How Much Does Jersey Shore Cast Make
The “Jersey Shore” cast has fist-pumped their way into making millions of dollars. The MTV reality series captivated audiences as Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Vinny Guadagnino, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, Angelina Pivarnick, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Deena Cortese, and Pauly “Pauly D” DelVecchio lived it up at the Jersey Shore.
Per IMDb, the original show premiered on MTV in 2009. From GTL (gym, tan, laundry) and partying, to all the drama in between, viewers couldn’t get enough of the wild cast and their shenanigans. Although the show became one of the highest-rated shows, fans would be surprised to know that the cast got paid little to nothing in their first season, per Elite Daily. Polizzi revealed that instead of cash they were given gift cards for the store where they worked. She shared, “We would get $200 a week from the Shore Store. I had never gotten that much in a week, like, every single week, because you usually get paid every two weeks. That was crazy for me.”
Guadagnino even spoke to Vulture about how not getting paid almost caused him to leave the show alongside another cast member. “Me and Ronnie, the first week, we told production, ‘Listen, I think we have to leave. We don’t have any money,'” he said. Luckily, Guadagnino and the rest of his cast mates never decided to call it quits that first season and they went on to make some good money.
The cast got paid fairly by the final season
The cast of “Jersey Shore” could definitely afford their guido and guidette lifestyle as seasons progressed. Following the successful first season, the cast was paid more than their weekly gift card at the Shore Store. “Jersey Shore” went on for a total of six seasons. By the end of it all, the cast was raking in millions of dollars.
Fan favorites Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, and Pauly “Pauly D” DelVecchio were the top three breadwinners by the end of season six. Per Life & Style, all three earned $150,000 per episode then. With a 12-episode season, each of them earned $1.8 million! That’s not all because, according to Radar Online, these three got an additional $400,000 sign-on bonus as well as a $200,000 end-of-season bonus. Plus, they earned $300,000 for the two-part reunion series.
The salaries for the remaining cast members salaries vary. Jenni “JWoww” Farley is the fourth-highest-earning castmate from the show as she gets $100,000 per episode. Vinny Guadagnino makes $90,000 per episode, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro made $80,000 per episode, and Deena Cortese made $40,000. These amounts are anything but small and the incredible success of the show is why the reality stars are getting paid so much. However, one castmate makes the most thanks to other side ventures.
DJ Pauly D is bringing home the most money
Pauly “Pauly D” DelVecchio is the highest-earning cast member of “Jersey Shore,” per Cosmopolitan. DelVecchio has made a nice chunk of change thanks to his DJ talents, usually bringing in $40,000 per set. In fact, his pay as a DJ earned him a spot on Forbes’ highest-paid DJs list back in 2019. Besides “Jersey Shore” and his DJ gigs, DelVecchio has starred in several other reality shows and also has a clothing line, bringing his total net worth to $20 million!
The next highest-paid cast member is Vinny Guadagnino. According to Cosmopolitan, Guadagnino has earned $5 million, thanks to various reality shows and his Chippendales gig in Las Vegas. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, and Angelina Pivarnick (who left the original show after two seasons but returned for “Jersey Shore Family Vacation”), are all reportedly worth an estimated $4 million. In addition to reality TV, the women made their money as influencers and entrepreneurs.
As for the last three members, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has a net worth of $3 million, while Deena Cortese is worth an estimated $2 million. Finally, although he was one of the top earners of the original show, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino comes in last with $300,000. His conviction for tax fraud greatly impacted his income. Overall, however, it seems the “Jersey Shore” cast has no issues making money.
Net Worth of Jersey Shore Cast Members
1. Pauly “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio Jr.: $20 Million – Pauly D is the richest cast member from Jersey Shore by far. Celebrity Net Worth estimates he was earning $150K per episode of the show and is worth a whopping $20 million—in part thanks to his DJ career. According to a Forbes article from 2012, Pauly D takes home an average of $40,000 per set, and he’s performed at clubs, private parties, and even opened for Britney Spears. Aside from that, he’s launched clothing and tanning lotion lines and also appeared on reality shows like The Pauly D Project, Famously Single, and Double Shot at Love.
