There is quite a bit of chatter lately on a variety of blogs about the Gosselins regarding organizing a protest to stop the filming of Kate Plus 8. What are your feelings about Gosselin detractors planning boycotts and protests of “Kate Plus 8”? Take our latest poll and share your thoughts in our comment section.
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I could respect this if they were truly concerned for the children but that is so obviously not the case. The personal attacks on Kate,the name calling and the fact that none of the other reality families are involved makes it more than clear that this is nothing more than a witch hunt targeted at Kate . I personally find the Duggars situation appalling. The way they work those kids is disgusting and the fact that the older kids have to raise the younger ones just does not sit well with me. However that is just my opinion and it is certainly their right to raise their children the way they see fit. I do not watch their show and I do not follow their every move on the internet. I also do not understand why Jon gets a free pass for his behavior, if Kate were to pull the things he has she would be completely crucified. The irractic behavior of these people who call themselves child-advocates is frightening. How is helping the children by calling their mother super-tramp ,a narcissist,talking about her boobs,saying she wears hooker-heels and repeatedly saying she is a terrible mother. They are consumed with hate and negativity. They must have pathetic lives.
I agree with Carol. For example, on the Keep Kate Plus 8 Off the Air Facebook page, the majority of comments on the wall are all hateful comments towards Kate. It is transparent that it is not about the kids at all. If people were truly concerned about the welfare of kids in reality TV, why aren’t they trying to nip things in the bud so to speak and preventing new shows with the Jones and the Carpio families. Oh, right, because in their minds “child advocacy” is synonymous with “Kate Hate”.
The irractic behavior of these people who call themselves child-advocates is frightening.~Carol
Ita. I read somewhere that this was first planned to take place at the house of the Gs and they wanted to get word to the children that this was really to help them. They show the danger of putting yourself out there. People who think they know best for you and have no boundaries are a risk to being a celebrity. Of course, they’re the ones that are screaming the kids need saved. Ironic isn’t it. They are a virtual feeding frenzy. They’re also the ones yelling that Kate doesn’t need a bodyguard. Personally, I think every woman could use one. It’s especially necessary w/all the craziness out there.
I predict a flop of a protest. Maybe a couple of people who live close by will show up. Wonder if anyone will get creative and chain themselves to the steps of TLC.
I agree with Carol and Teresa E. And what’s funny (ironic) is that their boycotts and letters are only HELPING the popularity of Kate. I say go for it haters! The companies you write to and boycott know fabircation and malice and they also know when someone is good for the selling of their product.
I predict a flop of a protest. Maybe a couple of people who live close by will show up. Wonder if anyone will get creative and chain themselves to the steps of TLC.-Lily
I think so too Lily. A real flop. Creativity does not run through the bones of a hater. They should be chained to other places besides TLC’s steps. 🙂
The haters are so transparent it is ridiculous. I agree with Carol re the Duggars. The older children are not much better than indentured servants without the opportunity for education, and there is no public outcry about THEIR exploitation. The haters and their leaders are presumptuous enough to think that they know what goes on inside the Gosselin household and in the minds of everyone in their family. What they are are stalkers and cyberstalkers. Plain and simple. If they are using Jodi and Kevin as informants, they are even more misguided, as their info is two years old. What they are running is not a boycott. It’s a witch hunt. They are so filled with hate (and undeclared jealousy) of Kate Gosselin they don’t even realize what they are doing… To say they are sending a message to the children is laughable. The children love their parents and what do the haters hope to prove to the children as they try to tear the parents down in front of them? No one who cares about any child would do the things they are doing or say the things they are saying about Kate Gosselin and leave a trail for her children to read for posterity — all without one iota of firsthand knowledge.
I hope the press picks up on what scumbags these people are to go out of their way to ruin the lives and livelihood of a family they only know from TV. Keep patting yourselves on the back haters. I feel very confident that you will eventually pay for what you are doing in one type of court or another.
Well, they never managed to get J&K Plus 8 off the air. And Kate is still bringing in ratings on other shows. So, good luck with that, all you protesters and boycotters.
I am disgusted with the whole group!
They pretend this is all about the kids, but it’s really all about jealousy. The 15 min. attorney is in debt 166k and was whining all the blogs with that, now she’s trying to make money with this. Pathetic, Rebecca.
The man who came up with this “brilliant” idea is a wanna-be-famous “journalist” who never amounted to anything. He protested the protest of a funeral recently, and being the swell guy that he is, he brought eggs to throw at protesters. He was interviewed (don’t think it was aired) and the fame-bug hit him hard! He’s a loser, just trying to get attention.
When you look at these people as a group, they can sound sincere and do make some valid points. But as individuals, they’re really messed up people who have found kindred spirits in their misery.
I don’t know anything about Irene, can someone let me know how she fits into this?
Thanks!
I love this poll, but I wanted to choose “all of the above.”
The blogging, blogging, blogging keeps interest in Kate alive. Ask ROL and other tabloid sites if these anti-Kate bloggers make Kate seem good or bad for business. Gosselin stories draw the most comments by 100x more than the non-Gosselin gossip items.
I am looking forward to the coverage though. I don’t expect much.
i think irene is just a person who is so anti-kate she shows up on all the hate sites and others and makes some of the nastiest remarks i have read.
as far as the protests…just one more hate-fest behind a child-advocacy smokescreen.
having read a few different places the last couple of weeks can i just say how much i appreciate and respect y’all here at iw? you girls rock!
happymom says – I don’t know anything about Irene, can someone let me know how she fits into this?
I don’t know much other then she is a late edition on the scene, but she is everywhere. I don’t know that a 1/2 hour goes by without her posting on one of the hate blogs or her own Facebook page.
She seems to fancy herself some of activist, but how can you take her seriously with the (I am guessing) intentional substitution of “c’s” with “k’s” in all her comments?
