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.

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 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.

"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.

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.

"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.