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‘The Situation’ Speaks Out for the First Time Since Leaving Prison: ‘I’m Definitely a Changed Man’

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Sep 24, 2019 12:35 pm·

By Josie Rhodes Cook

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He’s free! Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino spoke out for the first time since he left prison on September 12, and told Entertainment Tonight he’s loving being back on the outside. “Oh my God, to be a free man, to be honest with you, it’s awesome,” he said. “It’s fantastic. I have my beautiful wife next to me. I’m healthy, I’m sober, back at work with my best friends on the No. 1 show on MTV and just living the dream.” Mike, 37, added, “I definitely feel like I’m a changed man.”

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Scroll through the gallery below to see what else the handsome hunk had to say about this new chapter in his life.

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Mike The Situation Sorrentino Last Days Prison Tax Evasion

Crime Time

Mike served an 8-month prison sentence for tax evasion at Otisville Federal Correctional Institution in New York.

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Happy Day

“We are elated to finally close this chapter of our life. Thank you to our family, friends and fans for the continuous love and support during this time,” a rep for Mike’s wife, Lauren Sorrentino, told In Touch upon his release.

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New Chapter

“It brought us so much peace and comfort. We look forward to continuing our life as husband and wife and working on baby situations! We truly believe that the comeback is ALWAYS greater than the setback, and we can’t wait to show the world ours,” they added.

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A Great Situation

It seems like the transition is going well for Mike so far. He told ET, “You sort of take your freedom for granted sometimes. Once you get out, you are taking advantage [of] every minute. Every second, every meal, every conversation with my beautiful wife, with my friends. I love my job, so I am on such an awesome road and we are very excited to see what the future has to offer.”

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Moving On

The Jersey Shore star continued, “Our main goal throughout the whole process was to handle it with grace and class. Not only for ourselves but to show the young generation out there how to handle adversity and move forward and continue to be the best, even if you make mistakes.”

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Proud Moment

“I was just proud of myself that, even under extreme stress and adversity, I was still able to do my job and do it well. And still able to earn an income while in prison.” Hey, his family’s still gotta pay the bills!

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Reunion Time

The MTV personality was reunited with his costars shortly after he walked out of the facility. “I saw the cast the day after [I was released],” he told the outlet.

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Best Friends for Life

Of course, Mike couldn’t help but gush about his best friends. “It was unbelievable. It was just a lot of emotions all at once, and I’m just very grateful to have such close relationships with friends that I call family today,” he said about the Jersey Shore cast.

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So Much Time

So, what exactly did Mike do to pass the time while he was away? He read magazines and the Bible, worked out and watched himself on Jersey Shore. LOL!

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Staying Busy

“I felt very accomplished staying busy in prison,” Mike said. “Every single day I tried to be my best self and better than the day before. And to move forward. And that was it. And to be honest with you, I was very successful.”

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Mike the Situation With His Dog and Wife Lauren Sorrentino

Pen Pals

Mike spoke with Lauren, 34, every day over the phone and emailed with his castmates all the time. “Every single day I would look forward to getting an email from my wife or getting an email from Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio or Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi,” he admitted. “It really made the time fly.”

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So Much Love

The reality star was touched by all of the love and support he received. “They all communicated with me almost every single week,” he shared. “I was surprised. A lot of people [sent] a handwritten letter, it was unbelievable.”

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Lauren Sorrentino With Mike Sorrentino at Jail

Stay Strong

“My friends, all of them, they said pretty much the same thing. They couldn’t believe the strength that me and my wife had to be able to go through this process with such grace and class, and they were so proud of me, and they couldn’t wait to see me get home and get back to work filming Jersey Shore.”

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Mike Sorrentino With Wife Lauren Sorrentino

Not Taking Anything for Granted

At the end of the day, Mike realized he should stop and smell the roses a little bit more now. “When you’re in prison, you realize what is the most important thing. That’s family, friends, experiences, love — those are the intangibles of life,” he explained.

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Lauren Sorrentino With Mike Sorrentino With Lights in the Background

Great Dynamic

Lauren revealed that she was inspired by her husband even though they weren’t together. “He would email me and motivate me and uplift me and encourage me every day while he was in prison,” she said. “Which not many people can do.”

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