Today on the lawyer’s blog, one of the child advocates commented quite cruelly about the weight of one of the young family friends who has babysitted the children regularly. What a caring, compassionate crowd these blogs attract. What did this young lady ever do to them, other than not sell Kate down the river?
Kimmie, thanks so much for the kind words and for your participation on IW. We appreciate you!
I’ve heard Irene’s name and thought she must be some sort of insider.
My mistake.
So, she’s just someone who hates Kate for no reason? It’s hard to believe that someone with no vested interest in this family (be it personal or financial) would invest so much time.
I am still puzzled…
BTW, this is a great blog!
Kiki says: So, good luck with that, all you protesters and boycotters.
I find it amusing too, Kiki.
I think some of the latecomers seem to think they invented the idea of boycotting. We have been through all this before. I remember posters on Gwop claiming they weren’t going to buy Proctor and Gamble because they were a sponsor of the original show (easier said than done – they make everything!) The point is their plan to derail Kate went no where fast. Instead, Kate had obstacles thrown at her that we couldn’t have predicted and still she managed to move forward and carve out new career opportunities beyond Kate Plus 8.
I have a question…
I’ve read that Kate did lose some major sponsors when rabid haters wrote the companies?
Is it true?
I think it was mean-spirited and hateful. How many people write an advertiser to say they purchased a product because they saw it on a certain show? I’m guessing companies don’t get letters like that?
When Kate’s new shows air, let’s all contact the companies with thanks and appreciation for supporting this single mom. Would that have any impact?
happymom,
I read that somewhere also but I doubt very much that is a fact. I think if people say it enough it eventually becomes known as “the truth.” If I am wrong, someone please feel free to correct me.
This whole boycott and protest thing is just ridiculous. This has been going on for just about two years now and Kate just seems to be moving forward.
There is someone who started a Facebook page in attempt to stop filming of Kate Plus 8. Yesterday she allowed a post about Kate being gay. She did get some irritated followers who commented that she should take it down and she responded that she was going to let it stand. I see that it is down now. Decisions, decisions. I would hate to be an advocate that has to struggle with decisions about taking down slander.
Everyone has great responses as usual. But what personally bothers me the most about these bloggers is the self imposed limitations they put on themselves as human beings and that is the saddest part of all.
pam irene is the one who had the gay psot about kate on her fb page. i saw it yesterday but try very hard to stay away fromt he hatefulness i see there.
🙂 thanks anya.
Pam, it is funny that’s is supposed to be about all the children but they only look to K+8 for products to boycott. As Anya pointed out, the boycott stuff is nothing new. They were always wanting to know if F8 films and now TLC worked w/in the law (only for J&K). Now they know. If they didn’t like the outcome their beef should be with the PA Labor.
Happymom, I don’t ever remember the show being hurt in anyway by the boycotts which weren’t enough people to be effective anyway. I do remember that the company Crooked Houses enjoyed a big surge of orders.
My theory is that these wackos are very upset that Kate is no longer a frumpy stay-at-home mom like most of them. She has her act together physically, dumped her loser husband, and gone on to fame and money via some form of “show business” type method of income (books, tv, etc.). I think they believe she has broken the rules by not being a SAHM anymore because a lot of them come right out and say it. Found myself in the same situation a few years back when I lost weight and returned to a full time job. In some way, my SAHM friends felt betrayed at first, then they got nasty.
My theory is that these wackos are very upset that Kate is no longer a frumpy stay-at-home mom like most of them. She has her act together physically, dumped her loser husband, and gone on to fame and money via some form of “show business” type method of income (books, tv, etc.). I think they believe she has broken the rules by not being a SAHM anymore because a lot of them come right out and say it. Found myself in the same situation a few years back when I lost weight and returned to a full time job. In some way, my SAHM friends felt betrayed at first, then they got nasty.
I think that’s a huge part of it. I think the hate is about a lot of things – one thing I don’t think it’s about is the kids. It’s about Kate. It’s always been about Kate. What she says, what she does, how much money she has, what shoes she wears. Sexism and classism abound on the Kate-hate sites. She had some detractors from the first, for being forthright and opinionated and not always “nice.” Then she got more conventionally attractive and polished, had more success, gained fame and money and nice things and the bile just exploded. Kate isn’t the only example of this – I know Katherine Heigl has a lot of haters, and I think it’s in large part due to similar factors: attractive, successful and outspoken. It just seems to push some women’s buttons to an unbelievable degree. Add in the echo chamber effect of message boards and blogs and you have a recipe for real craziness and complete loss of perspective.
(To be clear, I think there’s a difference between not liking Kate – or Katherine Heigl – and being over-the-top obsessed with badmouthing either one of them.)
i agree. i think so many of the people who hat ekate are truly jealous of all she has, that she looks so much better than before, that she gets her nails done etc. if it wasn’t jealousy why would they care if she lives int he house she does or goes back to a smaller one? or that she has the $$ to get her nails done?
so many of their posts read how *they* can’t afford this that or the other that kate can afford or is given to her. well i can’t afford all the stuff kate has/does or to live in the size/kind of house she does but i am not mad that she can. i’m glad they have a noce home and the kids can go to a really good school and have lots of neat experiences.
they are jealous or they wouldn’t nitpick about her clothes, hair, feet, body. it’s petty and jealousy. and that is why you can’t really take the child advocacy stuff they say seriously.
Of course it is not about the kids. If it was about the kids, they would realize that writing hateful things about their mother is not an act of kindness to the kids. If it was about the kids, they would care just as much about all the Duggars, Roloffs, Hayes kids. If it was about the kids, they wouldn’t being working so hard to bring Kate down and ultimately rip the kids away from their nice home and good school.
It is not about disliking Kate either. There will always be people who dislike her for whatever reason – her forthrightness, her ambition, her lack of awareness of the impact of what she says and she says it, etc.
