Sammi Sweetheart ‘Not Happy’ to Film with Ex Ronnie Ortiz-Magro for New Jersey Shore Season

The two exes had a pretty volatile relationship on the original incarnation of the MTV reality show, which Sam distanced herself from in the years since it went off the air. While her costars all returned for Family Vacation, Giancola refused to come back for the followup series — that is until Ron stepped away following legal and mental health issues.

Ortiz-Magro tip-toed back onto the show last season, making some emotional amends to most of his costars for what he put them through, but Sam avoided him … until now. When the show returns later this month, the pair will finally come face-to-face, filming together for the first time in what seems like ages.

“Like, it’s not ideal. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I did know that if I were to come back on this show again, that this could be a possibility,” Sam told TooFab ahead of the season premiere. “I mean, it’s a given. And I was like, listen, this person doesn’t affect my life anymore. So it’s kind of like just working with a co-worker.”

“I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is and you’re gonna see me kind of navigate through that a little bit on this season,” she teased.

While Ron offered up apologies to the rest of the cast already, Sam made it clear she wasn’t hoping for any acknowledgement of past behavior from him as well.

“Hell no! There’s nothing that needs to be said,” she told TooFab. “Things were said back when we broke up. There’s nothing that needs to be said at all from his end to me, from my end to him. Like, I’m good. I don’t need closure. I’m good, we’re good.”

“You’re there. I respect you because you’re there. This is also his family too,” she continued. “He’s just a coworker and I’m not here for a bad time or bad vibes. I’m going my way and he’s going his and that’s hopefully how it’s gonna stay.”

Making the dreaded reunion a little easier for Giancola was having her boyfriend Justin May, who she began dating in 2021, join her on the show. He appeared last season and will be even more of a fixture on the new episodes, Sammi told TooFab. When asked whether it was nice to have him by her side while navigating the Ron of it all this time around, she said fans are “gonna see that all play out” when the show returns.

“This is kind of a crazy season for me, honestly. It’s really like I never left them in 2009. Justin was, he’s very supportive and makes it easier for me because I’m like, listen, I’m gonna be thrown in some situations that I would never be thrown in in real life. And it’s like, okay, I have to deal with it, you know?” she said.

“I think we have a very trustworthy and honest relationship and he’s just very supportive and down to earth and like, ‘Listen, you gotta do what you gotta do and I’m here for you,'” added Sam. “And I think I really needed that to be able to do this again.”

Jersey Shore Family Vacation returns Thursday, February 8 on MTV.