The Truth About Pauly D's Relationship With His Daughter Amabella

"Jersey Shore" star DJ Pauly D may be a fixture on our TVs thanks to his many projects, including "A Double Shot at Love With DJ Pauly D" and Vinny and "Revenge Prank," but we seldom see the reality star with his little girl, Amabella Sophia Markert. The father welcomed his daughter with Amanda Markert after a one-night stand in 2013. "I'm proud I'm a father," he told TMZ at the time. Although Amabella was quite the surprise, he said he was "excited to embark on this new part of my life."

We have been able to keep up with Amabella thanks to her mom's Instagram page, where she often gushes over her daughter. While the DJ tries to keep his social media platforms professional, it has left fans clueless that he actually has a daughter. Thankfully, he cleared the air during an interview with InTouch Weekly, and explained that the two share a special relationship. "She's like me, she's a little prank war champion," he boasted to the outlet. Keep scrolling for more details about Pauly's bond with his baby girl.

It seems like Amabella takes after her father when it comes to her sense of humor. "She makes me laugh," DJ Pauly D told InTouch Weekly. "She hides everyone's phones. She hides everyone's things. You know, she's funny," he said, explaining her skills as a "prank war champion." Additionally, she enjoys a good megaphone just like her daddy. "She runs around yelling like I do," he revealed. "She's so loud ... am I that loud?" 

In addition to their similar personalities, he said the two both enjoy playing video games, but he's had his fair share of "parenting fails" when she gets into his games that are a little inappropriate for an impressionable young lady. "I have this arcade upstairs. It's sorta kid-friendly — [I have] basketball and air hockey — but instead of wanting to play that, she wants to play 'Mortal Kombat,'" he shared. "So I have a 7-year-old girl upstairs playing 'Mortal Kombat.' I'm like, 'This is not good.'"

While there is nothing Pauly loves more than spending time with Amabella, he said the coronavirus pandemic has unfortunately kept them apart. "It's really difficult to see her, but thank God for technology and the FaceTimes," he explained. "She's able to do school at home, and I can [do] school with her online, too. So thank God for technology is all I'm going to say. Yeah. And wifi." Despite the hardships children today are facing, Pauly said his baby is "doing good." 

While Pauly D is happy that he has his mini-me, he admitted that he was scared of meeting her for the first time back in 2013. After all, he did not expect that he would have a daughter so soon, let alone one from a one-night stand.

"I was nervous if she wasn't going to like me," he told Us Weekly at the time. "But the second I saw the baby her eyes just lit up, it's almost like she knew. It was amazing. I knew she was mine right off the bat too because she looks just like me. She came right over to me and put her arms right up to me ... [She] grabbed my hair! That's the first thing she went for."

And even though he felt nervous, he had the best time meeting her. "I didn't know what to expect, and then you know, it's almost like I knew what to do. I felt comfortable holding her," he continued. His only problem, though, was working out a schedule to see her. "I'm going to see [Amabella] as much as I possibly can, but there's a process ... So it's in the lawyer's hands, but I just want to give the baby the best life possible." 

Years later, Pauly D proved the initial fatherhood jitters were long gone. In January 2021, he revealed to InTouch Weekly that Amabella has met his girlfriend, Nikki Hall.

As much as Pauly D wants to be there for Amabella, it's not that easy. Upon finding out that he had a daughter, he tried to request full custody, but his baby mama, Amanda Markert, wanted to remain as her full-time guardian. In 2013, TMZ reported that she demanded some form of financial support — but, according to a source, Pauly D felt like Markert was treating Amabella "like a winning lottery ticket."

Luckily, the "Jersey Shore" star was eventually granted the right to spend time with Amabella during the weekends. In 2018, he revealed to Us Weekly that he makes the most out of his time with his daughter when they're together. "When she comes into my house, it echoes and she's loud, moving around," he shared. "It's great, right. But when she leaves, it's, like, silent. And I feel it. I'm like, 'Oh man I miss her.' It's just tough. [But] we FaceTime, I talk to her every single day on the phone, and I'm just involved in her life."

In 2013, when asked if he has any plans on having another baby, Pauly D said that he's not opposed to the idea. "One day, one day," he told Us Weekly. "One at a time."