It is about judgment, self-righteousness and jealousy.
They see snippets of time that Kate spends with the kids and assume they know everything about how she interacts with her kids. They judge how Kate talks to the kids, how much time she spends with them, how she spends the time with them, what choices she makes about their education, eating patterns, clothing, etc. They judge her weight, her clothes, how she spends her time when the kids are in school, etc. They clearly judge her presumed sexual behavior – swinging from berating her for having an affair with a married man to her being gay. (Irony here since they go out of their way to excuse Jon’s known sexual behavior.)
The haters also regularly inform everyone of their superiority – making it clear that they believe they know how everyone should parent …. just like they do.
And yes, there jealousy often seeps into their posts.
They also post a lot about their superiority
Paige,
Beautifully stated. Thank you.
I just read about the “silent 5 minute rally”. We’re supposed to think about what it’s like to be a Gosselin kid. I wonder, may I also think about being a Duggar, Roloff, Hayes, that family on WE, that new family with the designing parents, the kids on Wife Swap, those nanny shows, Funniest Home Videos, etc., etc? Not to mention, kids that are homeless, orphaned, beaten by their mother’s boyfriend, abducted in the night by a stranger and raped and beaten. No, I’m sure being a Gosselin kid is the worst.
Paige said…
It is about judgment, self-righteousness and jealousy.
ITA, and I just have to say..I find it very annoying when these kind of people start telling me what kind of mother I should be!
Kiki.. Great post,the funny thing is I don’t even think when it comes right down to it, the Gosselin kid’s even have it the worst, in the reality gendre. I’ve seen much more questionable things in regard’s to kids on several Real House Wives & T&T and that’s off the top of my head, I’m sure there are more. But it’s up to the parent’s, what they feel comfortable with I guess..It would be truly wonderful, if even a fraction of some of the Child Advocates time was spent really advocating for kid’s who actually may need it!!!! There are so many suffering children in the world why not pay it forward, save the hate for the real abuser’s of children.
P.S. Forgot to add If you MUST hate, save it for the real abuser’s & exploiter’s of kid’s.
Don’t you wish that instead of spending all of this time and energy on whatever they are doing “for the sake of the kids” that they would put that towards something more productive? Like becoming a CASA for a child in foster care, or volunteering at a children’s hospital, or working with Big Brothers/Big Sisters… There are REAL cases of child abuse in this world, and if the “KHaters” would put even half of the energy that they put towards hating Kate and their “boycotts” towards doing something real and helpful, this might be a better world to live in.
Whoever says that it’s about being judgemental is totally right on.
I’ve never seen it, because I consider it to be horrid, but doen’t TLC have a Toddlers in Tiaras show, or something like that?
I find that concept to be truly disturbing. Why not “save” the children who are truly being exploited before nit-picking about the ones who are okay?
Mama P, you are so right. There are thousands of neglected and abused children who truly need someone to help them. The Gosselin children certainly do not fall into that category . People who truly advocate for children do it out of concern for the children and not as an opportunity to be the star of a facebook page and an unpaid commentator for a newspaper blog.
Did we all join the rally tonight and take our 5 minutes to clear our heads? Something about a moment of clarity? Well I did and I have cleared all thoughts, words and the vision of Irene right out of my head. 😉
I have a great idea for the boyKotters. Why not give up Gosselin-blogging for a weeK?
Great idea, Ann. I think Serena Leigh Bell did. Or maybe she just re-invented herself.
We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Irene is not the least bit interested in solving it. She is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of Reality TV, and telling you Kate’s to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you bring down Kate Gosselin and TLC. You gather a group of middle age, middle class, middle income bloggers who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family, and American values and character, and you wave an old photo of what Kate Gosselin looked like after she had the sextuplets and you scream about Reality TV. You tell them she’s to blame for their lot in life. And you go on Facebook and you call her a whore.
We’ve got serious problems, and we need serious people. And if you want to talk about character, Irene, you’d better come at me with more than a “Clairty Rally” and a “Protest Rally. ” If you want to talk about character and Kate Gosselin, fine. Just tell me where and when, and I’ll show up. This is a time for serious people, Irene, and your fifteen minutes are up.
My name is NinaBell and I AM one of the owners of Imperfect Women
ps Does anyone know what movie I ripped this off from? 😉
And I hope you know I am just fooling around.
Michae Douglas was the president in it, right?
Um, it’s kind of a good point, Pam, though I have never read such an impassioned comment from you, lol!
Yes The American President. One of my favorite movies. I don’t know, that speech just popped into my head.. LOL
Ha! Good for you, Pam.
Did we all join the rally tonight and take our 5 minutes to clear our heads? Something about a moment of clarity? Well I did and I have cleared all thoughts, words and the vision of Irene right out of my head.
The funny thing is I have the feeling that for a lot of these women, clearing their heads is not a problem – there’s a lot of empty space there already.
🙂 How true Jennie ….how true
Pam, I love it!
Two years of Gosselin blogging has taught me how to separate the run-of-the-mill haters from the krazy ones. Guess which krowd Irene and the rest of her koffee klutch belong to?
(With apologies to my mom for my horrendous spelling. Trust me, she raised me better than that!)
Good one jennie………..and so very true!!!……….they don’t have an original thought……..they get it all from the rags and the other haters. Their ‘standing up for the kids’ is a smoke screen pure and simple……..so they can spew their venom. What must it be like to have all that nastiness inside of you???!!!………I shudder to think of it!!
Thanks for this site, owners……….it’s good to have a safe place to share good information and good thoughts for Kate.
Hello Mariposa and welcome!
