More than two years after announcing his departure, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has officially returned to Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. Fans probably weren’t surprised to see him in the teaser trailer for the second half of season 6 telling co-star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino that he’s ready to rejoin the cast full-time. However, it doesn’t seem like all of the reality star’s roommates will welcome him back with open arms.
When Jersey Shore: Family Vacation premiered in 2018, he had just welcomed a daughter with then-girlfriend Jen Harley. Their relationship grew toxic, and a physical altercation occurred while the cast filmed season 2 in Las Vegas. According to Us Weekly, Harley showed up uninvited to the hotel and shoved Ortiz-Margo during an argument.
Not long after the incident, he entered a rehab program for depression and alcohol abuse. Unfortunately, things only got worse from there. In October 2019, the couple got into another altercation involving their daughter, leading to Ortiz-Margo’s arrest.
TMZ reported that Harley accused him of hitting and chasing her with a knife during a cocaine-fueled rage. This resulted in various charges, and an order of protection that prevented him from seeing his daughter for nearly eight months.
Things began to look up for the MTV star when he took his relationship with Saffire Matos public in 2020. However, a second arrest for domestic violence in April 2021 left fans shocked. TMZ shared that Matos called the police, who noticed physical marks on her body before making the arrest.
Why is Ronnie not on Jersey Shore: Family Vacation?
The following month, Ortiz-Margo announced that he’d be taking time away from filming Jersey Shore: Family Vacation to seek medical attention and address his mental health. However, a source told The Sun that he actually got the boot because the cast no longer felt comfortable filming with him, calling him a “ticking time bomb.”
Despite his arrest for domestic abuse, Matos chose to stick by the MTV alum, and the two were engaged in June. During his time away from the show, he handled his legal issues and planned an engagement party with his fiance. The two appeared together on last season of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, during which the roommates met Matos for the first time. Off-camera, the cast kept their distance and didn’t publicly congratulate the couple. Ortiz-Margo and Matos split for good in July 2022.
In a later episode, he appeared with Sorrentino and shared that he was sober, but kept details regarding his legal troubles vague. With Ortiz-Margo returning to the cast this season, Sorrentino shared how he stepped up to support his friend during filming with Page Six.
“For many years, Ronnie was concentrating on his mental health. And I think that is a very sensitive topic, and not everyone knows how to deal with that topic. My specialty is dealing with addiction, dealing with mental health, dealing with making mistakes in your life, and trying to mount a comeback. So I definitely tried to take the lead during that particular moment for everyone, just to make sure that we’re all in a good spot.”
Even though Sorrentino has his back, Ortiz-Margo may have difficulty getting the rest of his roommates to forgive him.
