With him every step of the way. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino opened up about staying connected to his Jersey Shore roots while in prison.
“You do make friends, but at the end of the day, it’s about survival. You know what I’m saying?” the reality star, 37, told Us Weekly exclusively on Tuesday, February 25. “The guys in there were really good to me. I got extra food. I was able to watch Jersey Shore every Thursday, which was really cool.”
Despite the privilege, Sorrentino found some parts of the show hard to take in. “I was a bit in my feels because that was my wedding season,” he explained. “So every Thursday, I’m actually in prison, can’t go anywhere. I’m not with my wife, [Lauren Sorrentino], watching it on TV. So it was a bit surreal. But now I’m home and making the best of it and I’m so happy and grateful to be here with Us Weekly.”
The Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star, who married Lauren, 35, in November 2018, detailed his mindset during his time behind bars. “Do I rise above or do I get swallowed up by circumstance?” he asked. “And I chose to sort of fight this thing. I chose to be accountable. I chose to hold my head high and handle this whole situation from start to finish with grace and class. And I’m very, very proud of myself, my family and my friends for supporting me.”
Vinny Guadagnino, for one, applauded his costar for his approach to the ordeal. “He obviously has been the inspiration for a while, but that was like seeing it in actual real life because it was tested, and it’s like you can have all the quotes in the world, but that was actually something you had to physically go through,” the 32-year-old TV personality noted. “And he remained the same exact person in prison. He was emailing us, keeping me positive while he was there.”
Mike reported to the Federal Correction Institution in Otisville, New York, in January 2019 after pleading guilty to tax evasion. He was released in September 2019 following the completion of his eight-month sentence.
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation premieres on MTV Thursday, February 27, at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
