Another day, another heap of Jon and Kate Gosselin stories. Kate Gosselin dominates the upcoming tabloids in her orange two piece bikini, which is sure to enrage Octomom as she leafs through them looking for the odd story about her. Gosselin is featured as the lead story on US Weekly, Star, and In Touch, with a side column on OK! Jon Gosselin is on the cover of People with his big sad eyes, five o’clock shadow and farmer’s tan. He’s rumored to want off his reality show and you would think the guy would keep his mouth shut and not add fuel to the fire, but maybe he figures it’s already burning out of control and there’s no use ignoring it. Jon gave an exclusive interview to People Magazine, and from the teaser on their website it sounds like he skirts around the more sensitive issues and just addresses his family problems in vague terms. He does say that his kids aren’t being exploited by the reality show that has made his marriage a tabloid target:
Lately Jon could be forgiven for wanting to disappear entirely. Under attack ever since he was caught leaving a bar at 2 a.m. with another woman, the 32-year-old star of the TLC reality hit Jon & Kate Plus Eight – which chronicles his life with wife Kate, 34, their 8-year-old twins and 5-year-old sextuplets – has seen his family become the target of choice for the tabloids.
But while Kate spoke openly to PEOPLE in May about the perilous state of her marriage, confessing that “Jon is confused and struggling with a lot of different things,” Jon himself is cautious about being too candid.
Except when the subject turns to his children. “Exploited?,” asks Jon. “I don’t even want to use that word, because I think it’s ridiculous,” he says heatedly. Jon insists his children’s happiness will remain his focus – even if keeping them happy means quitting the show.
[From People]
Meanwhile US Weekly has a more riveting story than whatever bland censored account Jon is giving People. US paints Kate as a bad mom with the words “Mommy, You are Mean” and an eyewitnesses account that she ignored her kids while on an outing to the beach for the cameras. We covered this yesterday, but didn’t have a chance to yet review US’ story:
According to several fellow vacationers, Kate Gosselin didn’t pay her eight kids much attention on their getaway to Bald Head Island, N.C., when the camera crew wasn’t around – even though she pulled twin daughters Madelyn and Cara, 8, out of school for the for-TV trip.
Between texting on her phone and huddling with her bodyguard Steve Neild (with whom husband Jon once feared she was having an affair), “she completely ignored her children the entire time,” fellow vacationer Ann Michele Sweeney tells the newest issue of Us Weekly.
“When Kate sat on the edge of the pool, she told one of [the twins], ‘If you splash me, you’re dead meat,'” Sweeney says. “She was not joking at all.”
The child’s response?
“She said, ‘Mommy, you are mean!'” Sweeney says.
Another vacationer, Kim Kirsch, tells Us that “Everyone that’s encountered her says she’s been rude, mean and hateful.”
Showing off her gratis tummy tuck (worth $5,000 to $8,000) in a bright bikini, Kate kept her distance as her kids frolicked in the water with a nanny.
[From US Weekly]
Nice how Kate is being painted as the cruel party when Jon isn’t even with his kids and is off in another state somewhere. Maybe Kate was just having a bad day. A lot of moms work outside the home all day and Kate stays home with hers as part of her job. She could need some time to decompress, and things are certainly tense enough in her life. Just because she’s snappy doesn’t mean she doesn’t love her kids. She is a piece of work for sure though.
US also has plenty of long-winded quotes from a child psychology expert about all the ways that Jon and Kate are screwing up their kids by continuing to allow their lives to be documented and condensed down into the most dramatic moments. There are a lot of aspects to it that I never considered, like the children becoming conditioned to behave and act a certain way for the cameras, and the lack of boundaries and privacy in their day to day lives. The cameras aren’t going away any time soon unless the Department of Labor steps in and stops the show. It’s the highest watched program on TLC and mom and dad are both eager to keep the money flowing.
Thanks to CoverAwards for these tabloid covers.
Gnar. Kate, somebody lied to you.
I’m tired of everyone bashing Jon–can’t you see that Kate is playing this out perfect to be the victim?? She told him 6 months ago that it was over and he could do what he wanted, he let the tabloids catch him-but there’s no way Kate is going to admit that she allowed that! It would take away from their family image and her image of tight control on him!