I am neither a lover or a hater and, as a Canadian, live way too far away to join any protest. I can’t imagine hating or loving someone I don’t even know. I also have no desire to “bring Kate down”. I have no interest in her at all actually but if she can achieve success without involving her children — which I thought she was doing more and more — then good on her. She doesn’t particularly appeal to me as a commentator but clearly she does to alot of people and I only watch about half an hour of tv a day. For some reason, neither of the Gosselin adults seem to grasp the concept of privacy for the children which is something lots of celebrity families grapple with but still make it a priority. I can’t see how the kind of media exposure the Gosselin children have to live with can be a positive experience for them. I also do not see how continued filming can be positive for them. Surely, the parents have accumulated sufficient resources to be able to do special things with them without filming. Like I said, I am really quite neutral on Kate and only wish her well as she pursues an entertainment career. It is none of our business how much time she spends with her children or anything else. Just leave the kids out of it!
I should have mentioned too, just so you know, that I am a child advocate in my own small ways in my own community so I am not just Gosselin-centred in that respect.
@ ‘whatabouthekids” – Great comment!
I am a first time reader of this particular blog. When I fstarted reading, I thought it might be an unbiased blog. However, upon reading further into the Comments, I see mostly a dislike for Jon and a very strong promotion of Kate. Like the other blogger, I too am Canadian, and have watched from afar,on TV, the change in the Gosselins family situation.
I don’t have strong feelings either way, and I’m certainly not jealous or a hater, of anyone or anything. I’m not middle aged, nor do I blame Kate Gosseling for my lot in life. I have a great life, and only I am responsible whether I allow it to fail or be wonderful. I love to blog, yes, sometimes on about the Gosselins. However, I don’t believe that I have the right to bully or comment on a blog owners personal or financial situation, that is not the purpose of blogging, and it is none of my business. I do understand that a certain amount of responsibility must be assumed when one enters a comment on a blog, or is a blog Admins, and it should be expected that you are opening yourself up to a certain amount of criticism. But in no way, should it open the gates to allow bullying or plain rudeness and verbal attacks, just because a fellow blogger does not share your opinions. And as for whether Jon or Kate wish to persue a career in Hollywood; that is no ones business but their own. I appalaud any person wanting to get ahead in life. I do, however, feel sadness for their children, being left alone to be raised by nannies for a good portion of the time, having cameras in their faces, (TLC or Paps), and especially for the total lack of privacy in their little lives.
In my opinion, it is past time to remove them from the fish bowl they seem to be living in, and let them be regualar children. However, once again, that is none of my business, but only an opinion.
I think many of the Gosselin related bloggers, pro or con, have gotten consumed with cyber bullying of other bloggers, as well as being very disrespectful to Admins. We all have to admit that we enjoy saying our bit on these blogs, and relaying our opinions. However, when we begin to talk trash about anyone, (fellow bloggers, admins, gosselins, etc) we are taking ourselves down to a level that, in my opinion, invalidates any good that we may be trying to blog about.
I enjoy reading informative blogs, feel-good blogs, etc, and I believe that should be the purpose of blogging in general. When we start bashing our fellow internet neighbors, that just adds an intensified level of blog-rage, and feeds the negative frenzy. I hope to read more positive posts and comments in the future on this blog. Forget the other blogs and nay-sayers; let them wallow. Who cares. Yes we are imperfect women, but let’s be imperfect women of virtue!
Just my two Canadian cents. I hope this gets posted.
Thank you.
I do, however, feel sadness for their children, being left alone to be raised by nannies for a good portion of the time,
Abby Rose, the kids are not being raised by nannies. Yes, the nannies help Kate, but in no way are they being raised by nannies. That’s a mythical statemement that seems to be taken as truth. The kids are being raised by their parents (mainly the primary parent). The nannies are necessary for Kate to work, but they are certainly not being raised by nannies.
and especially for the total lack of privacy in their little lives.
There are rules and regulations set up for filming. Kate acknowleged that last season. If a kid doesn’t want to film, great, they don’t. But there are way more rules and regulations and the kids are protected with their privacy than what appears on the surface. The kids are happy with their life and they love their parents and family. Their life is not the ordinary life, but it’s theirs and the love it and are thriving.
My problem is with the paps and hate blogs that post those pictures and assume certain actions have happened and other run with it as truth. Or, even worse, put down, bash and crucify their mother. That hurts the kids the most.
My theory is that these wackos are very upset that Kate is no longer a frumpy stay-at-home mom like most of them. She has her act together physically, dumped her loser husband, and gone on to fame and money via some form of “show business” type method of income (books, tv, etc.). I think they believe she has broken the rules by not being a SAHM anymore because a lot of them come right out and say it. Found myself in the same situation a few years back when I lost weight and returned to a full time job. In some way, my SAHM friends felt betrayed at first, then they got nasty.
Well, Kate’s been hated for a looooong time. The wackos were upset before she dumped Jon so that theory is shot down. And she wasn’t all that put together either (Jon was her stylist back in the day), especially when you compare her to now. I’m sure jealously might play a part for a few people, but I think the haters hate Kate because she has an abrasive “forget you” attitude that made for some interesting confrontations but at times were also quite rude. However, it was that attitude that also attracted people to tune in to see what she was going to do next, as well as watching the really cute kids.
I have to say that I am sad that Kate plus 8 is going to be on the air – I think Kate should have given herself a chance to make it on her own before using her kids to make money.
Abby Rose,
I think that we here at Imperfect Women run a very positive blog. Have you looked around at anything other than the Gosselin Chatter section? Even in the Gosselin Chatter section we are pretty darn positive.
However, from time to time we will snark and we will have fun and we will make no excuses for it.
No one here has attacked anyone or bullied anyone . It would probably help when you make statements like that to be specific to what you are talking about.
Theresa,
That’s a lot of supposition on your part. Unless you are closely involved with the family, on a regular basis, you cannot state your opinions as fact.
