On the MTV series “Jersey Shore Family Vacation,” Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino just got married, then headed off to prison in New York. In reality, he’s about to re-enter society after eight months of incarceration for tax evasion.

Sorrentino, 38, is set to be released from federal prison in Otisville, New York on Thursday, his publicist confirmed to NJ Advance Media.

The reality TV star pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion in January 2018 and was sentenced in October.

Sorrentino, a Manalapan High School graduate who lives in Long Branch, shot to fame in 2009 as a member of the Seaside Heights-based “Jersey Shore” cast. With his outsize personality and boasts about his abdominal muscles (that was the “situation” in question), he drew the lion’s share of name recognition alongside Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi.

A multi-million dollar fortune followed the fame. From 2010 to 2012, Michael Sorrentino and his brother, Marc Sorrentino, earned about $8.9 million from club and TV appearances Mike made along with endorsement deals and products they sold off the strength of the “Jersey Shore” star’s fame, according to an indictment.

Sorrentino reported to prison in January after livestreaming his trip to New York state. The prison is 123 miles, or about two hours and 20 minutes away from Sorrentino’s Monmouth County home. His fellow inmates included former Trump fixer Michael Cohen and Fyre Fest founder Billy McFarland, from Short Hills.

Marc, 40, was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns for income earned in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Federal Bureau of Prisons records show he is scheduled to be released from prison in Fairton, Cumberland County on Sept. 28, 2020.

Michael Sorrentino was sentenced to prison after MTV decided to revive “Jersey Shore." His sentencing and the question of prison time was a major plot point in the series, which is now in its third season. The cast waited after seeing Sorrentino off at federal court in Newark, hanging on every word of news reports to hear whether Sorrentino would be headed to prison (only Jenni “JWoww” Farley and Vinny Guadagnino sat in the courtroom).

Just before he started his sentence in January, Sorrentino invited fans to write him in prison. Days later, his wife, Lauren Sorrentino, said he had received thousands of letters.

Sorrentino’s “Jersey Shore Family Vacation" castmates visited him in prison, but MTV cameras were not allowed inside. Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio reported on the show that Sorrentino gets a haircut twice a week, works out every day for two hours and “eats what he wants" at the Otisville prison.

In another recent episode of the show, Sorrentino called Lauren from prison and talked to the cast.

“Let’s just say @ItsTheSituation is no longer under construction & you’re all in for a treat when he’s home!” Lauren recently tweeted, using a bicep emoji in her message, posted last week.

In previous, pre-prison episodes of “Jersey Shore Family Vacation,” Sorrentino, who now favors the name Big Daddy Sitch, said his fitness was under construction as he pursued the ketogenic diet (which has been fully embraced by Guadagnino, who is even coming out with a keto cookbook). He tried to straighten out his eating habits, but on the show, Sorrentino would order plates and plates of food when the cast was at restaurants, all with the aim of living his “best life.” After all, he was headed for prison.

Lauren’s tweet seems to indicate that while in prison, her husband’s exercise routine may have put him closer to his 2009 condition. After so much time away from food on the outside, however, he may just be clamoring for a bit of the Funfetti cake he famously adores.

The Sorrentinos got married in November at The Legacy Castle in Pompton Plains. The wedding covered more than one episode of “Jersey Shore Family Vacation” and featured a group dance with Sorrentino and his best men — Guadagnino, DelVecchio and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro — with a surprise performance from Rob Base (“It Takes Two").

Next, Lauren — Sorrentino calls her “Laurens” — and Mike say they want to have children. Sorrentino’s fellow cast members Farley, Polizzi, Ortiz-Magro, DelVecchio and Deena Buckner (née Cortese) are all parents.

Let’s just say @ItsTheSituation is no longer under construction & you’re all in for a treat when he’s home! 💪🏼#JSFamilyVacation pic.twitter.com/OOyw8C4K96 — Lauren Sorrentino (@lauren_pesce) September 6, 2019

Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

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