When season four of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation premiered back in November, one cast member was noticeably missing. 

Sure, fans knew that Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi had previously announced

When season four of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation premiered back in November, one cast member was noticeably missing. 

Sure, fans knew that Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi had previously announced her retirement from the MTV series in December 2019, but for many, reality didn't set in until Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Jenni "JWoww" Farley, Paul "Pauly D" Delvecchio, Vinny Guadagnino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Deena Nicole Cortese and Angelina Pivarnick all got together without the O.G. roommate. 

Snooki stands by her decision, but as she told E! News' Carissa Culiner on Tuesday, Feb. 16's Daily Pop—taped prior to the mom of three's discovery that she had coronavirus—the show still holds a special place in her heart. 

"Jersey Shore's been my life for ten years," Snooki explained. "And I loved my roomies, but I just needed—my soul needed—a break because the drama was getting too much. And I feel like I wasn't being the best mom that I could be to my kids."