She’s letting him fall on his sword.
I will NEVER buy US magazine again.
What a crappy story!
I think there’s plenty of blame for BOTH Gosselins here. However, and I know that these shows are edited for television and blah blah blah… her demeanor, at ALL times, from the very beginning of this show a few years ago, has been snappy, rude, curt, and bossy. It’s not a big leap to her being snappy, rude, curt and bossy ‘in real life’ too.
This show may be getting viewers now, but it’s in a death spiral. People are just watching because of the “emotional gore factor”. At some point, Kate the Great will get her own show about being a single mom to 8 and Jon will be living in his parent’s basement.
Christmasbal, I agree.
Ugh. These people need to pull up stakes and hide out somewhere the tabloids can’t find them. They need to be ALONE with their children and maybe each other without all the media scrutiny. With what we know about Kate, can you imagine how she’s handling that cover story up there (“Mommy, You Are Mean!”)?? Probably not well, and the children are likely suffering her verbal wrath for it. This all needs to stop.
I’ve told my kis if the do something or other then their dead meat. And meant it. Does that make me a mean mommy?
I really think the Kate-bashing has gotten completely out of control. I know she is harsh and comes off like a bitch, but this is ridiculous. What mom hasn’t been told she is “mean” when she won’t let her kid do something? Come on. I challenge any mom here to live under the same scrutiny Kate Gosselin is under right now and come out looking any better. While it’s true that putting yourself on TV invites a certain amount of this, it’s gone too far. I think people get some kind of sick thrill out of kicking someone when they’re down. It’s kind of gross.
I think it’s just terrible the show is enjoying its highest ratings at the expense of the family. They need to get the cameras out of there and let these kids live a somewhat normal life.
I don’t care about their relationship, I don’t care about their money or their agreements to date other people or what have you, but Jon is VERY wrong when he says his children are not being exploited.
His children are, and have been, a product, a commodity, that has been marketed and sold for money by selling their private lives for the last four years (and they are five). Without that massive bunch of kids, they wouldn’t BE on TV, they wouldn’t HAVE all the money they have, they wouldn’t BE on magazine covers and in the entertainment news, etc.
This is not just some random person catching moments here and there on a camcorder, this is a TV film crew permanently installed in their home with all the lighting and electrical work and backdrops (remember their interview corner was a set) needed for that. This is 20-40 hours a week of taping to get enough for a weekly show. This is 40+ episodes a year, every year, since they were ONE.
What’s really sad? Is that these kids don’t even know what privacy IS. They don’t even know that your home can be a refuge from the rest of the world. Bad enough each of them has seven siblings, but to make matters worse, they can never catch a break from the cameras, the public, watching their every move, including toilet trainings, meltdowns, picking their noses, their dad disimpacting their bowels, you name it. It’s all there.
And now everyone gets to see them fall apart as their family falls apart. While the parents continue to make money off of it. Isn’t that lovely?
Jon? You and Kate HAVE been exploiting your kids almost since they were born. You need to face that fact or nothing will get better. Kate especially needs to face that fact, though I doubt she cares.
Where is the criticism of all the other TLC families, Duggers, Table 0f 12,etc
Im sorry but I find Jon atractive as a buttercup. I mean, like so adorable. 😀 Ooey… LOL
Jon insists his children’s happiness will remain his focus – even if keeping them happy means quitting the show.
Does he have a death wish, Kate will not allow the kids to quit the show as long a she is happy.
I need to point out that Kate is not the one who stays home and takes care of the kids. Ever. She travels for book tours and speaking engagements three weeks out of the month and Jon is a stay at home dad. They have even admitted this. It’s part of what led to their marriage problems.. her constantly being gone. And when she IS home, she is not the caretaker or the hard worker she wants you to think she is. Jon and the nannies take care of those kids. Her only mothering is for the benefit of the cameras. Kate is not a poor, hardworking, victimized mom of 8 kids.
