While Jersey Shore OG Ronnie Ortiz-Magro isn’t a main cast member on the show’s Family Vacation spinoff, many fans continue cheering him on as he works to improve himself.
Ronnie, 38, has appeared occasionally as a recurring cast member since the second half of Season 6, providing updates on his life struggles.
He previously reunited with most of his castmates and spoke about repairing the damage he may have done to their relationships.
In the first half of Season 7, he and ex-girlfriend Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola had a brief reunion, with simple greetings exchanged.
More recently, Ronnie appeared in a segment spotlighting his visit to speak at former NBA star Lamar Odom’s recovery center.
It included him revealing a detail about his daughter and her reaction to an arrest years ago that had a significant impact on his life.
Ronnie recalled daughter’s ‘heartbreaking’ reaction to his arrest
In Jersey Shore’s emotional video segment, Ronnie says that although his story’s already out there, speaking at Odom’s recovery center allows him to tell his “truth” about things.
“First time I went to treatment, I wasn’t ready to change it. The second time [brought] a lot more consequences and repercussions for my actions, and it forced me to make a change,” Ronnie said in a confessional interview.
He admitted that he needed to change himself or “lose everything.”
Ronnie felt he could make an impact by speaking to others struggling with similar issues.
While speaking to the group at the recovery center, Ronnie recalls his mother raised him in a single-parent home because his father was an addict.
He indicated that when he moved out of the house at 16 or 17, that’s when he started drinking. Ronnie said he continued his habits when he moved from one coast to the other, mentioning that his daughter was born and he moved to Las Vegas.
The Jersey Shore star said his father is a recovering addict and helped him get into his first treatment center. Ronnie said that after 30 days, he thought he had fixed everything, but that wasn’t the case, as he got into trouble with the law afterward.
He got choked up as he recalled that he was going to lose his daughter, Ariana Sky, and there were times she wouldn’t even look at him. Ronnie called it “heartbreaking” and said he didn’t want to relive that moment.
He also told the group he wanted to “break the pattern” of what he had to deal with for his daughter as she grows.
While the footage and Ronnie’s remarks didn’t indicate which arrest he referred to during his speech, it may have been his 2021 arrest for domestic violence in Los Angeles, California.
Following the incident, Ronnie stepped away from reality TV, no longer regularly appearing on Jersey Shore’s spinoff, Family Vacation, so that he could address his mental health and other issues.
Fans showed support for Jersey Shore star amid struggles
The reflective, emotional, and inspirational video featuring Ronnie had many fans reacting to the footage by showing support amid his journey.
“It is really amazing how far Ronnie has come and it’s good to see him using his journey to help others!” one Jersey Shore fan commented.
Another said, “So proud of how far you have come Ronnie great job.”
“Keep going brotha, make your daughter proud to call you dad,” a commenter wrote.
“Years later & still going through it, stay strong king,” another commenter said.
A commenter told Ronnie they were “incredibly proud” of Ronnie and “we are here for your journey.”
It’s unclear how many episodes Ronnie will appear in for the remainder of Family Vacation Season 7, but many fans have his back as he works on self-improvement and trying to help others.
If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally and/or with substance abuse, visit mentalhealthishealth.us for more information and resources.
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation airs on Thursdays at 8/7c on MTV.
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