Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jenni “JWoww” Farley were ready to forgive Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola for blocking them on social media.
“I think she owned it,” Farley, 37, exclusively tells Pvnew, with her BFF Polizzi, 35, echoing, “She owned it and I got over it quick.”
Giancola apologized for blocking and unfollowing the duo — as well as fellow castmate Deena Cortese — when she chose to distance herself from the hit MTV franchise after it was rebooted in 2018 as “Jersey Shore Family Vacation.”
“We were hurt and confused,” Farley says of being iced out. “But … we’re so happy to have her back and be able to move on from that.”
In the premiere of Season 6B — which Giancola, 36, joined after an 11-year hiatus from reality TV — it’s revealed that Polizzi’s decision to open brick-and-mortar Snooki Shops added to the Sweetheart Coast founder’s disgruntlement.
“I’m not the type of woman to compete against my friends by opening other stores,” Polizzi assures us. “We had a nice conversation about it. No one was copying anyone. And we’re all allowed to open stores. Like, no one should be upset about that. It’s like little kid stuff.”
Giancola, who believes “blocking is the best way to move on” in some cases, says she “can understand why” Polizzi and Farley were upset.
“Maybe they’re thinking we’re in a great place and then I block them and they’re like, ‘What the hell?’ So I totally get it. Sometimes blocking can be immature,” she reiterates.
“Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes, we all dos stupid things and it’s just how you come out of them now. If people are receptive to you and they’re understanding, then all things will be good.”
Giancola notes that she has since unblocked the ladies. “I have,” she says. “I really enjoy them.”
Series OG Angelina Pivarnick persuaded Giancola to join the spinoff after years of pleas from fans, producers and cast members.
“I like that I was actually able to pull it off and everybody else couldn’t,” Pivarnick, 37, says. “She and I always had a bond.”
When Pivarnick brought Giancola to Pennsylvania’s Poconos Mountains to surprise the rest of the cast, “everyone’s mouths were on the floor,” she says.
“My jaw was … unhinged on the ground,” Farley /confirm/is. “I was like, ‘I still don’t think it’s you. Is this AI? Is this a robot?’”
Polizzi quickly observed that Giancola seemed to be in a much better place nearly a decade after splitting from “Jersey Shore” co-star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro. Their tumultuous relationship — which spanned from 2009 to 2014 — underlined Giancola’s first round of the unscripted drama.
“I think she has healed too with everything that went down,” Polizzi explains. “She needed to heal and move on from all that happened on the show with Ron. But now she’s in an amazing relationship with a man you’re going to meet.”
Giancola is currently dating former Karma nightclub employee Justin May, who filmed portions of the reboot.
“My man is so excited for me,” Giancola gushes, telling us May is “so supportive” of her choice to step back into the spotlight. “And he fit in well.”
Ortiz-Magro, 37, also returned to the show in a reduced role after a brief hiatus to focus on his sobriety and mental health. His reprisal, however, left Giancola unfazed.
“It’s just like a co-worker at this point,” she said with a shrug. “I’m kind of, like, moved on from that vibe. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like that vibe. So I kind of do my own thing and, like, keep it at that.”
“Jersey Shore Family Vacation” Season 6B premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
