Andy Cohen Denies That Snooki Is Joining RHONJ — But Says 'It's Something to Keep Our Eyes Out for'
Getty Images (2) Andy Cohen, Snooki
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is not joining The Real Housewives of New Jersey — at least for now!
Though Andy Cohen finally put the rumor to rest on Live with Kelly and Ryan on Thursday, he admitted to Kelly Ripa that the idea isn't too far-fetched.
"First of all, we are already in production on next season of the show. So, the answer is: at no time soon would that happen," Cohen said of Polizzi, 32, being cast on the Bravo reality series.
"That's a rumor that's popped up a few times over the years," Cohen continued. "It's always something that I've kind of discounted. I've thought, it's two different shows — I don't see it," he said of Polizzi starring in MTV's Jersey Shore and how it differs from RHONJ.
"I know some of the women actually know her, and I will say watching your show this morning and hearing it come out of your mouth, it kind of legitimized it in a way," Cohen, 52, said of Ripa, who earlier on the show expressed how much she'd love to see the MTV star appear on the Bravo franchise.
Cohen explained that while there are no talks of Polizzi joining the show just yet, she would fit right in.
"She's 32, so she's in the age range. Now, I'm starting to think, it's something to keep our eyes out for. Maybe a season 11 or 12 conversation," Cohen added.
Polizzi also shut down the rumor in an Instagram exchange captured by the Comments by Bravo account.
"Idk how this started but I have not been asked to be a housewife," Polizzi commented on a post shared by account RHONJObsessed. "Sowwyyyy," Polizzi added.
The rumor of Polizzi joining RHONJ comes on the heels of the Jersey Shore finale in June.
The episode chronicled Angelina Pivarnick's wedding to Chris Larangeira last November. Drama between Pivarnick and her female costars erupted after Polizzi, Jenni "JWoww" Farley and Deena Cortese's off-color bridesmaid speech prompted boos from the other guests, and at the end of the night, Polizzi declared that she was "done" with the show.
While they insisted they meant no harm by their speech, Pivarnick was furious. And the tensions didn't appear to have subsided; the stars continued arguing on Twitter as the episode aired.
Imagine. #CommentsByCelebs #RHONJ
A post shared by Comments By Bravo (@commentsbybravo) on Sep 15, 2020 at 9:56pm PDT
The episode ended with Polizzi quitting the show in response to the drama at Pivarnick's nuptials.
After the finale, MTV announced that it had renewed Jersey Shore: Family Vacation for a fourth season.
Polizzi addressed the renewal in a reply to costar Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino's tweet about the news. "Good luck my fam," she wrote. "Can't wait to watch."
Snooki/ Instagram Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi
Jersey Shore originally premiered in 2009 and was rebooted as Family Vacation in 2018 with the original cast, minus Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola.
Polizzi first announced that she was retiring from the beloved show last December. Speaking to PEOPLE earlier this year, she opened up about the decision, noting that her TV career isn't over yet.
"I needed to move on," she said. "It's just not for me anymore."
