‘Jersey Shore’ Star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is Granted Primary Physical Custody of Daughter He Shares With Ex Jenn Harley

“I win, Jenn!”

Jersey Shore Family Vacation star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has been granted primary physical custody of his daughter, Ariana, following a court battle with ex-girlfriend Jenn Harley. 

According to The Sun, a judge ruled that four-year-old Ariana’s primary residence will be with Ronnie in California, while Jenn has been granted visits, which are permitted to take place in her home state of Nevada. 

“This order is made with the knowledge that Ariana will be starting school soon and needs a primary residence with one parent,” the judge decided. “Ariana will be with father at all times.” 

Per the order, once Ariana begins school,  Jen will get her every weekend (Friday night to Sunday night) of the month (except the first weekend, which Ariana will spend with Ronnie.) During the summer, the co-parents will alternate their time with Ariana– two weeks on and two weeks off.  

The judge also specifically noted in the ruling that Jen and Ronnie are barred from drinking alcohol any time they have Ariana. 

Ronnie and Jenn were also granted joint legal custody of their daughter, and in the event of a disagreement, Ronnie will have “tiebreaker authority after making a good faith effort to meet and confer.” 

As ‘Jersey Shore’ fans know, Ronnie and Jenn are no strangers to disagreements. During the summer of 2018, Jenn was arrested on charges of domestic violence for allegedly hitting and dragging Ronnie with her car. On New Year’s Eve that same year, she allegedly threw an ashtray at Ronnie, resulting in her May 2019 arrest on an outstanding warrant for domestic violence. (Jenn was cleared of the charge in July 2019.) 

“It’s a shame people don’t talk about the good times we had…all three of them.”

Things also turned physical between the tumultuous pair in October 2019, when Ronnie was arrested for assaulting Jenn at an Airbnb the couple had been renting in Los Angeles. Ronnie ultimately accepted a plea deal in May 2020, which kept him from doing any time behind bars.

Meanwhile, Jenn was arrested again in June 2021 for domestic battery and assault with a deadly weapon, though Ronnie was not the victim in this incident, as he was in California at the time with then-girlfriend Saffire Matos. In fact, Ronnie proposed on the same day that Jenn was arrested; however, the couple went on to end their relationship (and engagement) in July 2022. 

Ronnie and Saffire were first rumored to have parted ways in April 2021 after Ronnie was arrested on domestic violence charges in Los Angeles. While Saffire was reportedly the victim in the incident, she later took to social media seemingly downplaying what occurred, insisting she and Ronnie were “fine.” (The charges were later dropped.)

Ronnie stepped away from ‘Jersey Shore’ in May 2021 to “seek medical treatment for mental health issues” he had “ignored too long.” 

“My number one goal now is facing my struggles head on,” he said at the time. “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.” 

RELATED STORY: Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi Reveals Her Former ‘Jersey Shore’ Co-Star Sammi Giancola Has Blocked Her: “I Don’t Know What I Did!” 

(Photos: Instagram; MTV) 

19 Comments

  1. I agree with everyone else. If Ronnie who is a problem on his own got custody, there must be something REALLY wrong with Jen. Now you have to act mature and be a father Ron, I’m not losing hope you will change.


  2. I am actually glad. Jen is clearly unstable if Ronnie was granted full custody. It DOES say a whole lot if they granted custody to Ron- says a lot about her shortcomings and him getting his s*** together. She doesn’t have custody of her son either and I also heard about the escort aspect so, yeah. She also clearly is violent ( not only against Ron but also against other men) and not a fit parent. I mean, I know Ron has domestic violence on his record but Jen straight pulled a gun on her boyfriend… Ronnie sounds like he got sober (he just hit a year in August) and stayed that way. She was FORCED (basically) into rehab in 2021 and I don’t believe she stayed that way and likely still isn’t ready to be sober. Also, I’ve heard that he’s had Ariana in his custody of her anyway most of the time in he last year. I’m happy for him! Hopefully he can continue on this path and be a good father to Ariana.


  3. I looked at Jenns instagram and it appears she moved to Miami? So she’ll have to travel to see arianna now?


  4. That poor little girl. Ron is not what anyone would call a suitable parent, Jen must be in a very bad way.
    The judge having to tell both parents not to drink while caring for her is horrible-good parents don’t need to be told this.


  5. Here is the real deal. Everything here is the truth. I will not get into details, but Jen came from an extremely violent dysfunctional childhood. Instead of overcoming that, she decided to continue the cycle. She is/was a known escort. A lot of people she hangs out with are high end escorts. They is a fact. She lost custody of her son for being verbally abusive to him. Mind you, he was a CHILD at the time. The best thing that could have happened to that boy was to he removed from her care. She was horrible to that poor little boy. She is a known drug addict and alcoholic with a history of severe violence. She should be in prison. My heart breaks for that little girl. I hope Ronnie keeps his act together for her sake. She deserves a chance at having a peaceful happy life.


  6. hopefully ron can create a stable environment for his little girl and is actually getting himself some help


  7. They both seem violent and unstable with multiple partners. If they both love their little girl like they say they do then they need to get major therapy.


  8. Just wow. The fact Raahhnn has primary physical custody of Ariana speaks volumes. Clearly he’s done something right with his mental health and lifestyle. Good for him. Whatever Jenn’s been doing doesn’t speak as highly of her being a stable parent.


  9. Good for him bc shes not going to get any serious help anytime soon..

    However, the “tiebreaker” bit– that sucks. So no matter what, Ronnie gets his way. No matter the disagreement, he can isten and offer a suggestion, but ultimately he wins.

    The cost of having a child with someone who isnt equipped to parent, I suppose.


    1. Yikes – how bad a mother must you be to lose custody to Rahn? I hope he has people around him who can be a healthy influence on that child.


    1. Bwahahaha!!! Best comment of the day, My Name!!!! Two trailer park girls doing the drive of shame to visit their poor kids!!!


      1. Now there is a show idea…’Amber and Jen’s Road Trip’ would be reality TV’s version of Thelma and Louise! 😬

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