JWoww's Stunning Transformation
There are few things as iconic in pop culture as MTV's infamous "Jersey Shore." The cast of "Jersey Shore" quickly became a family — albeit a dysfunctional one — weathering hookups, breakups, bar brawls, and of course, that infamous letter to Sammi "Sweetheart." Muscle tees, fist-pumping, and the many days of Gym, Tan, and Laundry dominated our screens for years, and the show launched each of the cast members into stardom.
Few know it better than Jenni Farley, affectionately known to fans as JWoww, whose tough exterior and no-nonsense personality carried her through six seasons of "Jersey Shore." Like many reality stars, Farley's life has often been picked apart by the media, from her personal life to her ever-evolving looks. And while she's not shy about admitting to getting a little help aesthetically, the reality personality is quick to remind fans not to believe everything they read on the Internet.
The New Yorker had a far different reality planned for herself two decades ago when she was studying graphic design and working nights at a local club. Farley's journey to fame has been a rollercoaster, but the mother of two wouldn't change a thing. "I believe in the butterfly effect, so I don't want to change too much because I love who I am today and where I am today," she admitted.
JWoww had an often heartbreaking relationship with her mother
While Jenni Farley invited her father to the Jersey Shore house several times, viewers never met her mother. Part of the reason is that she has been in an assisted care facility due to cognitive issues. In a clip from "Tea Time with Snooki & JWOWW," the mother of two explained: "She had no memory; I was 5 one day, 12 the next day, I didn't exist the other day," admitting that she had an estranged relationship with her for years.
The "Jersey Shore" star, at the mere age of 10, knew her father was putting his happiness aside to protect his daughter. "I think he was staying with her, in a marriage, for me," she told Snooki. "But I was like, 'She doesn't live with us 90% of the time, and when she comes home she's sick,' so I kinda pushed my dad to get the divorce."
Despite the challenges with her mother's mental health, Farley didn't miss an opportunity to give her a shout-out. She took to Instagram in a 2019 tribute to the women in her family, writing: "Happy Mother's Day to the two most important ladies in my life who helped shape me as the woman I am today ... My mother, who was diagnosed in her early 20s (when I was around 3-4) with a mental illness that later hospitalized her til this day... and to my grandmother who stepped in to become the mother I needed when my mom wasn't able to."
She was a computer geek
Before Jenni Farley became JWoww, she was a huge computer geek. After her parents divorced, the reality star was raised by her father in New York, where she went on to study graphic design. In a video for her YouTube channel, Farley recalled, "Right before I turned 21, I moved to New York City, because I had a dream of being an animator for Disney." She ended up studying at the New York Institute of Technology, but it was her side gigs at nightclubs that ultimately landed her at the Jersey Shore.
While working at a NYC club, Farley was convinced by a friend to try out for the reality show "Paris Hilton's My New BFF." While she didn't end up getting the part, the producers kept her in mind for a Guido-inspired reality show they had in the works. Two years later in 2007 and 2008, she got the call for "Jersey Shore," but was required to film herself beforehand to be on the show. "I was bringing camcorders into the club," JWoww recounted. "I was doing the dumbest s*** ever to get on this show."
Originally the network had a competition show in mind, with the idea of finding the "Ultimate Guido" or "Ultimate Guidette." That concept ultimately evolved, and Farley found herself in a "Real Word"-inspired series alongside Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Angelina Pivarnick, Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio, Vinny Guadagnino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Deena Cortese, and Sammi Giancola.
JWoww quit college when she was cast on Jersey Shore
When Jenni Farley got the green light to be on "Jersey Shore," she dropped everything to participate — including her college education and life back in New York. Farley was just 23 years old at the time and was in the midst of studying graphic design at NYIT when she packed up her BMW and headed to Seaside Heights to try out for what would be a life-changing opportunity.
The process was far from what she expected, however, and the reality star admitted that around 20 potential Guidos and Guidettes were narrowed down to eight cast members during a four-to-five-day process. "You had to slide notes under the door of the hotel if you wanted food because they took away your hotel phone, and it was like all this conspiracy because they didn't want anyone to know who were the eight that were picked," she explained in her YouTube video.
After being chosen for the show, JWoww was given instructions to drive to the "Jersey Shore" house where cameras and producers awaited her arrival to film the beginning of what would be a long-running MTV franchise. "I just like walked in the house like I did and then the rest is history," Farley reminisced. "I'm glad I wrote what I wrote on that crazy paper for 'Paris Hilton's My New BFF' because it helped me be the person that I am today."
JWoww met her husband on the show
From hookups (most commonly referred to on the show as "smushing") to long-term relationships, the cast of the "Jersey Shore" wore their heart on their sleeves while embarking on their reality television careers. Jenni Farley even found her future husband while filming the hit television season, as she rekindled with her future beau, Roger Mathews, during Season 1, though she was dating ex-boyfriend Tom at the time. After she and Tom split, Mathews and Farley formed a relationship and he asked her to be his girlfriend during the filming Season 3 in 2010.
