[I have a story and photos of Kate Gosselin slated for the summer issue of a local magazine. It may never see the light of day based on recent headlines. But no one’s looking at the bigger picture…] The details of the Jon & Kate Gosselin story are getting uglier by the day. The wholesome Pennsylvania family blessed with eight gorgeous kids (a set of twins and sextuplets) and a reality show documenting their lives seems to have been derailed by fame, the media, or their own sense of entitlement – depending upon who you ask.
Clip shows like The Soup have been targeting the Gosselins and their TLC show, Jon & Kate Plus 8, for months. But it was business as usual at TLC. And mom Kate continued to make appearances promoting books about the family. There was a big “will they or won’t they” media blitz when Kate wanted to continue with a fifth season of the show and Jon most definitely did not. TLC announced the show would return, and everything in the Gosselin household hit the fan.
First there were rumors of infidelity on Jon’s part … followed shortly thereafter by the same against Kate. Kate spoke with The Today Show and said she was “hesitant to believe” the accusations against Jon and that they were handling it privately. Not so privately, it seems, as less than one week later she appeared on the cover of People magazine saying, "I don't know that we're in the same place anymore, that we want the same thing … I've been struggling with the question of 'Who is this person?' for a while."
The media blitz surrounding the family is larger than ever, and everybody’s got an opinion. Up until now, sources supposedly “close” to the couple have been cashing in. But now we’re even hearing that the marriage is over from Uncle Kevin and Aunt Jodi, Kate’s brother and sister-in-law. Viewers will remember Jodi from earlier seasons of J&K. Is this payback from Jodi for being cut out of the show and the children’s lives? Is this a publicity stunt by TLC to boost ratings for the May 25th summer season premier of Jon & Kate Plus 8?
It just doesn’t matter. Whether the headlines are true or not, who’s considering how all of this nonsense is affecting the children? I’m tired of hearing how much the Gosselin home is worth and how much they earn per episode. How can you put a price tag on what this controversy is doing to the kids? At ages eight and five, these children are heavily influenced by what they see and hear in the media – and in everyday places like school and the grocery store.
"Watching this family self-destruct should not be used as a form of entertainment," said Jodi.
If you love your kids as much as you profess to, Jon & Kate, please stop doing interviews and start going to counseling instead.
Great post!