Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino welcomed Ronnie Ortiz-Magro back on “Jersey Shore” because the estranged cast member has been working on himself after legal drama and mental health struggles.
“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,” Sorrentino exclusively tells Pvnew’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast hosts Evan Real and Danny Murphy.
Sorrentino shares that he would periodically check in on Ortiz-Magro to make sure he was doing OK but there was little communication aside from that.
“I had, for many months, always had check-ins with Ron already…and as he continued to do the right thing, we saw Ron more and that’s why you see him on the season this year because he, you know, continued to do the right thing,” Sorrentino explains.
Sorrentino, 41, has stepped in as a “mediator” between Ortiz-Magro, 37, and the other “Jersey Shore” stars after years of estrangement because he understands what it’s like to go through struggles.
“My specialty is dealing with addiction, dealing with mental health, dealing with making mistakes in your life and trying to mount a comeback,” Sorrentino, who served time in prison for tax evasion and conquered his substance abuse struggles, tells us.
“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.”
Sorrentino commended Ortiz-Magro for focusing on his mental health.
“Now he’s back and we get to also see his story,” Sorrentino adds.
Ortiz-Magro notoriously had a turbulent relationship with their co-star Sammi ‘Sweetheart’ Giancola, who is also making her return, throughout the MTV series which aired for six seasons from 2009 to 2012.
But Sorrentino assures fans that Giancola gracefully handles being reunited with her ex on the upcoming season of the show.
“I didn’t really necessarily have to mediate her because she’s very mature,” Sorrentino says of Giancola. “She’s able to be reasoned.”
Sorrentino is “proud” of the latest season that will reunite all nine of the original cast members for the first time in “Jersey Shore” history.
“I really just try to be the voice of reason and I think it’s working out so far,” he says. “It’s not easy with that dynamic. There’s a lot of big personalities, these guys have been on TV for a very long time, and they know what they’re doing, so we’re definitely going to have a good show.”
Six years after the original series came to an end, Sorrentino and Ortiz-Magro as well as their former castmembers Vinny Guadagnino, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Deena Cortese, and Paul “Pauly D” DelVecchio signed on for a reboot. Angelina Pivarnick also eventually joined the cast full-time.
However, Ortiz-Magro had to step away from filming the reality series to focus on his mental health in 2021 after being arrested for alleged domestic violence. A judge ultimately let him walk free, but ordered him to take parenting classes and placed him under a three-year protective order.
Meanwhile, Giancola, 36, was the only alum to stay far away from the franchise until now. And after an 11-year hiatus, she finally decided to join “Jersey Shore Family Vacation” for Season 6B, MTV revealed in March.
Giancola’s tumultuous relationship with Ortiz-Magro was a huge plotline in the original show. But she’s hoping that things will be better now that the cast is older and wiser.
“I know there was drama and craziness and not all great times for me back then, but I’m hoping maybe this time around will be a little bit different,” she told Pvnew. “I’m more mature and I want to handle situations differently than when I was 22 years old.”
But some of the cast members weren’t as understanding as Giancola of Ortiz-Magro’s return.
“All of us had an issue with Ron coming back,” Cortese claimed to Pvnew. “He did a lot of things outside of the show that none of us really appreciate.”
Cortese, 36, said that she was “still processing” his return and that Giancola’s return was a much smoother transition.
“I just feel like, you know, there’s still a lot of things to be worked on with Ron,” she said. “Sam was a much easier transition, for sure, which is crazy because she’s been gone for so long.”
It’s unclear if Giancola and Ortiz-Magro have any crossover in the forthcoming installment — which was filmed in the Poconos, Orlando and Atlantic City.
“Jersey Shore Family Vacation” Season 6B premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
