‘Jersey Shore’ Personality Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Would Have ‘Loved’ Ex Sammi Sweetheart to Appear in Reboot

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro says he’s not to blame for Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola’s decision not to film Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.

Ortiz-Magro, 32, opened up about his ex’s absence from the reunion to Us Weekly at the Los Angeles premiere for the MTV reboot, and dished on how he felt when he found out that Giancola, whom he dated on and off during the show’s original run from 2009 to 2012, had decided to sit the reboot out.

“We started this all together and I would have loved to have finished it together because now everyone thinks it’s because of me she didn’t come back, but it’s because she has a boyfriend,” he told the publication, adding that it’s “their decision.”

Giancola, 31, also revealed her thought process when it came to turning down the MTV reboot on Instagram this Friday.

“I am at a completely different place in my life right now, focusing on my businesses and relationship,” she wrote in a text post.

She continued, “I am not the same person I was when I was 22,” adding that she’s “extremely happy in every aspect of her life.” She also said that her main reason for not participating in the Jersey Shore reboot filming is to “avoid potentially toxic situations.”

But just because Giancola didn’t make it down to Miami to live it up again with the OG Jersey Shore crew doesn’t mean there’s bad blood as far as Ortiz-Magro sees it.

The soon-to-be father added that they’ll always have a bond due to their time at the shore together, and that he would be happy to see her come back for the second season of the show, which has already been commissioned by the network prior to the first season’s premiere.

“No matter what, she’s always going to be … [as] you’ll see in this season I say, ‘Sam will always be a part of my life, but she doesn’t have to be a part of my life.’ No matter what, this will always be on the television show, [in] interviews, Sam will always be brought up,” he explained. “So she’ll be a part of my life, but she doesn’t have to be standing next to me to be a part of my life.”

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation premieres on MTV Thursday, April 5, at 8 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: Instagram/Ronnie Ortiz-Magro