I’m bothered by the strong zealots in both sides of the Gosselin issue. To stage a boycott and spend all your time spewing hate about a family you don’t know seems very unhealthy and more than a bit stalkerish to me. I find it equally troublesome to see the blind devotion of Kate by some of her fans. Neither side is looking at this properly, IMO.
I would like to see Kate succeed in a manner that allows her to support her children without having to film them. I don’t see the positives as outweighing the negatives on this issue.
Opinions, even strong opinions are fine. But not when it comes to such extremes from both sides.
let me just say this: just because a person has made x amount of $$ in the past, does not mean they still have x amount of $ or that they never have to work again.
i cannot believe how many times i have read that *surely kate has made enough $$ that she doesn’t have to ____________.* if that were true then with all the $$ my husband and i have made in the last 10 years we certainly shouldn’t have to work…or we could go back to the jobs we had years ago that paid so appallingly small salaries and live on that since we must have enough to live on for the rest of our lives saved away somewhere.
honestly do these people not have bills that eat up most of what they bring in every month?
i said it before and i’ll say it again, circumstances and people change. just because someone said or did something once before doesn’t mean they would do so again even in the same situation; i am so over *kate never gives cupcakes to boys* *kate never gives her kids milk (oh yeah she wants to keep them from growing)* *kate puts sick kids on the floor* *kate thinks her boys are icky*…gezz louise!
That’s a lot of supposition on your part. Unless you are closely involved with the family, on a regular basis, you cannot state your opinions as fact.
skeptic lady, I did not state my opinions as fact.
I do state my opnions without blinders. I stated it with a look as another point of view. Perhaps that’s what your intrepting as fact? I also interpret from your post that you think I have blind devotion for Kate? That is not true if that’s what you were implying. I do like her, I do understand the business that she is in and the demands. As woman who has a nanny, I do understand that people assume that the nanny is raising the kids. I find it offensive that people look thru the windows of others and make these assumptions just because that is not how they live their lives.
I also know that the public only sees a sliver of what their life is like. And, a lot of suppositions are extrapolated from that (and in a negative way), so don’t imply that my point of view is not valid because I point out the positive, rather than the negative.
I don’t see the positives as outweighing the negatives on this issue.
I didn’t say that.
Skeptic Lady-There is a precedent for families of high-profile, high order multiples to do periodic specials & magazine articles to balance the public interest in these kids that exist whether or not they ever were in a reality show. The McCaugheys do an annual special with Ann Curry on Dateline NBC, and the Dilleys do one with Diane Sawyer on ABC (plus a TV movie that painted a very harsh portrait of Mrs. Dilley’s mother).
I can understand you wanting to see Kate succeed in a manner that allows her to support the kids without filming them, but do you have any basis for believing that she’s yet reached that point? She has 8 kids to feed, clothe etc. Unless he does a major turnaround, it doesn’t appear that Jon will be able to contribute much once his escrowed share of the marital estate distribution (from which the $20,000.00 a month is being paid) is exhausted. She’ll have two kids hitting college age at the same time with 6 siblings arriving at that stage simultaneously a couple years later. Forget the myth that the Cwlth of PA has guaranteed the kids” education. The then Lt. Gov. of PA Catherine Baker Knoll (she died 1 1/2 years ago)) opened accounts in 2005 for each of the 8 kids to which the public could contribute under the state’s Tuition Account Program (TAP) a pet project of the Lt. Gov’s when she was PA Treasury Secretary. She may have contributed token amounts to open the accounts, but the state itself guaranteed nothing (the state doesn’t release what if anything was contributed to the accounts).
Kate’s in the opening stages of developing an independent career. No one knows how that will go. I think the prospects look promising but that’s not a guarantee of anything. As it is, she gets trashed for allegedly exploiting the kids by filming them but also gets trashed for doing anything on her own because, in the attackers view, it takes her away from the kids. IMHO, she’s smart to take advantage of the opportunities currently presenting themselves. Filming with the kids also means that she can work and be with the kids at the same time.
I don’t doubt you sincerely believe that the cons of filming the kids outweight the pros, but, can you concede that it’s possible that Kate’s in a better position to make that decision than you are?
skeptic lady says: I would like to see Kate succeed in a manner that allows her to support her children without having to film them.
sue says: I think Kate should have given herself a chance to make it on her own before using her kids to make money.
Fair enough, but let’s not forget how Kate has been vilified and mocked at every step as she has attempted to carve out a career separate from the kids.
And the detractors always have a “new” excuse for why it is not OK for her to pursue any opportunity in media or entertainment:
-“Too much time away from the kids. Let’s keep a calendar and note every single time she is away from the kids.” (Even though in the very next breath we proudly state how we think the kids are better off not having her there).
-“She only has been given these opportunities because of the kids.” Not true, IMO, but so what if the kids aren’t involved? The world isn’t “fair” people – hate to break that to you.
-“Who does she think she is – a star!?!” Always said with a good degree of venom and faked obliviousness about other “personalities” or reality show participants who have been given opportunities. It’s only Kate that doesn’t “deserve” them….. “Look at Jake – he is such a sweetheart!”
-And, of course, the endless mean-spirited mocking of her less than spectacular dancing or her learning on the job gigs for ET, etc.
The Kate detractors and those who claim it is all about the kids had a chance to prove us wrong and demonstrate that the nasty words they typed on the internet were just born out of frustration with the kids being filmed. Instead, they didn’t let up for one minute when “Jon and Kate Plus 8” ended. The vast majority ended up revealing what a bitter, jealous, small minded group they are really are and how obsessed they are with Kate.
Sorry for the hit and run post – I needed to take my daughter to tap so only had time for a short post, and I didn’t read through all the responses. I haven’t been around for a while for a couple of reasons, and I definitely haven’t been keeping up with the Gosselin gossip – (I don’t know if I should be happy or disappointed I missed the Serena Leigh Bell incident!) – so I’m sure there are things that have happened that I am totally not aware of.