The couple got engaged after two years of dating in 2012, and three years later the pair got hitched. Some of Farley's "Jersey Shore" cast mates were in attendance for the big day, including her best friend Snooki as well as Pauly DelVecchio. While their relationship had its ups and downs, Mathews admitted they happily weathered them together.
"Some days it's a struggle to stay together. Some days she calls me a f***ing d*** head (cause I am). Some days the grass looks greener on the other side. We aren't even close to perfect and I have no intention on pretending that we are. But we are perfectly imperfect for each other," he wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of him and JWoww. Farley and Matthews went on to welcome two children together, daughter Meilani and son Greyson.
Viewers questioned her weight loss
During her time on "Jersey Shore," audiences speculated that Jenni Farley had received cosmetic surgery due to her transformation on the show. But the reality star is the first to admit when she's gone under the knife, and she set the record straight in 2011 when fans speculated that she had gotten work done on her face.
In an interview with InTouch Weekly (via ET), she divulged: "People are saying I got cheek implants, my chin shaved down and a nose job. If I got work done, I would be open to talking about it. I didn't." The reality star revealed that her then-boyfriend Roger Mathews was helping her slim down by eating healthy and exercising regularly. "I don't want to lose any more weight. I just want to keep toning and eating healthy," she said at the time.
Farley maintains a healthy lifestyle but also allows herself to indulge. "I'll still eat junk food, cheesecake, cheese, pizza, but just lower amounts of it," she told Us Weekly in 2011 in regards to how she sustains her figure. The "Snooki & JWoww" star also explained she likes to take a nutritional supplement once a day to help boost her health. "It's for overall health and for feeling good about yourself," she told Us Weekly.
JWoww had a miscarriage while filming Jersey Shore
On an episode of the revamped "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," Jenni Farley opened up about a heartbreaking loss she endured before filming Season 4 of "Jersey Shore" in 2011. During an intimate conversation with castmate Mike Sorrentino, the reality star revealed there was far more going on behind the scenes while the cast filmed in the Italian city of Florence.
"I was a mess in Italy," she explained on the show (via People), adding, "Three or four weeks before Italy, my grandmother passed. And me and Roger actually lost a baby, like I ended up pregnant. Not a lot of people know." JWoww added that she was put on medication to help her through the difficult time, but she had adverse effects from Xanax, which made her feel sluggish. To combat this, she made her problems even worse. "Then I started taking uppers with it, segway right into Italy. I was a f***ing mess," she recalled.
Her miscarriage before her Italy trip wasn't the only pregnancy scare Farley endured. In a personal blog post (via Us Weekly), JWoww admitted she feared she was having a miscarriage while pregnant with her second child. "I went to the bathroom, I saw blood and panicked. So many thoughts were running through my head. I felt a loss like no other when I thought that I was no longer pregnant," she said. But ultimately, it was a false alarm. The following day, Farley took another test, which proved to be positive.
From reality television to motherhood
Two years after Roger Mathews popped the question, he and Jenni Farley welcomed their first child together, their daughter Meilani, in 2014. JWoww's bestie Snooki was also pregnant at the same time, which added an extra bonus to entering into motherhood. "They're basically cousins. There's no option. You're sisters," Farley told People of the two baby's future bond.
Meilani became a big sister in 2016 when Farley gave birth to her second child, a son named Greyson. "So blessed to welcome our precious son Greyson Valor Mathews," the reality star wrote on Instagram at the time. "He arrived healthy at 6:03 p.m. tonight and the most beautiful part is Roger got to deliver him with our doctor. Our family is complete!"
But despite juggling motherhood, Farley admitted she strives to keep a little bit of her "Meatball Mentality" from her "Jersey Shore" days alive. "I feel like there is a huge stigma: the moment you have kids, you are not allowed to drink, you are not allowed to put makeup on, how dare you take time to work out," she explained in an interview with People. "There is just this stereotype that Nicole and I love to shut down and prove that you can be a phenomenal mother, but at the same time you can find time for yourself and it's okay."
Carmen Electra inspired JWoww to get breast implants
Celebrities are constantly dodging rumors about whether or not they've gone under the knife, with many of them denying speculation or playing coy. Jenni Farley is not one to beat around the bush, and the reality star had no trouble opening up about procedures she's had to enhance her look. JWoww took to her personal blog (via People) in 2018, revealing that a famous actor inspired her to get a breast augmentation.
"I got my first one 10 years ago after being inspired by my girl crush Carmen Electra," Farley shared. "But 10 years later and with the birth of my angel baby Meilani, they had changed a bit, especially with breastfeeding. I wanted [to get them done again] really badly and Roger was kind of like, 'If you have to go do it.'" JWoww ultimately kept her F-cup size, but switched out the old implants for new ones. "They are so amazing right now and still have a soft, natural look to them thanks to my amazing doctor. I'll get another one in a few years after I have my next baby."
The "Jersey Shore" star has come to terms with her changing body, however, especially after the birth of her two children, and she's learned to accept and love her evolution. "Even though I may have been thinner prior to them ... I never reached this level of love and appreciation for my body that I have until today," she wrote on Instagram in 2016.
