Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino Transformation: 'Jersey Shore' Star Photos

From Jersey Shore to family man! Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino has come a long way from his Karma and Bamboo days in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The reality star was first introduced to MTV viewers when the fan-favorite series premiered in 2009. Over the course of six seasons, the world watched as the New Jersey native dodged grenades, got in fights with his roommates, bashed his head against the wall and, of course, participated in some GTL.

After the first iteration of Jersey Shore ended in 2012, Mike continued his reality star career, making appearances on Dancing With the Stars and Celebrity Big Brother. Six years after the original Jersey Shore came to an end, Mike made his return to MTV on Jersey Shore: Family Vacation in 2018 — but this time, he was a new man. When the show’s spinoff series premiered, Mike was sober, facing jail time and in a committed relationship with his college sweetheart Lauren Sorrentino (née Pesce), who he married in November 2018.

Throughout the first season of Family Vacation, Mike discussed his impending court date — and in October 2018 he was sentenced to eight months in prison, two years supervised release and 500 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion in January of that same year. Following his release from jail in September 2019, Mike chatted with fellow Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi about adjusting to life after prison with Lauren.

“Our relationship has never been stronger. We are savoring every conservation, every meal and you know, trying to work on making babies as soon as we can,” he said during an October 2019 episode of the “It’s Happening With Snooki & Joey” podcast. “When I came out, I came out better. I guess you can say thank God for that prison. I lost 40 pounds and [am] still on a great path and, you know, living my best life.”

Since cleaning up his act, Mike has continued to thrive with Lauren by his side. Together they’ve appeared on all five seasons of Family Vacation and in May 2021, the college sweethearts welcomed their first son, Romeo Sorrentino. Following baby Sitch’s arrival, the infant contracted a fever that required further hospitalization. His two-week stay in the NICU following his birth was documented on a January 2022 episode of the series.

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“I’m a little scared,” the MTV alum said in a confessional. “I’m not gonna lie.” However, the frightening experience brought the new parents closer as Mike provided firm support for his wife.

“When I needed to just cry, Mike just took over and handled everything,” the real estate agent said. “There’s not one other man in this world who is capable of doing that for our family.”

Scroll through the gallery below to see the Jersey Shore star’s transformation over the years.

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New Beginnings

“In 2008, I was trying to do fitness and underwear modeling, and it wasn’t really working out,” he told Vulture in 2018 about joining Jersey Shore. “Someone told me that VH1 was trying to do a show about Guidos from the East Coast. It was supposed to be a Challenge-type show at first. I did the pilot.”

Abs for Days

When he was first introduced on the MTV series, fans weren’t crazy about the self-proclaimed Guido. He used to show off his physique any time a woman would look at him. “At the interview, ‘Situation’ walked in and was like, ‘OK, let me just take my shirt off first.’ I was like, ‘What?’” Jersey Shore‘s executive producer SallyAnn Salsano told Vulture. “I have never in my life met someone that felt more comfortable upon not knowing you. He’s like, ‘Enough said, right?’ Having casted a million of these, we had never really seen anyone do that before.”

Not a Good Look

Fans got used to watching Mike’s ups and downs unfold on the show. “Italy wasn’t my best season, only because I was not very healthy that year. I was arguing and fighting with everyone,” he said during the Vulture interview. “I banged my head on a concrete wall. To be honest with you, I actually thought the wall was sheetrock. It was a very big miscalculation. I was in that neck brace for, I don’t know, two to four weeks, probably. Sprained neck and concussion.”

Getting Help

“I stayed sober season six. It was very challenging at that time. Having a lot of education and knowing myself now, I was almost setting myself up for failure. I didn’t have a sponsor. I was just doing it by willpower,” Mike admitted. “I did a good job, but I relapsed when I got home. After years of trial and error, I realized, ‘Wow, my way is the wrong way, and I need others to help me.’”

Changing His Ways

“I have over two years clean and sober now. I quit cigarettes. I don’t drink. I don’t do drugs. I don’t steal. I’ve become older and wiser, but at that time period, I was just a very wild man in his 20s. You saw it,” he said in 2018 when talking about the show’s humble beginnings with Vulture.

Crime Time

Mike pled guilty to one count of tax evasion in January 2018. “What the defendants admitted to today, quite simply is, is tantamount to stealing money from their fellow taxpayers,” U.S. Attorney Carpenito said in a press release at the time. “All of us are required by law to pay our fair share of taxes. Celebrity status does not provide a free pass from this obligation.”

So Supportive

Despite the circumstances, Lauren is optimistic her husband will be OK during this tough time. “If you have ever been through someone getting sober through recovery, if you come out on the other side of that successful and in a positive way, anything is possible,” she told Us Weekly in 2018. “Like he said, a blip in the radar and not a concern for us.”