Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Exits Jersey Shore: Family Vacation to Treat Mental Health Issues

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is taking a step back from the MTV reality show Jersey Shore: Family Vacation after announcing he's seeking professional help for his mental health.

By Cydney Contreras May 13, 2021 11:44 PMTags
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Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is leaving Jersey Shore: Family Vacation to focus on his mental health.

The MTV reality star announced he's departing the show on Thursday, May 13, writing in a statement shared to Instagram, "After talking to the team at MTV, we have mutually agreed that I will step away from the show while I seek medical treatment for mental health issues that I've ignored for too long."

"My number one goal now is facing my struggles head on," Ortiz-Magro continued. "This process will be difficult but my #1 priority is to get healthy and be the best man and the best father I can for my daughter."

A source previously told E! News Ortiz-Magro will seek treatment at a "wellness center," specifying the facility is "not a drug- or alcohol-related type of rehab center."

The news of Ortiz-Magro's departure from the MTV show, as well as his decision to seek mental health treatment, follows the L.A. City Attorney's office announcing they will not be seeking charges against the 35-year-old star in his domestic violence case. 

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Instead, authorities decided to file a probation violation stemming from his April 22 arrest on suspicion of intimate partner violence with injury. Ortiz-Magro was on probation at the time of the incident, which involved an anonymous woman. A source close to Ortiz-Magro told E! News that his ex-girlfriend Jen Harley was not involved.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro/Instagram

Ortiz-Magro's lawyers, Scott Lemon and Leonard Levine, addressed the D.A.'s decision in a statement that reads, "We are very happy that after further investigation both the LA County District Attorney's office and the LA City Attorney's office determined that criminal charges were not warranted against Ronnie related to the incident that occurred in April."

They additionally stated they will review the alleged probation violation claim "and deal with it accordingly."

Though the April 22 incident landed Ortiz-Magro in jail, he said he learned from the experience. On April 25, he wrote on Instagram, "I take all experiences as lessons. You learn who really cares about you when your down and out and than you see who doesn't [sic]! But I guess they call it the weeding process."

His partner, Saffire Mattos, addressed her followers the same day, assuring that she and Ortiz-Magro are "fine."

"Ronnie and I are fine there is a lot of misleading information floating around out there," Matos stated. "With anybody who reached out with concern I appreciate it with all my heart, but everything that's being portrayed out there are not facts. I don't think it's fair that people are using false accusations to gain attention."

While Ortiz-Magro is leaving, former castmate, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, revealed she's returning to the show in June. She previously left the series in 2019 to focus on her family.