What Pauly D Is Up To Today
DJ Pauly D (real name Paul DelVecchio) shot to fame as everyone's favorite prankster on MTV's Jersey Shore back in 2009. With his perfectly spiked crown sitting on top of his head along with the impossibly orange complexion, he was the perfect candidate for a show that was set to revolve around Italian-Americans partying their summers away in Seaside Heights, N.J. Apparently, the producers thought so too, since he was the only cast member to get personally contacted about auditioning for the now-infamous series.
As the DJ exclusively revealed to Vulture, "I was in Rhode Island, DJing away, and I got a message on MySpace. They said they liked my look for a potential show. Then a casting director called my phone and said, "We'd like to film a day in your life." ... they showed up at my house with cameras. I'm like, "Well, what do you want me to do?" They said, "Just do what you normally do." So I went to the gym, I took them tanning, and then I took them to the club."
His lifestyle hasn't changed much since his Jersey Shore days, as he still GTLs and clubs — this time getting paid the big bucks for DJing. With a few more reality TV shows under his belt and a mini-me jokester at home, let's see what else our fave fist-pumping disc jockey has been up to.
He's looking for a shot at love
Pauly D and Vinny Guadagnino's bromance on Jersey Shore was heavily documented. "This bond that we share brings us together, and no one can ever take that away from us, ever," Pauly D once gushed on the series. Aww! The two clearly didn't want to separate once cameras stopped rolling, so they decided to continue their on-camera camaraderie in the form of a new reality TV show: A Double Shot at Love with DJ Pauly D and Vinny.
The show is exactly what it sounds like: a Bachelor-style competition, with 20 contestants competing for the hearts of our two hilarious leading men. Pauly D immediately started making for great TV as he had one contestant, Nikki Hall, completely obsessing over him. This caused the Jersey Shore alum to call her, "too extra," per People. What? Someone too extra for Pauly D? Really?
Clearly unable to take a hint, Hall's obsession with the DJ got to the point of shocking. According to People, when Jersey Shore co-stars Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Jenni "JWoww" Farley stopped by to give the girls a lie detector test, Ortiz-Magro declared the contestant was a "fangirl." Hall even admitted she wants to settle down with Pauly and get married — despite the fact that she's only known him for a few weeks. As the reality TV star told cameras afterward on the show, "Are you crazy?" Our prediction? Wedding bells are probably not in the future.
He's ditched his signature blowout
A signature part of Pauly D that makes him iconic is his blowout hair. The perfectly spiked spectacle has garnered so much attention, in fact, that New York Daily News even interviewed the Rhode Island native to see just how he achieves it. "It takes me 25 minutes to do the whole process and get it right," he explained, before squirting Joico's Ice Spiker styling gel into his hands. "It's like Elmer's glue. It's got the strongest hold. There's nothing else on the market like it." The DJ later boasted, "A lot of people try to do the same hairstyle, but they can't really do it right. Mine definitely stands out."
Something that stood out even more in the summer of 2019? A still-tanned Pauly D without his blowout. According to People, the star posed for fans in a shirtless selfie on Instagram and Twitter, with his gel-free hair pushed out of his face with a headband. The verdict? Fans went wild, gushing and retweeting positive feedback to the DJ.
It's actually not the first time DelVecchio was spotted without his signature look. As he told People in 2010, he once flattened his locks for a Justin Bieber Halloween costume. "I'll go out with a hat on, but as far as going out in public with no product in my hair, I bet it's been 10 years since I've done that."
Pauly D's silver and gold
It's no secret Pauly D's first passion was music before the thunderstorm of reality TV, but did you know he put out a song in April of 2019? Obviously a party banger, the DJ collaborated with R&B crooner James Kaye on "Silver and Gold," a track that revolves around his love for expensive jewelry.
Speaking to Variety, the Jersey Shore star explained the process of making the tune and working with producer, Sean Ross. "Sean introduced me to an upcoming artist/songwriter he was working with named James Kaye and the three of us hit it off creatively and started coming up with more song ideas together." Then gushing about Kaye, he went on, "I loved how James sounded on an idea we had for 'Silver & Gold.' We played around with it and formatted a few things until it sounded perfect."
It looks like Pauly D's run as a DJ is only growing to new heights — and he has the Jersey Shore to thank for his success. Before the series, the celeb was only getting smaller gigs doing what he loved, but near the end of the original show's run, he inked a deal with rapper 50 Cent's G-Note record label.
