MTV’s Jersey Shore has been causing quite an uproar for its portrayal of Italian-Americans, but now that the show has gotten violent, MTV is taking action.

One of the show’s stars, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, was punched in the face during an episode that was teased last Thursday and set to air this week. Snooki’s attacker was arrested for assault that evening, but only the punch was shown during the teaser.

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The clip quickly spread across the Web, prompting MTV to cut it from the upcoming episode.

“What happened to ‘Snooki’ was a crime and obviously extremely disturbing,” the network said in a statement released on Friday. “After hearing from our viewers, further consulting with experts on the issue of violence, and seeing how the video footage has been taken out of context to not show the severity of this act or the resulting consequences, MTV has decided not to air ‘Snooki’ being physically punched in next week’s episode.”

That’s quite a reversal for the network that promoted that punch as a highlight of the next episode. In an effort to be sensitive to the severity of physical abuse, MTV removed the clip from the Web – but not before it became an Internet sensation. (Us Magazine)

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