Mike ‘The Situation’ and Lauren Sorrentino Share the ‘Full Story’ of Their Relationship
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and his wife Lauren recently shared their love story with fans. Contrary to what some Jersey Shore fans might think, Mike and Lauren’s timeline goes back before the MTV reality series even started. Here’s how the couple remembers the early days of their relationship.
Mike Sorrentino’s first stint in rehab ended his relationship with Lauren
“We broke up in 2008,” Mike recalled in the “What’s Your Endgame?” episode of his podcast, Here’s the Sitch With Mike and Laurens. “We had broken up not because we were bad to each other, it was more like my life was collapsing.”
Mike went to rehab for the first time in “2007 or 2008” for substance abuse. “Though I dabbled in alcohol, it was mainly for opiates or pills,” the reality star said of his addiction. “Eventually I went to rehab a couple times, but that’s another story.”
Once Mike got out of rehab, he and Lauren were entertaining getting back together. “That was the heaviest thing I have every gone through,” Lauren added. “Before you had gone away, it was really, really scary.”
Lauren was focused on her studies when Mike got out of rehab
When they weren’t together, Lauren went to LIM College in New York City where she majored in business with a focus on merchandising. “I worked by butt off,” Lauren said of her schooling.
When Mike got out of rehab, she was still in school and interning with some of the biggest names in the industry. As Lauren admitted on the podcast, she was scared about getting back together with Mike because she had finally “found her footing.”
Still, Lauren said she never stopped caring about Mike, calling him “one of the strong loves of her life.” Even when they were broken up, she was concerned about his well-being. “I always was concerned for him, especially because we parted ways for his health,” she added.
Mike ‘The Situation’ almost ended up in the Navy but pursued modeling after rehab
After rehab, Mike moved in with his dad, who told him he was “too wild for pretty much anybody.” In his dad’s opinion, the only person that could straighten Mike out was “Uncle Sam.”
In January 2019, Mike was straightened out by “Uncle Sam” at the Otisville Federal Correctional Institution. But that’s another story.
What Mike’s father wanted was for him to enlist in the military. Mike said his dad would kick him out of the house if he didn’t. So, Mike took the ASVAB test and scored a 67. “I was good enough to get into the Navy,” Mike explained.
He asked his dad for a week to consider the decision. If he listened to his dad, Mike felt he would never “go for his dreams” like Lauren was studying fashion. “In that week period … I said, ‘I’m going to try to be a fitness model,'” Mike recalled. People in the industry took an interest and he was signed as an underwear model, news he couldn’t wait to share with his then ex-girlfriend Lauren.
‘Jersey Shore’ stopped Mike and Lauren from getting back together for a while
Contrary to popular belief, Mike and Lauren weren’t together while he was filming the first season of Jersey Shore. “I was like, ‘Don’t call me from there because I don’t want to be affiliated,'” Lauren said.
They initially considered getting back together, but when the opportunity to do the reality show arose, Lauren told Mike they weren’t going to last. “It wasn’t [an] ultimatum, it was like, ‘I’m not signing up for that,'” Lauren added. The Sorrentinos both agree — had they stayed together while Jersey Shore was filming, they wouldn’t be together today.
Mike and Lauren’s relationship became endgame in 2013
Mike and Lauren remained separated throughout his early Jersey Shore career. As he recalled on the podcast, he had the fame and the money, but without Lauren there was something missing.
Jersey Shore came to an end in 2012. In 2013, Mike took a kickboxing class he knew Lauren would be at. “I went to that gym and we bumped into each other and we never left each other’s side [after that],” Mike concluded.
Hear more from Mike and Lauren weekly on their podcast. Tune in to Jersey Shore: Family Vacation every Thursday at 8 p.m. on MTV.
