After splitting from husband Roger Mathews, Jenni “JWoww” Farley has begun dating boyfriend Zack Clayton Carpinello, with the pair recently making their red carpet debut together at Hakkasan Nightclub at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 26.
According to Farley’s 3-year-old son Greyson, Carpinello has already earned himself a family nickname, with the 33-year-old telling Entertainment Tonight that her son refers to Carpinello as “Baby.” Farley is also mom to 4-year-old daughter Meilani, and as a longtime friend of Farley’s, Carpinello has known the reality star’s children for several years.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Greyson calls him ‘Baby,’ so he’s always like, ‘Hi, Baby!’ and Meilani’s always known him as [my friend] Erica’s brother, so that’s how I wanted to keep it with the kids, so it’s not an awkward transition,” Farley revealed. “So, they’ve just always known him as one of our really close friends.”
“[Meilani] honestly probably likes him more than me at this point, because he’s cooler and will do a lot more,” she joked. “And I’m like, the mom yelling in the background. But it’s fine. I’ll let him have his moments.”
Carpinello added that he’s a big fan of Farley’s kids and has spent plenty of time with them thanks to his friendship with Farley. The pair took their relationship public in April.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with the kids,” he said. “I’ve known Meilani for a few years. She’s known me for a couple years, she is great with me. I love the kids. They’re great.”
Farley also has her own nickname for her boyfriend, introducing him to her Jersey Shore cast mates as “24,” due to his age. Carpinello is the brother of one of Farley’s close friends, and shared that the two weren’t anything more than “friends” until recently.
“I love that I can make her smile, apparently, like nobody else has ever done before in life, so that’s the biggest thing that I love,” he said of Farley. “That’s something I hear from everybody all the time. So, I know there’s got to be truth behind it.”
“But I loved him way before like, falling in love with him, because I always wanted to see him succeed. He’s one of my best friend’s brothers,” Farley added of her boyfriend. “But even outside of that, I just adore his company. Even if he doesn’t like something, he goes above and beyond and wants to experience it with me — watching like, Game of Thrones, or going to Disney, or doing something fun and interesting. So, it’s something I haven’t had, which I appreciate.”
Photo Credit: Instagram / @jwoww