I will only address one part of this story, I am going to agree with MSat here, all mommies are ‘mean’ from time to time in they eyes of their children. I remember wanting candy as a child and when my mom said no I announced to everyone in earshot that she was a ‘mean mom’ and that I hated her, in hindsight after two root canals I thank her for not letting me eat as much candy as I wanted or I would have had way more than two root canals by now. That being said Kate can come across as quite a task master, and a serious b*tch, but to be fair if I had 8 little ankle biters in my face all day and night I suspect I wouldn’t seem all that pleasant either. Not that I am necessarily pleasant to begin with.
This entire situation is unhealthy for everyone involved.
However, it appears to me that Jon is turning into dead weight. Kate is often seen with all 8 kids shopping, at the beach or sight seeing. Jon is never pictured with all 8 kids doing anything constructive. When Kate is away from home she is working (making money). When Jon is out and about he is drinking, shopping, on his quad or driving his sports car (that does not fit 8 kids).
Granted, Jon does not want to be part of the TV show but maybe he really does not want to be part of the family either. Just because he can not stand Kate does not mean that he should skip out on constructive family time. Is it me or is Jon turning into a free loader?
::I’m tired of everyone bashing Jon–can’t you see that Kate is playing this out perfect to be the victim??::
I have zero sympathy for either of these two. But I must say, as much as I dislike Kate, what kind of man allows his wife to speak to him like that? If he can’t respect himself enough to grow a pair and have stood up to her once and contributed to a pattern that has lasted for years and destroyed his family along with their rediculous life choices, he shares a lot of blame as well. People do to you what you let them do to you. I can’t imagine where those kids are going to get inspiration and a role model from.
I agree with the People magazine cover story…”Enough is Enough”. These folks have chosen their way of life and they have a right to live it. Leave them be and move on already. We all have our opinions and surely they would have opinions about how each of us raise our kids, but would I care? NO! Neither do they.
I honestly feel bad for both of them but Jon and Kate’s marriage appears to be over. It seems like Kate is somewhat interested in trying to reconcile at least their friendship aspect of their marriage, however Jon’s attitude towards her and his family comes off careless and overwhelmed. I mean these kids are 5 and 8 years old. Its like he’s going through some kind of thirty-something crisis. How do you care for a child for so many years and then “admit” or begin to feel like “its too much” or that you need freedom. We all feel like that all the time, that emotion doesn’t just appear one day, lol. It is apparent Jon and Kate spent too much time together or were around each too much and became overwhelmed, but making excuses about not having time for themselves when they clearly have nannies and helpers is stupid. Normal Americans don’t have those luxuries and many of us don’t complain. I think its the fame getting to both of them and realizing, with the amount of money between them, they don’t really need each other anymore to take care of their children.
Kate is out there trying to promote her books and make a career out of what she has learned from being a sextuplet’s mother. Whats so wrong with that? I don’t want to take sides but, what is Jon doing? Going to Utah with his girlfriend while his daughter is with him and “helping handicap children ski” on his wife’s birthday? There’s nothing wrong with helping the handicapped, but on your wife’s birthday? Its apparent he is not interested in mending the relationship whatsoever. He should have stood up for himself from the beginning. If he really didn’t want to be belittled by his wife, he should have sat down with her and put his foot down. If Jon’s affair is real and still going on, she is clearly more interested in the fame and money to make herself sit next to him and pretend they are “working things out.” From my experience, being apart physically sometimes does help relationships by allowing you to clear your mind and think about what solutions can be brought forth to save a relationship.
Personally, don’t think they are exploiting the children. The children have gotten used to having the camera people around and it seems they have built a positive relationship with the crew, which has not come off negative at any point. The kids say a few lines here and there but it isn’t anything they are being forced to do. This is just my opinion, and I can see why others would feel different, but the children’s overall attitude and mental state appears to be good. They don’t look sad or upset and don’t appear to be acting out.
I really like this show and have watched it for a long time, but I think its time to pull the plug. Not only will Jon and Kate suffer more emotionally in the long run, but eventually the children will understand and will act out their frustrations. It would be nice to see them back as a happy family like in Season 3 and 4… but I can definitely see a spinoff of a Single Jon Gosselin or Supermom Kate with her 8 children. Hopefully TLC will maintain their fairly positive image and pull the plug soon.
