Getty The cast of "The Jersey Shore" arrives at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) August 28, 2011 at the Noika Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Jersey Shore fans are upset after the cast roasted one of their own.
On the most recent episode of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, Vinny Guadagnino was in the hot seat after his castmates zeroed in on his knees while they were hanging out at their Las Vegas filming bubble.
During an exchange with Mike Sorrentino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Jenni Farley, Pauly D, and his new girlfriend Nikki Hall, a shorts-wearing Vinny was on the defense as the roommates made fun of his exposed knees.
“I played a lot of sports growing up,” Vinny tried to explain.
“Is that why your knees have a gangster lean?” Pauly D cackled as the rest of the roomies cracked up.
“So when you have a growth spurt it causes inflammation,” Vinny said, adding that sometimes the inflammation “just hardens up.”
“A lot of basketball players have it,” he said
Pauly joked that Vinny’s knees look like “the Grand Canyon.”
“Yo why this kid’s knees got faces on them? ” Pauly asked, to more laughter.
“Why this kid’s knees look like a skateboard park?” he continued. “Yo, why this kid’s knees have potholes?
While the rest of the castmates laughed at the jokes, Vinny appeared insecure and serious and did not crack a smile.
Viewers Called Out the ‘Jersey Shore’ Cast For Making Fun of Their Friend
In comments to a clip of the exchange on the official Jersey Shore Instagram page, fans blasted the cast for making fun of Vinny. Some fans called the whole exchange “uncool” because Vinny was being serious.
“This is so sad leave Vin alone. I know y’all normally joke like this but if he isn’t clapping back that’s a sign he’s hurt. I hate that,” one viewer wrote.
“Guys heads up, when you suffer from depression as your friend does do you think it’s wise to tear them down? He may never admit it hurts but use your eyes.” another added.
“How dare they,” another follower wrote. “Vinny was depressed back in S5 of Jersey Shore I wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves again.”
And another viewer called out Pauly D directly for targeting his bestie.
“This is the second time Pauly has said something bad to his best friend,” the viewer pointed out. “So Pauly has to make his best friend feel bad just to make himself look good in front of his girlfriend?”
Vinny Has Opened Up About His Anxiety & Depression Over the Past 10 Years
During a podcast appearance last year, Vinny revealed that he has long struggled with anxiety.
“I had anxiety on TV before it was like, a thing,” he said on the Click Bait With Bachelor Nation podcast, according to People.
“I used to scream out that I was having anxiety and everyone kind of looked at me funny, like, ‘What’s wrong with this kid?’ But now there’s a lot more awareness behind it and a lot of people are talking about it,” he explained.
Fans know that nearly 10 years ago, Vinny left the original Jersey Shore mid-season to get help for his clinical anxiety. He explained on the podcast that being on a reality show “is someone with anxiety’s worst nightmare because you’re locked up.”
“You can’t read a book, you can’t turn on the TV. I mean, back in the day, we were … closed off from the whole world,” he explained of the cast’s filming schedule. “At that particular time when we were filming, we had just filmed for like, three months straight and my body and my brain just couldn’t take it anymore.”
He added that he left the show because he was becoming “manic” after not sleeping for a week.
Vinny has also given himself tools for managing his anxiety, and he revealed that working out plays a big role in keeping him less stressed out.
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