Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is speaking out about her health.
The Jersey Shore star appeared in a series of emotional TikTok videos in which she announced she has been diagnosed with stage 1 cervical cancer.
“Hi, Queens. Um. Oh my god, I look like a hot mess. I’ve got my granny glasses on,” she began in an honest video from her car. “This is going to be an update video on what’s been happening with my health journey. You guys have been asking for an update, and I’ve been waiting on, like, two appointments to fill you in on everything that’s going on.”
Polizzi explained she had just arrived at her car to go to her post-op appointment after undergoing a cone biopsy, in which doctors remove part of the cervix to check for cancer.
“Right now, I’m in the parking lot to go to my post-op appointment from the cone biopsy,” she said. “So they’ve gotta check up there and make sure everything’s healing, I guess.” After her appointment, she called it “the easiest appointment I’ve had in years.”
“Basically just went up there to make sure everything’s healing. I’m still sore and a little raw, but one stitch fell out, so that’s nice,” she said, adding she was cleared by her doctor to start working out. “He said I could start working out now, which is great because I haven’t been able to lift weights.”
According to Polizzi, she underwent a colposcopy that revealed she had stage 1 cervical cancer.
“My results came back from my colposcopy. You guys okay? It came back stage one cervical cancer, called, um, adenocarcinoma or something like 1B1,” she said. “I don’t know. There are all these terms that I don’t totally get yet.”
She said she knows that receiving such news was hard, but noted that she was diagnosed with cancer at an early stage.
“Obviously not the news I was hoping for, but not the worst either, since they found it early. Thank freaking god””
The reality TV star, aged 38, said she has been dealing with abnormal Pap smear test results for years and encouraged women to keep their tests.
“I’m 38, and I’ve been dealing with abnormal Pap smears for, like, 3–4 years now. And now look at me,” she said. “Instead of putting it off because I was scared or it hurt, I just did it, and it was there.”
She then encouraged her fans to keep their appointments and get their tests done.
“Get. Get your appointments done, guys. I’m telling you.”
She said that if she were diagnosed with cancer at a later stage, she would have to undergo chemotherapy and a hysterectomy.
“Once you get to stage 2, then you’ve got to do the chemo and the hysterectomy, which is going to help. You still have to do the chemo, though. Nobody wants to do that. Scary.”
Clear margins, what are the next steps? PET scans
According to Polizzi, she underwent a cone biopsy and had what appeared to be a tumor removed.
“They took a chunk out of my cervix,” she said. “They said the margins came back clean, which means the chunk they took out was the tumor, and the surrounding tissue did not have cancer cells, which is good.”
But she said the type of cancer, which is adenocarcinoma, is one of the more aggressive forms.
“Ademocarcinoma, they said that one is more aggressive in terms of spreading to the body and the lymph nodes,” she said. “I’m just learning this as it’s all happening.”
Her next step is to undergo a PET scan to see if the cancer has spread.
“So I have to do a PET scan. I’ve got to drink this nasty fluid the day before,” she said. “That will show if the cancer has spread anywhere else in my body, like the lymph nodes.”
Based on the results, Polizzi said she will likely undergo a hysterectomy.
“The oncologist said you can do chemo, radiation, or a hysterectomy. Obviously, I think the smart move is the hysterectomy,” she said. “I’ll still keep my ovaries, which is a good sign. But the hysterectomy means removing the cervix and uterus, and maybe the lymph nodes.”
“It all depends on the PET scan,” she added. “This is the next step.”
Despite her diagnosis, she said she is staying positive.
“2026 isn’t turning out like I want it to, but it could be worse. Everything’s going to be fine. I’m going to handle this and get it done.”
@snooki A little update for my ladies 🙏🏽 #cervicalcancer
♬ original sound – Snooki
‘I had a mental breakdown.’
As she explained in another TikTok video:
“You guys don’t even know when I tell you I had a mental breakdown, a midlife crisis. That whole week and a half, I was a mess.”
She shared that she was crying in the shower.
“In the shower, I dropped to my knees, water hitting me, and I’m hysterically crying like in a movie. I was bedridden. I cried myself to sleep.”
To boost her spirits, she decided to treat herself.
“So I figured I deserve a little reward, so I went jewelry shopping and splurged at Louis Vuitton. I don’t usually spend big money on myself unless it’s a milestone or I’ve done something cool with my career.”
She concluded her video with a hint of bravery.
“So I had a mental breakdown, then a midlife crisis, and now here we are. I’m a brave b—.”
@snooki Replying to @Gina 🆘 🇺🇸 your girl was not ok lol
♬ original sound – Snooki
Finding Community Through Vulnerability
According to Polizzi, she was hesitant at first to speak out about what was happening in her life, but eventually did so after seeing other women share their stories about similar issues.
“A lot of women go through this silently, and they’re scared and alone. That was me, until I posted what was happening with me.”
She shared that she was encouraged by the support from her followers.
“We had plenty of women commenting, ‘Girl, I’m in the same boat.’ I love that we have a platform to talk about it.”
“I’ll keep being open and letting you know what’s going on,” she added. “We’ll tackle this, and everything’s gonna be great.”
She ended with a kiss to the camera and a message to supporters: “I love you guys. Mwah.”