2. Vinny Guadagnino: $5 Million – Vinny’s net worth is an impressive $5 million, according to good ol’ Celebrity Net Worth—up from $3 million in 2020. Makes sense, because he’s been busy! Vinny joined the cast of Jersey Shore: Family Reunion, did a monthlong residency as a Chippendales guest host in Las Vegas, and was even on Double Shot at Love with Pauly D.
3. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi: $4 Million – Snooki is the next richest member of the cast, and although her net worth of $4 million is certainly impressive, it’s a far cry from Pauly D’s pile of money. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Snooki started Jersey Shore making $2,200 per episode, then made $30,000 an episode for the second season, and by the final season, she was earning $150,000 per episode—just like Pauly D. Snooki also starred in the spin-off reality show Snooki & JWoww, competed on The New Celebrity Apprentice, and most recently starred in Celebrity Family Feud. Nowadays, she runs her own store called—what else?—the Snooki Shop, which has locations in New York and New Jersey.
4. Jenni “JWoww” Farley: $4 Million – JWoww is just as much of a financial powerhouse as her BFF Snooki, with an estimated net worth of $4 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Radar Online reports that JWoww was making around $100,000 per episode by the end of Jersey Shore and went on to star in Snooki & JWoww, Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, Young Americans, and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, which is still on. She also ~influences~ for brands like Fashion Nova.
5. Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola: $4 Million – Sammi may not have appeared on Jersey Shore Family Vacation along with the rest of the cast, but she’s doing just fine financially. Celebrity Net Worth estimates she’s got $4 million to her name, and Radar Online claims she made $80,000 an episode filming Jersey Shore. Nowadays, Sammi runs an online fashion boutique, Sweetheart Styles, a brick-and-mortar shop in NJ itself, and has developed several different fragrances.
6. Angelina Pivarnick: $4 Million – Despite appearing on only the first two seasons of Jersey Shore, Angelina can definitely upgrade her luggage from trash bags ’cause Celebrity Net Worth estimates she’s worth $4 million. Since the show, Angelina’s gotten involved with TNA Wrestling, appeared on Couples Therapy with her boyfriend, and joined the cast of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.
7. Ronnie Ortiz-Magro: $3 Million – Ronnie is worth an estimated $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Meanwhile, Radar Online reports that he made about $80,000 an episode by the end of Jersey Shore—which is not too shabby! Since then, Ronnie’s appeared on Famously Single, starred in several Xenadrine ads, and done some cameo work, and he appears to have a CBD brand.
8. Deena Cortese: $2 Million – Deena appeared only on later seasons of Jersey Shore, but she’s still reaping the financial benefits. Celebrity Net Worth estimates she’s worth a cool $2 million, and Radar Online reports she made around $40,000 per episode. I’d take it.
9. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: $300,000 – Although he’s one of the show’s breakout stars, The Situation’s, well, situation is a bit more complicated. He earned $150,000 an episode on Jersey Shore, appeared on Dancing With the Stars and Celebrity Big Brother, wrote several books, and had several other side businesses. But these days, Celebrity Net Worth reports that The Situation’s net worth is estimated at only $300,000 thanks to drama with his taxes. Say it with me: Yikes.
FAQs
1. How much did the Jersey Shore cast make in the first season?
The cast members allegedly weren’t paid anything during the first season. They were allowed to stay at the shore house for free but were also expected to work in Danny Merk‘s T-shirt shop.
2. Who is the highest-earning cast member of Jersey Shore?
Pauly “Pauly D” DelVecchio is the highest-earning cast member of “Jersey Shore,” with a total net worth of $20 million.
3. What is the net worth of Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi?
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi has an estimated net worth of about $4 million.
4. How much did the top three breadwinners of Jersey Shore earn by the end of season six?
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, and Pauly “Pauly D” DelVecchio earned $150,000 per episode, with additional bonuses and earnings from other ventures.
5. What is the net worth of Vinny Guadagnino?
Vinny Guadagnino has a net worth of $5 million, thanks to various reality shows and his Chippendales gig in Las Vegas.
6. What is the current net worth of Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino’s net worth is estimated at only $300,000 due to drama with his taxes.