There are sites that hate the Duggars too, and I’m sure if they (the Duggars) has the popularity of J&K, it would be more apparent. As I said before though, I think that people can’t stand Kate’s abrasive personality, and I think that the haters got more people on their side when the Gosselins stopped working and made their children their main source of income. But as for the effect of their boycott, I agree with everyone else – it will be a HUGE failure. I believe that there really are just a few hardcore haters, with some people who agree with their views but don’t feel as passionate and therefore would never follow through.
I wouldn’t put myself in the hater position (especially not along the lines of others) but I don’t really like most of the things Kate does either. I feel that if TLC tells her that she would get better ratings if she were to say she’s a SAHM, then she would portray herself as a SAHM even though I believe (totally my own impression not based on any facts) that she’s out trying to make herself a celebrity. I believe that she called the papparazzi to let them take photos of the kids (especially when she was on DWTS), even when she condemned Jon for doing the same. Overall, even though Kate would say she really believes in something, I think she just says it for effect so it matches the image she wants people to have of her, which I think is pretty dishonest.
I think the fact that Kate keeps reiterating that she needs to be on TV to support her family is pretty delusional thinking, considering TV careers isn’t the most reliable profession. Especially in this economy, I’m pretty unsympathetic with her viewpoint, especially when you consider how many people have lost their jobs and now have to make do on less. It can be done, she doesn’t have to support herself by being on TV (though granted, it is the most financially rewarding way if she could do it). The fact that she makes a conscience choice to keep her family in the spotlight, in light of the Gosselins’ past history is troubling to me. (And please, don’t tell me the show stopped and people still hounded her. She wasn’t forced to appear on the cover of whatever mag with her hair extentions. She actively worked to stay in the spotlight. (If she truly made a genuine effort to remove the family from the media glare, I might have a different opinion.)
Jennie – Any popular star has their detractors, it doesn’t matter who it is. No one is universally loved. The only reason it’s more noticeable with KH for you is that you are a fan of hers so it’s more on your radar. And the past couple of years she’s has a couple missteps, such as her emmy vs. writers comment, which made people more aware that she is a flawed person (vs. an idolize “perfect” star).
Paige – I agree with you on the judgment and and self-righteousness part, but I’ve never really understood the jealous part. I don’t think jealously plays as much of part in this as everyone else does. I would actually substitute crazy instead of jealous for the hardcord haters.
MamaP – I agree with you 100%.
Whatabout the kids – I agree with your post as well!
Momsby (and everyone else) – P.S. Forgot to add If you MUST hate, save it for the real abuser’s & exploiter’s of kid’s.
Let me just add a PSA here. One of the reasons I’ve been gone is because I am studying photography. Right now it’s just a hobby, but it’s something I’ve loved for a long time and am trying to be as good as I can. Please DO NOT share photos of your kids online in public forums. Always make them private, even on Facebook and MySpace (you never know about the friend of a friend.) I participate in several photography forums, and recently someone found a blog where this person is stealing photos of boys from other sites (primarily it looks like flickr) and placing them on his blog for others to view. These are normal, innocent, every day photos most people would not think twice about – however, it’s pretty obvious the purpose of this blog is to post the pictures for pedophiles. So, be careful about sharing your photos. No one wants there kids to be on a site like this.
Sorry for the long message! I wanted to make up for the short post I left earlier LOL.
Sue-While I agree that TV is not the most secure field, I don’t know of anywhere else where she can make the kind of money she does now, especially for the rather limited amount of time involved. You acknowledge that it is the most financially rewarding line of work for her. Whether they could manage with less, maybe they could, but why should they? I doubt that many or even any of those people scraping by in these hard economic times would reject out of hand a better standard of living. She’s kept her nursing license active, but, how many hours a day and how many days a week would she have to work in order to support the kids at any level? I don’t know of any nursing job that would allow her to have the kids with her so there still would have to be child care arrangements and expenses involved.
I’m not sure how you can believe you know Kate’s inner motivation. I know I don’t. She does appear to enjoy TV work. So what? Is there some rule against enjoying the work that brings your family the best income? I’m not sure what basis you have for blaming Kate for alerting the paparazzi. Where has she been seen with the kids that isn’t a regular part of their routine? You forget that one of Jon’s flings, who he also hired to be a babysitter for the kids, claims that he hacked Kate’s phone & computer & alerted the paps to where she’d be. Also, the paps didn’t start hounding them until Jon’s extracurricular antics started surfacing. It’s not like they would have had more privacy in their old house where people could come right up to the kids if they were riding their bikes in the driveway or even walk up and look in the windows. Should she pave and fence the back yard in their current house so the kids are in a really pretty prison & never let them be seen in the front yard or in public?
To the recent posters who came here and gave thier 2 cents I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW…….
Become a regular poster who looks at other articles and interests that this wonderful blog has to offer. We do not come here blindly thinking that Kate or Jon are perfect.Yes we are a bit snarky in regards to Jon, but he created that by his behavior and actions. Not to get over
bearing in religion but God does have a vision for all of us, in what I believe is a common bond with the regular posters is that post here . We understand that we are humans and ask for help with our higher power. My point is that we are not blinded by the love of Kate but we choose to understand her decisions that we feel she is being guided by.
Wow! Sorry, I didn’t make that purposely hard to read – I thought there were spaces between my paragraphs!
Anya – Fair enough, but let’s not forget how Kate has been vilified and mocked at every step as she has attempted to carve out a career separate from the kids. Anya, it’s obvious that Kate is more popular than ever. If Kate is being mocked and vilified, it’s by a small group of people who have no impact on her or her career. If I read this right, you are saying since she’s going to be mocked and vilified anyway, she might as well through her kids in the mix right along with her? OK, I know you really aren’t saying that, but:
The Kate detractors and those who claim it is all about the kids had a chance to prove us wrong and demonstrate that the nasty words they typed on the internet were just born out of frustration with the kids being filmed. Instead, they didn’t let up for one minute when “Jon and Kate Plus 8″ ended.
