Ronnie Ortiz-Magro made another appearance on Jersey Shore: Family Vacation during the show’s March 23 episode. While Ronnie still isn’t filming with the rest of the cast, cameras caught up with him for an update as he moved out of his house in Los Angeles. “I think I needed a change of scenery and just a change of pace in my life,” Ronnie explained. “So I decided to move from L.A. to Miami. I’m opening up a new business, a sneaker store. It’s just something that’s always been a passion of mine.’
Ronnie left Jersey Shore in May 2021 after being arrested for domestic violence (although he did not end up getting charged). However, this followed a string of other legal issues and incidents, which led Ronnie to take a step back and re-evaluate his life. Before taking a break, Ronnie’s last episode of the show aired in Jan. 2022, and following his hiatus, he appeared on the Aug. 11, 2022 episode. At the time, he revealed that he was sober, and “basically [had] full-time” custody of his daughter, Ariana, 4, who he shares with ex, Jen Harley.
In October 2022, Ronnie was granted primary custody of Ariana. His latest Jersey Shore appearance was filmed shortly after that. “For the last couple of years, I was in a bad situation,” Ronnie admitted. “I almost lost everything that I built. I almost lost my daughter. I was in treatment for eight or nine months. It helped me grow and made me a stronger person. Now, I have full custody of my daughter. It’s a lot of hard work, but she keeps me balanced. She calms my world down. I didn’t have the perfect situation with her mother, but she turned out perfect. She’s so sweet and polite, it’s like…are you mine?!”
Although Ronnie has filmed a bit for the show in recent months, he has not been part of any of the big cast trips since 2021. The only cast member Ronnie has filmed with since then is Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, which was in the Aug. 2022 episode. Ronnie appears to be estranged from the rest of his castmates following his 2021 issues, and Mike told him during their 2022 meet up that he would have to apologize to them and own up to his mistakes if he wanted a relationship with them again.
Meanwhile, Ronnie’s ex, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, recently announced that she’d be returning to the show for the first time in more than 10 years. Sammi appeared on all six seasons of the original Jersey Shore from 2009 until 2012, but has not been part of the revival, which first premiered in 2018, until now!