Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi Announces She Is Cancer-Free & Her Message to Other Women Is Powerful

Sep 23, 2026 by apost team

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi had been avoiding her pap smear for a long time. She knew it. She kept putting it off. And then she finally went — and discovered that the thing she had been avoiding was the thing that saved her life.

In February, Polizzi shared her stage 1 cervical cancer diagnosis in a TikTok video that she posted directly after receiving her cone biopsy results. "It came back stage 1 cervical cancer called adenocarcinoma," she told her followers. "Obviously not the news I've been hoping for, but also not the worst news just because they caught it so early. Thank freaking God!" She had been dealing with abnormal pap smear results for three or four years. She had put off going. When she finally did, the cancer was there — and because she went, it was caught in time.

She underwent a colposcopy. Then a conization. Then, on July 31, a hysterectomy — the surgery that would determine everything.

In September, she told PEOPLE the result. "As of right now, I am cancer-free. They got everything out. So I'm definitely happy that I did it." She also posted a video to Instagram, sipping a celebratory drink, with the caption: "After a colposcopy, conization & hysterectomy, mawma is cancer free." Fellow "Jersey Shore" cast members Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola were among those who commented in celebration. Women who had been through cervical cancer themselves flooded the comments with their own stories.

"In the beginning, I felt so alone," Polizzi told PEOPLE. "I had no idea what was gonna happen. I didn't know anybody going through cervical cancer."

She does now. And so, because she spoke about it, do a great many others.

The community she built in the months between her diagnosis and her cancer-free announcement became, by her own account, one of the most meaningful parts of the experience. "Looking at all the comments and everyone's saying, 'Oh my God, you're helping me so much,'" she told PEOPLE. "People that got hysterectomies, we call each other 'hyster sisters.' I think it's so cute that we can all just be there for each other."

She is still recovering. The hysterectomy required significant physical adjustment — she told PEOPLE she was dealing with fatigue and taking things slowly, trying to "listen to my body and give my body grace and not go crazy." She described herself as "almost getting back to myself." Her doctors have told her there is a chance the cancer could return, and she will continue with regular monitoring going forward.

The admission she made about avoiding her pap smear — "I avoided getting my pap smear for a long time" — was one of the most important things she said publicly throughout her journey. The American Cancer Society estimates approximately 13,290 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed in a given year. Cervical cancer is most frequently diagnosed between the ages of 35 and 64, and is largely preventable through the HPV vaccine and detectable through routine screening.

Polizzi is now partnering with the nonprofit F Cancer and will host their 100th event in Los Angeles. "I feel like this is all so new to me," she said. "And there's obviously way more crazier stories that people go through. So I'm excited to see the community and just hear people's stories."

She put off the appointment for years. She is cancer-free. She wants every woman who is avoiding the same appointment to know that.

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Are you a fan of Snooki? Do you think her decision to speak openly about her cervical cancer journey is one of the most important things she has ever done? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your family, friends, and anyone who needs a reminder to book their screening.