I’m going to say this from my point of view, which is believe is totally separate from the hardcore haters out there, though some might agree with me. I have always personally believed that as soon as Kate had a chance to have her TV show back , she would jump at the chance (because it would be so much more successful than anything she could do one her own IMHO), and that is exactly what happened. It was only a matter of time before Kate had those kids back on the air. So for me, when Kate never took her or her family (because it is my belief that she set up her own papparazzi shots) out of the spotlight nothing really seemed to change even though the show was over. The other opportunities she explored were just filler to keep her in the public eye until she got her show back.
It rubs me the wrong way when Kate says the only thing she can do to support her kids is to be a public figure, like she is owed a TV career. I think that Kate whole heartily embraces and believes that. However, the fact is that there are other ways to support her family (just anyone one who has been laid off), it’s just not going to be in the manner of her current lifestyle.
About the hardcore haters – anybody who’s popular is going to have their detractors, Kate is no different. It comes with the territory. It’s seems to me as if you are shocked this would happen, and I don’t understand that. These people are just like the gossips in your community, only Kate’s community is on a much larger scale. If Kate were to take her and her family out of the public eye for good, the majority of it would die down. However, there are always going to be those few loudmouths who won’t stop. But by then, most of us will have moved on to something else and won’t really care what they have to say.
Sue
PeggyP – I’ve made it clear that my posts are based on only my own opinion. It’s what I think, just like you disagree and believe different. I’ve never claimed to know Kate’s motivation.
Whether they could manage with less, maybe they could, but why should they?
Because their lives were turned into a media train wreck, and I don’t see how that can be healthy for them. And again, this is just my personal opinion, but the way TLC used the explosion of the Gosselin marriage for ratings gain, really bothered me. They showed a lack of class and sensitivity to profit off of a family’s misery and I believe that is abhorable. No one knows the effect this will have on the kids, but my personal opinion is that the negatives will outweigh the positives. And again, I will say that I wished Kate tried to make it ON HER OWN in television, before she put kids back on the TV show.
You put a lot of assumptions into my post that were not there. If you disagree with what I say, please make sure I actually said it. I never said that Kate should give up her TV career, just that a TV career isn’t her only option to support her family. As for the papparazzi pics, there sure did seem more frequent with her and the kids when she was a contestant on DWTS now, didn’t they? The pics of her and her dance partner playing with the kids were well timed, don’t you think? Or was playing outside with the kids part of her dance practice? Because let’s face it, if Kate didn’t want the kids to be photographed, there were other places they could be when her dance partner arrived – but how boring is that and there would have been no cute photo op, right?
Diane – I have been a regular poster from back in the GDNNOP days, I’ve just been gone for a while.
As for the papparazzi pics, there sure did seem more frequent with her and the kids when she was a contestant on DWTS now, didn’t they?
I think they were more prevalent when Jon was trying to sue for custody at the beginning of DWTS to prove she was an absentee mom. As we’ve seen with videos on Radar Online, he invites and courts them.
I must be honest Sue, I’ve never seen the pap pics of the kids with her dance partner. I’m sure there are pics and don’t doubt you, I just haven’t actively looked at other sites to see them. But from all the bitching Kate has done about the paparrazzi, it seems incongruent that Kate would actively allow the paps to take pics. Maybe there are pics she did allow via ABC and DWTS? I was impressed that we didn’t see the kids at all on DWTS. We saw their basement, but that was it.
I also think the kids shouldn’t be made prisoners of their own home just because paps stake them out with zoom lenses. I think it’s sad that paps hide in the bushes and at the gate just to take their pictures and make their living off these kids.
Theresa – The pictures I saw were People.com. The only website I go to is PopEater, and it has links on it to others such as Radar Online, People and EW. It was a picture of Kate, her partner and the kids playing outside. I don’t think that the kids should be made prisoners in there own home either, but I believe Kate knew the picture would make for a good photo op which is why the kids were conveniently out at the time so the paparazzi could get it.
But from all the bitching Kate has done about the paparrazzi, it seems incongruent that Kate would actively allow the paps to take pics.
This is an example of what I most dislike about Kate – she says one thing but will do another. She has said how much she hates the papparrazzi, and (rightly so) complained about Jon’s relationship with them. Granted, Kate doesn’t use them like Jon does, however, came it comes down to it, Kate did the same exact thing she claimed to hate because she knows it would benefit her. Kate has experience on how to avoid the paparrazzi, and could have brought the kids in the house for 15 minutes, which would have prevented the picture from taking place.
Here are 2 I could find while she was on DWTS – those these aren’t the ones I remember seeing, though:
http://ll-media.tmz.com/2010/03/10/0310_tony_dovolani_inf-1.jpg
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blogs.babble.com/famecrawler/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/INFphoto_1233597.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blogs.babble.com/famecrawler/2010/04/02/kate-gosselin-hangs-up-her-dancing-shoes-for-playdate-with-8/&usg=__lWenuRYDg5MgjXphAKFtAtHMHIE=&h=1172&w=1766&sz=1438&hl=en&start=29&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=VnXie2bCVzOE_M:&tbnh=100&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkate%2Bgosselin%2Band%2Btony%2Bdovolani%2Bkids%2Bplaying%2Bpeople%2Bpictures%26start%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1
Hi everyone. Hi Sue! Nice to see you.
Because their lives were turned into a media train wreck, and I don’t see how that can be healthy for them.~Sue
I was thinking the other day how I thought the show would surely end when Jon was caught leaving Deanna’s house in the early a.m. Kate was under contract at the time, but she didn’t have to sign a new one. I’m waiting to see what the new show will be like. It sounds like travel specials.
