Ryan Sheckler’s time on his MTV truth program “Life of Ryan” wasn’t smooth cruising.
The expert skateboarder, 31, catapulted to popularity after ending up being the youngest X Games gold medalist at the time in Skateboard Park at age 13 in 2003. He landed his own MTV truth series in 2007, which aired for 3 seasons prior to he quickly stopped.
“I couldn’t do it anymore,” Sheckler stated throughout Wednesday’s episode of “In Depth with Graham Bensinger.” Why? Because “the show became acting,” he stated.
Sheckler stated MTV manufacturers “broke my heart” and left him “borderline traumatized” following manipulative and terrible treatment behind the scenes. For example, Sheckler stated he was advised to break up with his sweetheart consistently on cam “for ratings.”
U.S.A. TODAY connected to MTV for remark.
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“That was definitely the last straw for me, cause that’s already a very intimate piece of your life that you don’t want people to know about or see,” Sheckler informed Bensinger. “So we break up once and then cameras are on, we break up again, cut… And then, you know, they come over to me and they’re like, ‘Hey, that wasn’t enough. We need to do it again.’ “
The seven-time X Games medalist stated the truth series became something he didn’t “sign up for” and had a long lasting influence on his love life years later on: “I didn’t get in a relationship after the show until I was 25 years old.”
He included, “To blatantly have to hurt people’s feelings over and over again for the sake of television – for ratings literally – that rocked me.”
The skateboarder stated he was likewise nicknamed “cryin’ Ryan” on set after the teenager got psychological over his moms and dads’ separation.
“They were making fun of me for crying about hearing that my parents were going to get divorced, and I heard about it on camera,” he declared. “That was the first time I heard about it.”
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Despite the traumatization he experienced, Sheckler stated he does not regret his time on the program due to the fact that “it served a purpose,” plus he didn’t “know any better” at the time.
“I learned the lessons I was supposed to learn from doing it, but I wouldn’t take it back either. Bro, I was 17 years old,” he stated. “I was a kid that got an incredible opportunity, was in a very interesting part of my career where it just seemed to be going up and up and up, and I figured this was the next best step.”
Sheckler is now dating Abigail Baloun.
This post initially appeared on U.S.A. TODAY: Skateboarder Ryan Sheckler states MTV truth ‘distressed’ him