Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, from MTV's 'Jersey Shore'. (MTV)

MTV has decided not to air a scene in Jersey Shore that shows one of the eight young housemates getting punched in the face.

The scene, which went viral after being previewed during last week’s show, shows Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, 21, reeling after being violently attacked at a club.

The New York Post (Via Us Magazine) has identified Polizzi’s attacker as Lou Ferro, 24, a gym teacher who was arrested later that night for the same assault.

“What happened to ‘Snooki’ was a crime and obviously extremely disturbing,” MTV said in a statement. “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.”

The clip has also been taken down from YouTube.