He makes regular trips to prison
Fellow Jersey Shore alum Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino found himself in his own sticky situation in September of 2014 when he was indicted for tax evasion. The Sitch's sitch went from bad to worse in early 2019, as the star checked himself into prison to serve his 8-month term. The upside to his prison stint? His former castmates come and visit him, especially Pauly D and Vinny Guadagnino, with whom he regularly stays in touch. According to Us Weekly, the duo visited their pal in May 2019, adorably posing for photos together for Sorrentino's Instagram account — which is run by his wife, Lauren Sorrentino, during his lock-up.
Always one to stick up for his Jersey Shore bros, Pauly D revealed to Us Weekly that Sorrentino is "doing good." He then dished, "We talk to him almost every day. He's in good spirits. He has a lot of positive things to come home to."
The former party animal is doing so good, in fact, that fellow Jersey Shore alum Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, went as far to tell E! News that he's "having the time of his life." Uh, what? The starlet further explained, "It's like he's in a senior home. He's playing Bingo, he's helping people recover in jail." Now that's a situation the celeb can actually be proud of.
He's always been a loyal dude
During an episode of A Double Shot at Love, Pauly D got grilled by contestants on whether or not the notorious troublemaker is actually faithful when it comes to his relationships. The question became a hot topic after rumors started swirling that the DJ cheated on his now-ex-girlfriend, Danity Kane singer, Aubrey O'Day. Contestants Holly Gurbisz and Marissa Lucchese demanded answers, causing Pauly D to immediately shut down the goss, saying, "Yeah, I don't do that whole cheating thing. It's a waste of time." The girls pressed on, leading the Jersey Shore star to put it to bed once and for all. "Our relationship was on and off, on and off, on and off. When we were off, she did her thing. When I was off, I did my thing. I would never — there's no point. I don't believe in that. I never cheated on any girlfriend I've had in my life."
O'Day and Pauly dated after meeting on E!'s Famously Single, a reality TV dating show for celebs who can't find love. The duo ended up splitting after only a year and a half in July of 2017, presumably due to the singer pushing him to "get a ring," according to an insider who dished to E! Online. As another source told People, the breakup was "a long time coming."
The 'D' in Pauly D could stand for 'dough'
When casual observers of Jersey Shore think of the series, their thoughts probably immediately fall to Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, complete with her signature pouf and meatball antics. Well, it turns out, that although the pint-sized celeb has made herself a household name, it's actually Pauly D who's raking in the big bucks — more than any of his other costars.
As revealed by People in 2018, while Snooki is worth $4 million, thanks to countless reality TV appearances and her rising fame as a social media influencer, Pauly D has cashed in an approximated $15 to $24 million! Not bad for a guy whose contemporaries sometimes don't take him seriously.
According to Forbes, a lot of Pauly D's bucks come from his DJ gigs, which has brought forth some contention among his competitors, like Deadmau5. In an interview with Rolling Stone (via Forbes), the mouse-head DJ threw some shade at the reality TV star. "If I wanted, I could play a f**king .wav file and just stand there and fist-bump all night." Yeesh. Pauly D, however, maintains that he genuinely does adore his craft, explaining to the outlet, "I'm definitely not a button pusher. I use turntables. Yes, I use [DJ software] Serato on my computer that only holds the music, but I'm still controlled by vinyl, and I'll never lose that art form. Because that's what I love the most."
Pauly D and Chloe Sevigny? Don't believe the hype
One would think that Pauly D's dream girl would come from a similar background he's known for — complete with party circuit antics and a love for GTL almost as big as his own (the guy owns a tanning bed in his home, for goodness' sake). That's why fans of the Jersey Shore star were left scratching their heads when Pauly was spotted getting close with someone who couldn't possibly be more different than him: Chloë Sevigny. The world's most unlikely pairing came to us by way of the duo accidentally getting seated next to one another courtside at a Knicks game.
Before anyone could get too excited that the DJ was dating New York's forever cool girl, the indie-film darling squashed the goss in an interview with Interview magazine. "No, but I wish, because that would be hilarious," she said, adding, "That would be the weirdest couple in the world. It would be like the apocalypse. We represent extremes, in opposite directions." Ouch, sorry, Pauly!
The celeb doesn't have to get his hopes up just yet, however, as Sevigny finds him "funny and easygoing." When asked if she's ever watched the show, the starlet quipped, "I haven't watched that many episodes ... if I were to pick one of the dudes on the show, I'd definitely pick him." You go, girl.
'Pauly, stahhhhhp!'
