Ronnie Magro's personal and emotional drama reached a peak in the season finale of last season's Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. Ronnie was unsure about his relationship with Jen Harley, who was pregnant with his child, and he acted on his frustration by cheating, drinking, and bursting into spontaneous tears. There was also the intense social media tête-à-tête that had Ronnie showering slut-shaming insults on Jen mere weeks after the two welcomed their baby girl, Ariana Sky.
With only weeks between shooting schedules, last season's emotions have devolved into this season's actions. Fans watched the Ronnie and Jen's relationship turn physical on Thursday night's episode. Jen spat on Ronnie, and the fight escalated. Bodyguards and producers broke the fourth wall to step in between an aggressive Jen and an alarmed Ronnie.
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Seemingly in an attempt to curtail the criticism that was sure to be leveled against him, Magro released a statement on his Instagram assuring viewers that the toxic relationship they're seeing unfold on their TV screens is much better today.
"For the record I love My family, my daughter & the mother of my child. The way I felt than [sic] during that moment isn't have [sic] I feel 3 months later," the new father wrote on a photo of the couple with Ariana. "Unfortunately This season caught a rough patch in both our lives, we stuck together & have got thru it. Ariana grows up in a happy home, regardless of what is shown & edited for TV. It a combination of bad timing, a lot of moving parts, misinformed information. She has two amazing parents who love her. Enjoy your #Jerzday."
Only two episodes in, the Las Vegas family vacation the cast is currently on has been dominated by Ronnie's emotional breakdown and the gang's efforts to comfort their friend. Jenni Farley, Nicole Polizzi, Mike Sorrentino, and Vinny Guadagnino all offered up sound advice, pushing Ronnie to separate from Jen and seek legal counsel. But it was Pauly DelVecchio's personal experience that motivated Ronnie to speak with an attorney right away and find out what his rights are in this situation.
"I'm not saying it like it's easy. Believe me, I know it's fucking hard," Pauly said, talking about his own custody battle with the mother of his almost five-year-old daughter, Amabella. "I've actually gone through what Ron's going through and I've had four years experience with it.... Now I get my parenting time, co-parenting, all these decisions are made together, that could be him, but the first step is the lawyer," he tells the camera in a producer interview.
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Ronnie's troubles are far from over on the show, as he and Harley had violent altercation that ended with her arrest in late June. It's not clear yet how much or if any of that will be discussed on the series.
In better news, we would like to submit this clip to the television academy for consideration in the Cutest Female Guest Star category.
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