EXCLUSIVE: How John Fetterman Hoodwinked 'Jersey Shore' Star Snooki into Taping a Brutal Takedown on Dr. Oz Before 2022 Election
John Fetterman got Nicole Polizzi to tape a video highlighting Dr. Oz being a New Jersey resident.
Nov. 17 2025, Published 4:45 p.m. ET
John Fetterman found the most creative way to fool Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi into shining a negative light on his 2022 U.S. Senate opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.
The controversial Democratic senator, 56, writes in his memoir, Unfettered, about how he got the Jersey Shore star to tape a message highlighting that Republican Oz, 65, lived in New Jersey, not Pennsylvania, the state where he was running against Fetterman.
Fetterman First Tried 'The Situation' for His Ad
Fetterman's campaign originally approached Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino, but he was 'hopeless' with the script.
Fetterman describes how Oz's primary residence at the time of their contest was a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. The doctor's only tie to Pennsylvania was a $3.1million parcel of property in Montgomery County that he co-owned with his wife.
The former Braddock, Pennsylvania, mayor and his "Troll Patrol" of creative social media campaign staffers found a hilarious way to highlight Oz's status as a New Jersey resident during the summer of 2022 by enlisting Polizzi, 37.
"Speaking of the Jersey Shore, we wanted some members of the cast of the legendary MTV reality show of the same name to reinforce Oz’s Jerseyness. We tried the Situation, a popular personality on the show, but he was hopeless and could not keep to the script, Fetterman riotously notes about Jersey Shore star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino.
How They Tricked Polizzi
Polizzi unknowingly taped the Dr. Oz message about New Jersey for $380.
"Then we thought about Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, the self-described 'hot mess' who had been the Jersey Shore star. We contacted her through a company through which celebrities record messages for fans, usually birthday greetings. Kipp wrote up a script and sent it to her, and there was no response," he continues.
"On the fourth try, he got a message back that she would do it for $380. Dr. Oz’s last name was never mentioned because we didn’t want Snooki to know what the recording was for," Fetterman says about the message.
'Snooki’s Single Greatest Acting Performance'
Polizzi told Oz, 'You'll be back home in New Jersey soon.'
"It may have been Snooki’s single greatest acting performance," Fetterman gushes, going on to reveal the exact message Polizzi taped, not knowing she was addressing Dr. Oz.
"Hey, Mehmet, this is Nicole Snooki from Jersey Shore. I heard that you moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to look for a new job. And personally, I don’t know why anyone would wanna leave New Jersey… I wanna say best of luck to you. I know you're away from home and you're in a new place, but Jersey will not forget you. I will not forget you, and don't worry, because you'll be back home in Jersey soon. This is only temporary. So, good luck, you got this, and Jersey loves you," Polizzi recorded on video.
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'Concern' Polizzi Would Be Upset
Polizzi turned out to be okay with the message she unwittingly taped about Oz.
Fetterman shares, "There was some concern among the staff that Snooki would be upset when she learned what the ad was for and claim she had been manipulated, which was basically true. They were worried about copyright and thought the tweet had to be vetted by legal. Brendan was on the call and could not believe what he was hearing," referring to campaign manager Brendan McPhillips.
"I was like, 'Guys, do we think this is funny? Is it effective?' Yes. We don’t need a legal check. I don’t need to hear ten reasons why we shouldn’t do this just to be safe. Just f------ tweet it," McPhillips declared.
The campaign went on to put out a 47-second TikTok video of Polizzi delivering her message to Oz white standing in her home closet.
"Fortunately, Snooki had no problem with it," Fetterman says about the TV star's unwitting part in his successful race, as he went on to trounce Oz in the November 2022 general election.
