Sammi Sweetheart Announces She’s ‘Back’ to Star on ‘Jersey Shore: Family Vacation’ Amid Cast Drama

Back to her roots! Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola announced her return to the shore Jersey Shore: Family Vacation after more than a decade amid the recent social media drama with her costars. 

“OK, I can finally say … I’m backkkk!” the Sweetheart Styles founder, 35, captioned an Instagram selfie post on Sunday March 12, while tagging the official Jersey Shore Instagram account. 

Just hours earlier, the MTV series’ official Instagram account teased fans that Sammi was filming for the series by sharing an image of her sitting in front of a green screen and a camera. The account also cited one of Sammi’s iconic catchphrases from the show, captioning the post, “She’s still the sweetest bitch you’ll ever meet.” 

Sammi’s last appearance in the hit reality franchise was in 2012. After the original cast decided to return to reality TV with the spinoff show in 2018, Sammi chose not to participate. 

“I have chosen not to join the show this season because I am at a completely different place in my life right now focusing on my businesses and relationship,” the New Jersey native wrote via Instagram in March 2018. “I am not the same person as I was when I was 22. At 31, I am currently extremely happy in every aspect of my life and want to avoid potentially TOXIC SITUATIONS.”

While she didn’t elaborate on the meaning of “toxic situations,” Sammi’s former tumultuous relationship with cast member Ronnie Ortiz-Magro was a highlight of the series. The exes dated on and off for five years before calling it quits in 2014. By 2021, Sammi moved on with boyfriend Justin May, whereas Ronnie, 37, got engaged to ex-fiancée Saffire Matos. However, the two endured several ups and downs and reportedly broke up in mid-2022. 

In September 2022, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi made headlines when she revealed that the Jersey Shore cast made an effort to invite Sammi back on the show. 

“We tried to get her back [on the show] like two years ago, all of us texting her saying, ‘Come for one dinner. Why not?’” Nicole, 35, told E! News at the time. “And she’s just always like, ‘No, I’ll never do that show again.’ We didn’t want to push it.”

However, things took a sharp turn when Snooki claimed that Sammi had blocked her on social media. 

“I went to go message her a while ago and she blocked me,” the reality TV personality added. “I don’t know what I did. It’s unfortunate because we would love for her to come back. She’s a part of the show. I feel like it’s not full unless all of us are there. It’s sad.”

Four months later, the Snooki Shop owner and costar Jenni “JWoww” Farley seemingly hinted that there was drama with Sammi ahead of the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation season 6 premiere in January 2023. 

“I’m still blocked,” Nicole told Us Weekly on January 26, while JWoww, 37, chimed in and said, “I’m probably gonna be [blocked] after today.”