Jennifer Lynn Farley (born February 27, 1986),[1] also known as JWoww, is an American television personality. She first came to prominence as one of the eight main cast members in the MTV reality series Jersey Shore, and is a main cast member of its spin-offs, Snooki & Jwoww and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. She has also made several appearances on other shows, such as TNA Impact!, Disaster Date and Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars.[2] Since 2015, she has starred in the web series Snooki & Jwoww: Moms with Attitude, which started on go90 before moving to the MTV YouTube channel in 2018.
In 2019, she took a DNA test to learn of her full genetic background. Her 23andMe test stated she is mostly of Northwestern European ancestry, the breakdown being 24% British/Irish, 16.9% French/German and 23.9% Broadly Northwestern European, with her recent ancestor location being Ireland. The test would also prove she had a small percentage of Italian ancestry, a fact that surprised her as she had previously stated that she was not Italian like most of her Jersey Shore costars.[7] She herself has claimed to be of Irish and Spanish descent, although her DNA test would also reveal she only has a small amount of Iberian ancestry.[8][9]
Career
Before Jersey Shore, Farley owned a graphic design business, Jenni Farley Designs, Inc. In December 2009, at age 23, Farley began appearing in Jersey Shore in which she and seven housemates spent the summer in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The second season was filmed in Miami, Florida, and then the third season returned to New Jersey. A fourth season of the series was filmed in Florence, Italy, and the final two seasons moved back to Seaside Heights.
Farley launched a line, "Filthy Couture", in a Las Vegas runway show in July 2010. After four months of operation, the line ceased sales in October 2010 due to a threatened trademark lawsuit.[10] Farley stated that the brand was not over and a new line would be released.[11] In April 2011, MTV announced that it ordered two Jersey Shore spin-off series, one of which will feature Farley and castmate Nicole Polizzi. Twelve episodes were ordered for the first season. In 2010, she released a book titled The Rules According to JWOWW: Shore-Tested Secrets On Landing a Mint Guy, Staying Fresh to Death, and Kicking the Competition to the Curb. In 2012, she was sued for allegedly filming several episodes of her reality show without proper authorization from her landlord.[12]
In 2012, Farley and her Jersey Shore co-star Nicole Polizzi began starring in Snooki & JWoww, which premiered on MTV on June 21, 2012. The first season was filmed over the course of six weeks at a former two-story firehouse located near Grove and Mercer Streets in Jersey City, New Jersey,[13] followed Polizzi and Farley moving in together,[14][15] and was described as a modern-day Laverne & Shirley.[16] Farley also hosted MTV's Club New Year's Eve 2013 with Polizzi and Jeff Dye to ring in 2013. The duo did star again in the second season of Snooki & JWoww, which followed the stars at their actual permanent residences, and premiered on January 8, 2013. It was renewed for a third season.[17]
In October 2011, Farley launched her official website.[18]
In January 2013, Farley ranked in GQ magazine's "Sexiest 100 Ladies of the 21st Century" list.[19]
In 2015, Farley competed and won the seventh season of Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition. Farley also made her feature film debut starring in the indie production, The Mint, in which she played the girlfriend of a record executive and also served as the film's executive producer.[20] Since late 2015, she has starred in Snooki & Jwoww: Moms with Attitude.
Farley and Roger Mathews married in October 2015.[21] They have two children: daughter Meilani, born July 13, 2014,[22] and son Greyson, born May 5, 2016.[23][24] In September 2018, Farley filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.[25] In the midst of her divorce from Mathews, on December 17, 2018, she reported to the police that her previous boyfriend Tom Lippolis, whom she had dated approximately 10 years prior, and had made appearances with her in the early seasons of Jersey Shore, attempted to extort $25,000 from her in exchange for not selling "her secrets" to the press. He was arrested for this crime on December 19, 2018.[26][27] In August 2019, Farley's divorce from Mathews was finalized.[28][29] From April to October 2019, Farley was in a relationship with professional wrestler Zack Carpinello. After a brief separation period, Farley confirmed reconciliation on her Instagram page in December 2019. In February 2021, the couple became engaged at the Empire State Building, a surprise for Farley’s birthday.[30][31][32]
^ ab"Jenni 'JWOWW' Farley". Booking Entertainment (Farley official booking agency). Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2014. Jenni "JWOWW" Farley was born on February 27, 1986 in rural East Greenbush, New York. At age 21, Jenni left her upstate New York home for Manhattan, where she began a career in computer programming and graphic design with her business Jenni Farley Designs Inc.
^"Jenni 'JWOWW' Farley and Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi chat with Access Hollywood" (Interview). Access Hollywood. June 20, 2012.
^Farley, Jenni (February 14, 2010). "Omg for the last time". Jenni Farley verified Facebook account. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2019. I lived in Franklin Square when I tried out for show! I never grew up there or went to carry! I am not from Long Island lol... Love FS but only lived there a yr