MTV chides retailer over 'Jersey Shore'

MTV chided Abercrombie & Fitch Wednesday after the upscale clothing retailer offered to pay "Jersey Shore" housemate Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino not to wear its clothes.

"It's a clever PR stunt and we'd love to work with them on other ways they can leverage 'Jersey Shore' to reach the largest youth audience on television," a representative for the cable network said in a statement.

In what is surely a coincidence, shares of Abercrombie & Fitch dropped nearly 8 percent Wednesday in afternoon trading. Tweeted Sorrentino, "Looks like Abercrombie got themself into a Situation!" CNN attributed the drop to a retreat from a recent upsurge after the profitable retailer's earnings beat analysts' expectations.

The company made the offer in a news release posted on its website Tuesday evening, after episodes showed Sorrentino sporting green A&F sweatpants and flashing the A&F label on his underwear.

"We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image," the statement said. Having the fist-pumping partyer seen in its clothing "is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand . . . We have therefore offered a substantial payment to [him] and the producers . . . to have the character wear an alternate brand."

"We're having a lot of fun with it," the company's chief executive, Mike Jeffries, told financial reporters in a conference call yesterday morning. The Wall Street Journal reported that he chuckled, "Is no one going to ask about The Situation?" and then described how an employee had broken the news Friday about Sorrentino wearing their clothes. "We all said, 'Oh, that's terrible.' What are we going to do about it?"

The company said it has "also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response."