Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino is giving Us his best parenting tips, from surviving the terrible twos to when his kids will be able to watch Jersey Shore.
“They’re probably going to watch Jersey Shore when they’re in high school,” Sorrentino, 41, told Us Weekly while promoting his new memoir, Reality Check. “I would love for them to watch Jersey Shore: Family Vacation first, which is a little tamer, but hopefully in high school they can dive into that stuff.”
Sorrentino shares son Romeo, 2, and daughter Mia, 11 months, with wife Lauren Sorrentino, whom he married in November 2018. The couple announced via Instagram in September that they are expecting baby No. 3.
“Good things come in threes ?,” he captioned the sweet reveal. “Adding another pumpkin to our patch ?? Baby #3 coming March 2024.”
While opening up to Us about his upcoming book, the MTV star spoke candidly about some of the memoir’s more shocking revelations, including “smuggling drugs” into various states and countries while filming Jersey Shore and participating in an “orgy” with costars Vinny Guadagnino and Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio. He writes that he hit rock bottom after trying heroin, recalling how he got sober with the help of Lauren, 38, and his mother.
Despite the book’s explicit content, Mike revealed he would be “proud” for his children to read his story someday.
Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino. Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for MTV
“They know their daddy turned into a legend, a sober dad, and I have overcome so many obstacles to be the man I am today,” he told Us. “I think they’ll be very inspired by their dad’s progress and journey. I think I’ll wait until they’re probably 18 [to let them read the book].”
Given his past ups and downs, the challenges of raising toddlers don’t scare Mike. “Romeo is going through the terrible twos right now, but it’s not even that bad. It actually has been my favorite age thus far because he’s growing into this amazing little man,” he told Us. “Everything that he does is cute.”
When it comes to screen time and social media, Mike and his wife don’t have the same philosophy. “I’m a little bit more flexible … but my wife is pretty strict where she likes the kids to play and develop on their own before they get a little screen time,” he explained.
‘Jersey Shore’ Cast: Then and Now
MTV shook up reality TV — and introduced fans to the GTL lifestyle (a.k.a. gym, tan, laundry) — in 2009 with the premiere of Jersey Shore. The series quickly made household names out of stars Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Vinny Guadagnino, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Angelina Pivarnick, Paul “DJ Pauly D” Delvecchio, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Samantha “Sammi Sweetheart” […]
Romeo and Mia are already social media stars with highly popular Instagram accounts run by their parents. “Both my kids are verified,” Mike teased. “Romeo has almost a half a million followers, but I probably won’t give [the account] to him until he’s 16 or 18.”
Along with his struggles with substances, Mike’s book addresses his time behind bars. After failing to pay $8.9 million in taxes, he pleaded guilty to tax evasion in October 2018 and subsequently completed an eight-month prison sentence. He was released in September 2019 and hopes sharing his story will help others get through tough times.
“I am very proud to say that I think this book is going to not only entertain people,” Mike told Us. “I think people are going to be shocked at the content and eventually also be inspired because inside you see how I was able to overcome so many obstacles, including addiction, the prison system, miscarriage [of] a baby in a NICU, and I believe that people are going to say, ‘If Mike can do it, I can too.’”
Reality Check: Making the Best of The Situation – How I Overcame Addiction, Loss, and Prison hits shelves on December 19.