Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino’s Ups and Downs: ‘Jersey Shore’ and More

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino was one of the biggest troublemakers in the Jersey Shore house during the show’s early days, but he’s since become a voice of wisdom for the roommates.

When the MTV series premiered in 2009, Sorrentino was a single man who just wanted to beat up the beat with the rest of RSVP: Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Vinny Guadagnino and Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio. Over the course of Jersey Shore‘s original run, fans saw Sorrentino get punched by Jenni “JWoww” Farley, slam his head into a wall and make out with Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, among other things.

After getting sober in 2015, however, Sorrentino left his wild days in the past and settled down with wife Lauren Pesce, whom he met in college. “It’s the best thing ever being a parent,” the reality star exclusively told Us Weekly in 2022. “I feel such an amazing purpose and such an amazing love. … It’s really awesome.”

Keep scrolling for a look back at Sorrentino’s biggest ups and downs:

2009

Sorrentino and the rest of his Jersey Shore castmates became near-instant celebrities when the reality show premiered on MTV. Known for frequently flashing his abs, Sorrentino was arguably the biggest personality on a show full of big personalities.

2012

In April, Sorrentino checked into rehab after revealing that he was struggling with addiction to oxycodone. Eight months later, Jersey Shore‘s original run ended after six seasons.

2014

In June, Sorrentino was arrested and charged with assault for fighting with his brother Frank at their family’s tanning salon in New Jersey. After he completed 12 weeks of anger management classes, the charge was downgraded to a municipal violation. In September, he was charged with tax fraud after he and his brother Marc allegedly failed to pay taxes on income between 2010 and 2012. The duo were charged with additional offenses in 2017, including tax evasion and falsifying records.

2018

Sorrentino and his roommates returned to TV in Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. Off-camera, he pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion and was later sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of probation and ordered to perform 500 hours of community services. In April, he proposed to Pesce, and they tied the knot seven months later.

2019

After completing his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, in Otisville, New York, Sorrentino revealed that Pesce suffered a miscarriage about seven weeks into her pregnancy. “The night he came home we actually conceived,” Pesce said during an appearance on Good Morning America. “When I found out we were pregnant I felt like this is why we went through all these challenges for years and that this was our time and it was our blessing. It was hard. It was really difficult.”

2021

Sorrentino and his wife welcomed a rainbow baby, son Romeo, in May. “You get no sleep after you start to have your own family,” the Celebrity Big Brother alum joked to Us the following year. “I’m always checking the baby monitor if he sneezes. It’s like, ‘Oh, my God, what is happening?’

2023

The Situations became a family of four with the arrival of daughter Mia in January.