Known for his hilarious antics on Jersey Shore, Pauly D has earned himself the rightful reputation as "prank war champion." When the show got renewed for its new series, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, the star made sure that everyone knew nothing had changed.
Most of the cast returned for the series, except for Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola, who made a public statement on her Instagram about her decision to not come back. "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 statement didn't fare too well with the DJ, who voiced his thoughts on Sirius XM's The Jenny McCarthy Show (via App), "I just think we started this whole thing together, let's keep it going all together, and regardless of what you got going on with your life, showcase that."
Sure enough, Giancola's mind was already made up — which made for perfect fodder for the Rhode Island-born prankster. Per E! News, the celeb brought along with him a life-size blow-up doll of Giancola during the series premiere, complete with a voice box that said some of her most iconic phrases during the run of the original show. Classic.
Pauly D: the next Swan Lake star?
When you think of Pauly D from his Jersey Shore days, you think of the gym rat that made lifting a part of his every day GTL routine. That's why it came as a total surprise to find out that the self-professed "guido" was trying his hand at ballet back in February of 2019. Before you yell out "Cabs are here," and stick yourself in one en route to the next showing of Swan Lake, it appears his graceful endeavor was a one-time thing. The DJ decided to take a shot at ballet during an episode of MTV's Game of Clones.
The show is another typically wild concept for the network, focusing on having stars go on dates with "clones" of their celeb crushes. According to E! News, Pauly D's crush is Megan Fox. Just like that, the hilarious prankster found himself on a date with his Fox clone, Olivia Victoria, who just so happens to love ballet.
As the Jersey Shore star endearingly tried dancing with a big grin on his face, he was clearly out of his element. Adorably enough, he does tell the camera, "I think my little girl will probably get a kick out of me doing ballet." Cute!
Pauly D and his mini-me
Along with a few of his Jersey Shore costars, Pauly D is also a parent. Playing dad to his adorable little girl Amabella since 2013, the star plays a very active role in her life. Adorably enough, he's even revealed that she's becoming a little prankster just like her pops, too. Per People the celeb raved to reporters, "I see all my traits in her. She's running around, she's going to be a prank champion already. She knows everything already, she's smart."
Gushing about his girl every chance he gets, the reality TV vet told contestants on A Double Shot at Love just how much she means to him. He explained, "Having kids is one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. It's the first time I ever loved something and somebody more than myself. That girl is my everything, and there are two most important ladies in my life — my mother and my daughter. And I'm looking for a third." Cue the waterworks.
Pauly D, the tooth fairy
You can't deny Pauly D loves his fans. Case in point? The Jersey Shore celeb hilariously became an "unofficial tooth fairy" as reported by MTV at the end of 2018. The star found himself the topic of discussion when one of his mega-fans posted a video on Twitter after getting her wisdom teeth removed, genuinely pining for her favorite DJ. Sobbing on camera, the teen cried, "I want Pauly D though! ... I miss him so much ... Why isn't he with me right now?"
After tagging the "Night of My Life" DJ in her post, he surprisingly got back to her! Responding to her tweet in a video, the celeb jovially exclaimed, "Dry those tears Sophie girl, the tooth fairy brought you some DJ Pauly D tickets!" Inviting her and a friend to come see him perform, we can definitely say this reality TV alum cares about the people who will always support him.
Pauly D loves Pauly D the most
It seems like Pauly D has definitely been enjoying his riches from his Jersey Shore days and regular DJ stints. According to TMZ, the celeb dropped $500k on some new bling in 2018 — and it looks just like him. Co-designing the "custom DJ Pauly D face pendant with Avi, the owner of Pristine Jewelers in NYC," the piece allegedly "took about 3 months to create." The bling includes his face, complete with his signature blowout, glasses, and diamond earrings. Yeah, buddy!
Of course, Pauly knows to thank his roots which got him to where he is now. Opening up to People, he revealed that none of his riches "feel real" to him. "It was always a dream of mine to tour the world as a DJ. The show has given me the audience to do that." The star has also totally tricked out his crib, too, adding to it "a basketball court, a gym, tanning beds, laundry, an arcade, [a garage for] my cars and bikes and mini golf. You know, the essentials."
As much as he's pampered himself, the MTV star has someone else to share his spoils with now, too. His little daughter, Amabella. Proudly gushing to People, the celeb said, "She gets whatever she wants, but remarkably does not act spoiled! She has a matching toy Lamborghini truck, a Mercedes Benz G63 toy truck and her own turntables!"