Absolutely. I wouldn't quite say he was a different person but he was a lot less unbearable back then. He didn't get mad when people made fun of him, he would have pretty much anyone on the show, he was even capable of admitting fault and humbling himself occasionally.
Knoxville was the turning point, that is when he started to fall apart. I think the Gunt picture is actually the genesis of the Ethan Ralph we know today. All the progress he made in jail was destroyed when that pic came out. Then came Miami, his dad dying, his marriage failing, Zidan leaving, Jim distancing, doxxing paypigs, the Soph saga, Pillstream(s), and finally all of 2020.
Without knowing who this guy is it would be easy to feel sorry for him and see him as a product of really shitty circumstances. But then you have to remember that he brought most of it upon himself, and ultimately he always was a shitty person, he just lacks the emotional control now to conceal it as effectively as he could when his life was going better and he wasn't feeling so insecure.
There are plenty of people with way worse problems than Ethan Ralph who still manage to be decent, respectful, lawful people. His life story is one of excuses, not of learning from mistakes.