Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, best known for her role on “Jersey Shore,” has revealed that she has been diagnosed with stage 1 cervical cancer after struggling with abnormal Pap smears for several years.
The 38-year-old reality television star shared the news in a TikTok video, opening up about her health journey and urging women to stay on top of routine screenings.
Snooki explained that she received the diagnosis during a post-operative appointment following a cone biopsy, a procedure that removes a cone-shaped piece of cervical tissue to check for precancerous or cancerous cells. The results showed stage 1 cervical cancer, known as adenocarcinoma.
“Obviously not the news that I was hoping for, but also not the worst news just because they caught it so early. Thank freaking God!” Snooki said in the nearly eight-minute video.
Before the diagnosis, Snooki said she had been dealing with abnormal Pap smear results for three or four years. Despite the discomfort and fear she associated with the exams, she continued with her appointments. She encouraged other women not to delay their screenings.
“That’s why I’m literally telling you guys to get your pap smears done. I’m 38 years old … and now look at me,” she said. “And instead of just putting it off because I didn’t want to go and it hurt and I was scared, no, I just went and did it. And it was there, cancer is in there. But it’s only stage 1 and it’s curable.”
Snooki shared that during the cone biopsy, doctors removed what she described as the tumor and the surrounding cancerous tissue. She said the area around it was clear of cancer cells, which meant it had not spread upward into the cervix.
“So there were no cancer cells on that, which means it didn’t go up into the cervix, which is a good thing,” she said, while noting there is still a possibility that the cancer could spread elsewhere in her body.
Her next steps include undergoing a PET scan to determine whether the cancer has spread. Based on recommendations from her oncologist, she plans to move forward with a hysterectomy. She said chemotherapy and radiation were also presented as options.
“Obviously, I think the smart choice here is the hysterectomy. I’ll still keep my ovaries, which is a good sign,” Snooki said. “But yeah, gotta get the cervix and uterus out… It all depends on the PET scan.”
The mother of three acknowledged that this year has not unfolded the way she expected. “2026 is not panning out how I’d like it to,” she said, adding, “But also, it could be worse.”
By sharing her diagnosis publicly, Snooki has brought attention to the importance of routine Pap smears and early detection significantly improves treatment outcomes.
