leave our children and when you go into a workplace where it’s just like, ‘Ugh,’” JWoww further explained. “Don’t get us wrong, we love our production, and we love the majority of our castmates, but then there are times when you’re like, ‘Why am I leaving my family to just scream, fight and argue all the time?’”

” The Jersey Shore” premiered in 2009 and ran until 2012, airing six seasons before going off-air. It was then rebooted in 2018 as” Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” which showed the original cast members living together in various cities from Miami to Las Vegas.