How 'Jersey Shore' Dealt with Ronnie's Arrest and Exit In Season Premiere

The new hour kicked off with the reality star sharing to his costars that he was ready to propose to girlfriend Saffire Matos -- and was preparing to ask her father for his blessing. Both Vinny Guadagnino and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino were slightly concerned their friend was rushing into things too quickly, but he barreled ahead with it anyway.

"It is a little soon, I'm not gonna lie," Vin told Ron, before adding in a confessional, "She's a nice girl, but just because someone's a nice girl you've been dating a couple months, you shouldn't marry her right away."

"I really hope that he's making the right decision," added Mike. "But this could be rushed, so, you know, I have to hope and pray that everything goes well for him."

For his part, Ron said he wanted to get engaged to show Saffire "she's the person I wanna be with" for the long run. He then joked, "Even when you get married on this show, it doesn't mean you're together forever."

After Ron admitted it was "stressful as s---" to get Saffire's father's permission before popping the question, Sitch agreed to drive with him to her parents' home and wait outside. Ortiz-Magro emerged from the house shortly after and said it went well, he spoke from the heart and got the blessing he was looking for.

Ron later broke the news to the women in the cast and while Jenni "JWoww" Farley said they were all happy he was happy, she added, "there's a difference between happiness and a full blown commitment of marriage. You can be happy and not rush to the alter."

Just five days later, however, the cast was seen reacting to headlines about Ronnie getting arrested for a domestic violence incident involving Saffire on April 22, 2021. "Holy s---," exclaimed Pauly, "Unbelievable."

"We have another situation with Uncle Ron. He's in the news," Mike said to his wife Lauren.  "I don't even know how we're going to handle it going forward. This is not good. I guess the engagement's off."

"I think it's going around the same mountain over and over again, making the same mistakes. We know nothing changes if nothing changes," he continued. "I think you have to go to treatment, you have to make a change, you have to have accountability."

Lauren suggested Mike try and get through to him, as Pauly and Vin talked about how seeking treatment helped Sitch.

"These allegations or whatever happened are pretty serious, he needs to take time to himself and figure himself out," Vinny said in a confessional. "I hope he gets better and hope one of these times he works on himself, it actually sticks. I'm definitely sad, Ronnie's like my brother. All I can do is wish him well and hope for the best."

Angelina Pivarnick, meanwhile, reacted by exclaiming, "What the f---, man?" She added, "The whole thing with Ron is so sad. If he needs my help, I'm here."

The episode then flashed headlines about Ron taking a break to focus on his mental health, before a slate reading: "If you, or someone you know, is struggling emotionally, visit mentalhealthishealth.us for resources and support."

"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," he said in a statement when he decided to break from the series. "My number one goal now is facing my struggles head on. 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."

Though cameras probably weren't around when it happened, Ronnie still popped the question to Saffire in June 2021.

He avoided jail time for violating his probation with the April arrest by completing an in-patient program. He was also ordered to take 26 parenting classes and a 3-year protective order was put in place for Saffire.

It remains unclear whether he'll return to the show in the future, but Ronnie told TMZ in August 2021 that he quit drinking and was four moths sober. He also said, "I'll be back. All the fans love me, and I love them too, so I'm gonna give them what they want, and I'll see them soon."

"Jersey Shore Family Vacation" airs Thursdays on MTV.