Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino puts his past life of boozy bar-hopping behind him with the new TVGN series The Sorrentinos. Debuting on July 15, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT, The Sorrentinos features the Jersey Shore alum and his family as they deal with “life after reality.” And as we head toward the show’s premiere, I had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with The Situation about his life and career.
When you were doing Jersey Shore did your family express any interest in doing something together?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “Well after I did it for years, they were sort of on the same ride as me. My brother traveled with me and helped me manage my career. Other family members helped me with various endorsements and business things because there’s things that I’m good at and there’s things that I’m not good at. I’m good at being in front of the camera but I’m not good at some of the business aspects of it. So, I needed help for that stuff.
When it came time for them, I assured them that if I was going to be involved I would make it good. [Laughing] I guess we’ll see about that.”
How long after Jersey Shore did you want to wait before getting back on TV?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “Me personally, I don’t know about karma or what it was but we were pitching the show for about a year or two after Jersey Shore. We wanted to get it picked up. And then me personally, I wanted to make sure that I was healthy, as in sober, and looking good and looking my best and being the best I thought I could be. I hoped that if it got picked up – when it got picked up – that it was the right timing in my life. I worked very hard to get myself healthy and back to being the Michael that I wanted to be. And right around that time is when the show got picked up.”
Did we see you at your lowest/worst on Jersey Shore?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “During Jersey Shore? You probably saw me at my wildest but as for worst, no, because I was making millions of dollars a year and that wasn’t my worst. But once Jersey Shore ended, that’s when you go home and you sort of have a little bit of time to rebuild your life and see who you are, and see what you really want to do in life. What I really want to do in life is what I love and that’s being in front of the camera.”
Are you always going to be based in Jersey?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “No, I actually would like to move to Miami or LA. But I guess we’ll see what the network says because I’m in the middle of finishing up the season. We’ll see if it’s going into a second season – I have no idea. It seems like things are going fairly well. My social media has jumped up unbelievably recently.”
How crazy are the Sorrentinos compared to the gang on Jersey Shore?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “It’s a different type of crazy. Jersey Shore was college crazy and this is a family life crazy. Once you graduate college, you’re really in life. That’s what I compare it to.”
Since you want to stay in front of the camera, do you have any desire to play other characters and do projects that don’t require you just to be yourself?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “Yes. I’ve always dreamt since I was little of being in TV and films so whatever it is, if a sitcom comes along I’ll do my best at it. If a film comes along, I’ll do my best at it. If another reality show comes along, I would have to make sure that it’s good. I’ve been blessed to be on a couple of shows where the ratings were great, so if I ever was on something where things weren’t that great, I’m sure my ego would be hurt.”
