Ronnie Ortiz-Magro spoke candidly with Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino about his year of sobriety in his return “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation”.
The “Famously Single” alum, 36, sat down with his co-star, 40, for lunch on Thursday’s episode of the MTV show, marking his first appearance in eight months.
“It’s been a long year,” Ortiz-Magro said in the scene, which was filmed in the spring of this year.
“It was a matter of just doing the right thing, being a full-time dad and being sober,” he continued. “I live the best life I can, day by day.”
The “Celebrity Fear Factor” alum, who noted that he has “basically full-time” custody of his and ex Jen Harley’s 4-year-old daughter, Ariana, added that he was in a “state of depression” but focused on “improve.”
He explained in a confessional that after “one of the most difficult years” of his life, he is missing his castmates.
“I’ve been through some s–t,” Ortiz-Magro said. ‘I ruined it. I understand and that is part of recovery. It’s about getting through it and I’m going to keep getting through it.”
Sorrentino, for his part, got sober in 2016 and he encouraged his friend to stay on “the road to redemption” too.
He went on to support Ortiz-Magro’s choice to apologize to their co-stars, advising him to apologize “individually” because his “actions have affected everyone”.
Ortiz-Magro teased his return in August 2021, telling TMZ: “I’ll be back. All the fans love me, and I love them too, so I’m going to give them what they want, and I’ll see them soon.”
The statement came three months after Ortiz-Magro announced his step back from the show, the same day he evaded charges for an April 2021 arrest over an alleged domestic violence argument with his then-girlfriend Saffire Matos.
He was on probation at the time on a previous domestic violence charge of an incident involving Harley, 34.
The reality star told his Instagram followers last year of his intentions to “seek medical treatment for mental health issues” during his MTV hiatus.
“My main goal now is to face my struggle head on,” Ortiz-Magro wrote via Instagram at the time. “This process will be difficult, but my number 1 priority is to get healthy and be the best man and the best father I can” [be] for my daughter.”
He announced in May of the following year that he was celebrating 365 days sober.