I think US Weekly need to give this a rest now.
There was a reason why God did not make it so Kate could have children to begin with. Now that she took it all into her own control and made herself a clown car, now she makes money whining about the 8 blessings she had a friend write about in a book, to make more money. She spends her time playing victim because she is a mom of multiples (good grief, I have relatives who have had 12 kids, they made it and treated their kids with huge love and respect. Unlike the pieces of work Jon and Kate are. Self indulging immature narcissists. They have this unbelievable self entitlement and lack of gratitude. If it is not top line, top everything and given to them, they will discard of you. They expect it all and then to treat everyone below them. What God giveth’s He can taketh away, if they are not careful, those kids will be taken from them, either by the harm and risk they put the kids in, by them growing up old enough to call their parents greed and see they were used by Mom and Dad and they discard their parents like Kate does everyone from their lives, or God may send the right professional in to file the abuse forms, the verbal, emotional and mental abuse the mother displayes and in how she humiliates her spouse and kids for money. Denies the kids of her love unless playing up for the camera. Jon whines, drinks, smokes weed, is a wus and immature. He is a girly boy who thinks he is manly by sleeping with young chicks as if he is in college (wait until he gets one of them prego now too), and he rides a silly JD tractor to haul his trash out, ooooooo, hard working, both of them. Put them on a farm, make them slosh through manure and work out in the hot sun in fields for a summer. Then they may have reason to whine, but they gripe and moan about the life they do have, about the kids they did want and have because Kate originally could not have kids, once they get some thing, they don’t want it or complain about it, or want better, or the biggest and best, and they feel entitled to it, even if it is lying to churches to get love offerings still saying how they don’t know how they will afford colleges. Sorry but I’m not giving a love offering so Kate can get her nails done or so Jon can go buy shoots for women 10 years younger then him, so they can continue to use people for their own greedy agenda? They exploit and use their kids and those kids will probably never be allowed a dime of it, and it is the kids who made them the money, no one tunes in to see Jon and Kate, only the smiling 8, when theys mile, but when mommy is unhappy, they are all unhappy which is the majority of the time. Kate is an awful woman and a horrible role model for any child, look how they will grow up, abusing their spouses, entitled to the world and what others have, they won’t work for anything, they’ll just assume and expect it should be catered, it’s all they know, the fame and fortune will go away and they won’t know how to cope, turn to drugs, behavioral problems, suicide, the worst is yet to happen in this family. Some one save the children NOW, before it is too late. Some professionals and advocates need to step in and insist on parenting classes, frequent counseling, frequent stops in when cameras are not on and when kids can be honest, although Kate will have them forever living in fear of her and scared to have a voice of their own, without mommy dearest prompting their every move, the way they dress. They have no private or personal boundaries, they are unhealthily enmeshed and isolated, not encouraged to have friends over or engage in play with anyone but their siblings, not encouraged to be individuals or dress apart. Jon and Kate, you are ruining 8 innocent lives. You even use God and His word, for your own agenda, when you want to put Him in your life or appear, for outer appearance sake. I think you both need to re-think your priorities, look where your greed has taken you so far, me me me me me me, all about me, my instant gratification, sex, alcohol, drugs, affairs, things, clothes, money, big toys, big houses, me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me. It will catch up to you both and the ones you hurt are the innocent 8, you don’t deserve the precious 8, you deserve to have them taken away so the children can have a private childhood in the last years of their child development and a chance at a future as an adult. They need to be with loving parents who do appreciate them, love them unconditionally (not for what they can make their kids make in money for them, watch how unhappy those faces are on TV, in photos, they don’t smile much, unless prompted or when Kate pretends to play or care about them.) Heaven forbid if Kate had to lift a finger to take care of them or cook, clean, or if Jon had to actually use his JD tractor to mow the yard, but no, nannys, gardener, cleaning ladys, the works, hate to break one of her manicured nails or have Jon actually lose a few pounds doing some MANUAL labor.