JWoww called it quits with Roger Mathews
Jenni Farley and Roger Mathews announced their split in 2018 after the reality star filed for divorce from her then-husband of nearly three years. Though they celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary just weeks after the divorce filing, the relationship turned bitter not long after. Farley ended up filing a restraining order against Mathews that December after the two got into a heated argument which led to Matthews calling the cops.
According to People, Mathews claimed during a series of Instagram videos that JWoww was "hysterically shouting" at him over a discussion about her going back to work. After the police left, Mathews left the home to record a podcast and returned home without speaking to Farley. He was later woken up in the middle of the night by the cops and informed he had to leave the property due to his wife's restraining order. "As bad as our relationship got, I stayed f***ing quiet, because that's what you're supposed to do," Farley said during an episode of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" (via People), adding, "The ultimate betrayal is the fact that he went public."
Years later, however, the two have reached common ground. "At the end of the day, you just have to put the kids first, and he's very understanding with my schedule changing, with filming," JWoww told Entertainment Tonight. As for Mathews, he defended his ex-wife in a 2019 Instagram post, writing: "We both love our children emphatically and always will. It takes far more effort and energy to be negative than it does to be positive."
She confirmed that she got facial fillers
There's nothing wrong with a little help from time to time, and for celebrities, sometimes that comes in the form of cosmetic injections. Jenni Farley has been open about getting a little extra anti-aging help, telling Entertainment Tonight: "I'm 31 years old. I'm not getting any younger. I'm going to do the non-invasive surgeries and things like that to stay youthful so I don't, when I'm like 50, 60, 70, have to do the more dramatic ones." While filler here and there has enhanced her look, JWoww clarified that rumors about her getting multiple plastic surgeries are false. "Chin, cheeks, eyebrows, nose done, jaw reconstruction ... I laugh!" she said.
But not all of Farley's fans like her evolved look. The reality star posted an Instagram snap with her son Greyson, and while many complimented the sweet moment, others were more concerned with JWoww's pout. "Great pic!! But girl what happened to your lips ... absolutely love you ... but stop, you're beautiful without all that crap," one user advised.
Another fan clapped back at Farley for posting side-by-side photos of herself on Instagram with and without a makeup filter, in which Farley captioned: "WTF. I'd rather be old and ugly ... but seriously, don't do this crap to your pics ... love yourself." A fan responded, writing, "True love, but you have endless money for all the medspa and injections ... Many of your followers don't ... It makes a difference in the #nofilter pics," to which Farley resigned, "You are not wrong there."
She reunited with her castmates for a Jersey Shore spinoff
They say there's no place like home, but for the cast of "Jersey Shore," sometimes home is a house full of reality stars. The gang graced television screens across the nation once again when a revamped version of "Jersey Shore" debuted in 2018. The spinoff was dubbed "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," and it featured the cast mates living together and partying together in popular destinations like Miami, Las Vegas, and of course — the Jersey Shore.
But as with most reality television shows, the reunion was far from smooth sailing for some of the castmates. Jenni Farley debuted her then-boyfriend Zack Carpinello on the show, but her beau ruffled feathers when he got caught by the cameras getting too close for comfort with JWoww's on-again-off-again nemesis, Angelina Pivarnick, while his girlfriend sat nearby, drunkenly unaware. Farley and Pivarnick feuded over the situation, but when the episode featuring the events of that night finally aired, it revealed the truth.
"As I'm watching this episode unfold, I'm looking at how inebriated and intoxicated I am. Then I'm looking at my boyfriend, who is not helping me, whatsoever, and actually making the whole situation worse by touching Angelina inappropriately," she said on the show (via People). "I deserved better than that that night, and it's something that, ever since watching, I can't get over." The pair split briefly due to this debacle, but they ended up reconciling and even taking the next step in their relationship.
JWoww got engaged again
After her split from Roger Mathews, Jenni Farley found love again with Zack Carpinello. The reality star started going out with the professional wrestler in 2019, and he appeared in several episodes of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," going by the nickname of "24." The moniker stems from Carpinello being 24 years old when the two started dating, and it was given to the athlete when Farley referred to him as such to not give away his real identity when they weren't publicly dating yet.
JWoww and Carpinello got engaged in 2021, with the latter popping the question on the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building with a sprawling view of New York City as their backdrop. "On 2.27 I said yes on the top of the Empire State Building," the "Snooki & JWoww" star wrote in an Instagram post following the proposal. Farley announced her engagement to her roommates on an episode of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation," where she admitted she wasn't expecting the ring, but the waterworks from her fiancé may have given it away. "Before we even got to the top he was crying," the reality star admitted.
Their road to getting engaged wasn't without its hiccups, however, and Carpinello's handsy actions with Angelina Pivarnick led JWoww to rethink her decision to introduce her then-boyfriend to reality television. "I just realize that if I want to have this relationship that I hold near and dear to me, I have to remove him from the situation of filming," she explained to People.