The prison situation is over: Mike Sorrentino of ‘Jersey Shore’ is free

It’s freedom time!

“Jersey Shore” star Mike Sorrentino, a.k.a. the Situation, is a free man after walking out of federal prison in Otisville, N.Y., on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

The reality star, who had been locked up for about eight months for tax evasion, was released from prison around 8:30 a.m. He’d been serving time alongside former Trump fixer Michael Cohen and Fyre Fest founder Billy McFarland.

Soon after his release, Sorrentino took to Twitter to celebrate, writing: “Turn up we free !!! #freesitch.”

Sorrentino, 37, and his brother Marc Sorrentino were arrested in 2014, not long after the MTV series’ decline in popularity.

Last year, the two brothers pleaded guilty to tax offenses related to nearly $9 million in income. Marc Sorrentino was sentenced to two years in prison.

During his sentencing hearing last October, the Situation told the judge he was trying to overcome years of drug and alcohol abuse. Then, just before he was off to the pen in January, he paid off a $10,000 fine and $123,000 restitution fee. He also married his longtime girlfriend, Lauren Pesce, the following month.

Sorrentino appeared on the six original seasons of “Jersey Shore,” the hard-partying reality show set in Seaside Heights, N.J. He later appeared in the first season of the show’s revival, “Jersey Shore Family Vacation,” in summer 2018, during which time he proposed to Pesce. (He did not appear in Season 2 because of his sentencing.)

NJ.com reported that Sorrentino’s castmates visited him while he was in prison, but cameras for the MTV show were not allowed inside.

In a statement to The Times, Sorrentino and his wife said that they are “elated to finally close this chapter of our life” and looking forward to starting a family together.

“Thank you to our family, friends and fans for the continuous love and support during this time, it brought us so much peace and comfort,” the statement said. “We look forward to continuing our life as husband and wife and working on baby situations! We truly believe that the comeback is ALWAYS greater than the setback and we can’t wait to show the world ours.”