Jersey Shore: Family Vacation is coming back for a fifth season, MTV announced Thursday, and so is Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. The original cast member announced she was stepping away from the series in 2019, but made guest appearances in Season 4 before she was revealed to be an official cast member for Season 5.
The main cast of Season 4 consisted of Jenni “JWOWW” Farley, Deena Cortese, Angelina Pivarnick, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Vinny Guadagnino, Pauly “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro. Ortiz-Magro left the show in May to seek treatment for “mental health issues” after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.
No charges were ever brought against the reality TV star, who shares 3-year-old daughter Ariana with ex Jen Harley and is engaged to Saffire Matos, and last week, he said he planned to return to Jersey Shore. “I feel great. Four months sober. I quit drinking, got engaged, full-time father, you know, living a good life,” he told TMZ. “I stepped away to deal with my mental health, be a father to my child, be a fiancé to my woman,” he said. “I’ll be back and, you know, all the fans love me and I love them too, so I’m going to give them what they want and I’ll see them soon.”
Polizzi, for her part, announced in December 2019 she was stepping away from the show, saying it was what was “best for [her] at the moment.” While it was a “hard decision,” Polizzi said on her It’s Happening With Snooki and Joey podcast that it was difficult to spend so much time away from sons Lorenzo, 9, and Angelo, 2, and daughter Giovanna, 6. “I don’t like partying three days in a row. It’s just not my life anymore. I want to be home with the kids,” she said at the time. “It’s just really hard for me to leave the kids and film the show.”
Reacting to news of her addition to the main cast, Polizzi tweeted, “Get ready for more s- shows.” DelVecchio added in his own tweet, “JERSEY SHORE: FAMILY VACATION RENEWED FOR SEASON 5!!! Thank You All For The Love And Support Tons More To Come.”