Sammi Sweetheart admitted that she was not excited to reunite with ex Ronnie Ortiz-Magro on Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. In a new interview with E! News, Sammi, 36, opened up about what it was like being with Ronnie, 38, again in front of the cameras. The former couple will reunite during the cast trip to Nashville on the upcoming season of the MTV reality show.
“I, of course, was not fond of filming with an ex-boyfriend,” Sammi told the outlet on February 1, one week ahead of the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation season 7 premiere. “You’re gonna see me basically navigate that, and you’re gonna see it all play out.”
“But of course, I knew eventually that this would happen,” Sammi added about reuniting with her ex on the show. “And you’re gonna just see, I guess, my reaction—how it all plays out.”
Sammi and Ronnie had a tumultuous relationship when the original seasons of Jersey Shore aired from 2009-2012. They broke up for good in 2014 and went on to date other people. Sammi turned down doing Jersey Shore: Family Vacation when the revival series premiered on MTV in 2018. Ronnie left the show in 2021 to get treatment after he was arrested for domestic violence. Sammi officially returned to the series for the second half of season 6 in 2023, while Ronnie is back for season 7, which premieres February 8.
In her E! News interview, Sammi also talked about her boyfriend, Justin May, who she’s been dating since the summer of 2021. Sammi confirmed fans will “see a lot of him” on season 7. “Justin, I absolutely love and adore,” the reality star said, adding, “and I hope there’s wedding bells in the near future. I love him. He’s the one for me, and I know that.”
“What’s really cool about Justin is he’s very supportive and kind of like a breath of fresh air,” Sammi continued. “So with me coming back, he was like, ‘Listen, I’m here for you.’ And it kind of was nice to have that different type of aspect in my life. He’s very uplifting, supportive, and loving and caring, and I really just adore that about him.”
While Sammi is in a happy relationship, Ronnie seems to be single at the moment. He is a father, though, to his 5-year-old daughter, Ariana, who he shares with his ex, Jen Harley. Ronnie was awarded sole custody of his daughter in 2023.