‘Jersey Shore’ Cast Breaks Down Upon Hearing Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino’s Sentence, and Fans Are Emotional

The new season of Jersey Shore Family Vacation kicked off with an emotionally powerful premiere, in which the cast heard how long Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino will be in prison. In October 2018, Sorrentino was sentenced to eight months in prison on tax fraud offenses. He began his sentence at a federal prison in New York on Jan. 15, shortly after marrying Lauren Pesce.

In the episode, audiences saw how close the Jersey Shore family has become over the years, with every major member attending the sentencing hearing. Vinny Guadagnino, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Jenni “JWOWW” Farley, Deena Cortese, Pauly “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, Angela Pivarnick and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro were all there to support him.

“Everybody is coming together for Mike’s court week,” Guadagnino said before the hearing, notes Entertainment Tonight. “We’re like the Avengers. We’re just all coming from wherever to support him and I’m so happy that’s happening because that’s one positive thing that’s happening out of this situation.”

Sorrentino opened his heart in an interview with producers that aired during the episode.

“Things in life are going to happen the way that they’re supposed to, and the fact that my fiancée, Lauren, understands this, just re-enforces the fact that she’s my soulmate,” Sorrentino explained. “I couldn’t have dreamed to have such a rock in my life than Lauren. It’s unbelievable. She is my best friend, my true love, my college sweetheart. She makes me a better person and at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, I got the girl.”

At one point, Polizzi is heard saying she feels like “one of us is dying” before the hearing.

Sorrentino also told the MTV cameras he felt incredibly anxious the night before the sentencing.

“Before you get into a fight, there’s a little feeling you get, a little anxious feeling. That’s how I feel right now. It’s uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t have the strength for today if I didn’t go through some of the things that I’ve gone through in the past couple of years,” Sorrentino said. “But the sun is still gonna shine, and I have to hold my head high for myself and my future family.”

Fans at home might have known that Sorrentino was going to be in prison for much of this year, but that did not ease their emotions as they saw the hearing unfold.

Sorrentino’s drama was not the only one introduced in the season premiere. Farley is in the middle of her divorce from husband Roger Mathews and is raising their 4-year-old son Greyson, who was diagnosed with autism.

“Life? It’s fine. I don’t know,” Farley said. “It’s like, I can’t figure out how to express it so I just, like, shut it out and move on.”

New episodes of Jersey Shore Family Vacation air on MTV at 8 p.m. ET Thursdays.

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