I would like to think that Kate is smart enough to know she’s not going to be in the public eye forever and trying to hang on to what to what her and Jon had achieved for their family and making it while she can. W/going through the divorce and the new responsibilities that brings, I can see why she would grab at those opportunities. The house is nice. For what they paid, the size of their family and the land, I would want to keep it too. There’s a lot of emotion w/home and it’s hard thing to have to sell the house.
In reality, we got such a small glimpse of the lives of the children On the blogs (and now in the media), every instance was expounded into something profound for the hater cause and the stories spread. Such as “Kate is horrible, no cupcakes on your bd and no water for Mady!” 🙂 While every celebrity has it’s detractors; what’s so interesting w/Kate is she’s criticized for her parenting when she’s known for is a being a mom.
As for the paps, Kate consistently ignores them. I really think she doesn’t want the kids exposed to them, but I wouldn’t want them to control my life either. The times, they have caught her smiling, she looks odd because she has a “pap mask” most of the time. It was also so odd to see her w/Tony. It was obvious that Tony likes the publicity w/the paps. How do you lock up your kids or tell them they can’t play where they want? That would burn me up. There really should be a law against it photographing the kids in their own yard. It’s so invasive. It’s a different type of exposure than tv. There’s no controlling what the tabloids write. It doesn’t seem right that the only option is for Kate to retreat.
FTR, it’s not often I say, “there should be law.” Children of celebrities (and child celebrities) have always been fodder for the tabs. However, the paps shouldn’t be able to take pics of the kids every time they step out of their front door. This has been going on for too long.
Sue- You say you never claimed to know Kate’s motivation. I can’t see how else to construe statements like, “Overall, even though Kate would say she really believes in something, I think she just says it for effect so it matches the image she wants people to have of her, which I think is pretty dishonest.”
I don’t recall ever seeing a photo of both Kate and Tony playing with the kids at the same time. I do recall seeing pictures of the kids greeting Tony when he arrived and Kate playing with the kids during a break (for which I saw her alternately being attacked for not being with the kids while practicing, for “exploiting” the kids by being seen and photographed with them, and for not showing sufficient commitment to DTWS by taking breaks) Again, unless she paved part of her back yard, fenced the area, and locked the kids in there preventing them from ever playing in front of the house, I don’t see how she could have avoided the paps getting photos from the road with telephoto lenses. Do you think that she should have kept the kids hidden away when Tony arrived? Kids greet invited visitor to family homes all the time. The paps were there almost all the time at that point, given that Jon, after making statements of support for Kate being on DTWS, promptly socked her with a custody action with his attorney du jour doing the litigating by media number.
It was Jon who frequented one tabloid TV show after another & the occasional network show, accusing Kate of all sorts of sins (who can ever forget his promos for the Insider “Where’s the 2 million dollars, Kate?) while denying looting the money market account. He breached the contract with TLC & it’s pretty clear that he was behind a lot of the nastier media stories; he pretty much admitted creating the rumor that Kate & Steve were having an affair. I don’t think it was possible or reasonable to expect Kate to never defend herself. Given what Jon said about her, I think her statements about him were remarkably restrained. I’ve read the newest book and she not only omits any negative statements about him but she makes many positive statements about him.
Whether you realize it or not, your posts reek of judging Kate and finding her terribly wanting. You say all you are doing is pointing out that she has other options to provide for her family. My response is what is in those options that would cause someone in her position to choose them as a better course for her family? I don’t know if she is making the right choices. I’m not psychic. However, nothing she has said or done has, IMHO, provided any reasonable basis for believing that she is doing anything other than, in good faith, trying to make the best possible choices for her and the kids.
Sue, thanks for the links.
This is an example of what I most dislike about Kate – she says one thing but will do another. She has said how much she hates the paparazzi, and (rightly so) complained about Jon’s relationship with them. Granted, Kate doesn’t use them like Jon does, however, came it comes down to it, Kate did the same exact thing she claimed to hate because she knows it would benefit her. Kate has experience on how to avoid the paparazzi, and could have brought the kids in the house for 15 minutes, which would have prevented the picture from taking place.
I still do not think Kate courted the paps’ pics nor do I think she allowed it. She has said many times that she ignores them. The pic of Tony arriving at the house, sure maybe she could’ve told them to stay inside, but Kate is also a woman who won’t bow down to others and not be true to herself and her family. It’s their house, so the kids can do what they choose and play where they want.
Quite honestly, looking at that pic of Tony arriving, sure looks like a zoom lens. They were captured in action.
I don’t understand why you’re so adamant that you know Kate put these pictures out there. That’s what I don’t agree with, but that’s your opinion and I’ve got mine., which is different.
However, nothing she has said or done has, IMHO, provided any reasonable basis for believing that she is doing anything other than, in good faith, trying to make the best possible choices for her and the kids.
Totally agree PeggyP!
Theresa-On the show in the last season where she took the boys to see the Navy ship, she said that there are times, when they are out like that (on the ferry IIRR), where there is no getting away from the paps, when she will agree to allow shots in order for them to agree to leave them alone for a while. I’ve heard other celebrities say the same thing. Do you remember when Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick had their little boy, they later stated that they deliberately left the hospital by the front entrance and let everyone photograph the three of them because they knew that, unless they did, the paps would be stalking them trying to get the money shot, the first photos of the baby particularly with either or both of his parents. Those kind of deals do not mean that the celebrities love or court the paps; but, so long as paps are allowed to swarm them when they are out in public with their kids, it sometimes is the only way to get some semblance of order.
Thanks for reminding me of that PeggyP and yes, now I see how she’d approve of pap pics, just to get them off their backs so they can enjoy their time.
There is certainly a difference with doing this (allowing them for the sake of privacy) than to blatanly and orchestrate pap pics, which is how I interpreted how Sue was saying Kate does. I may have misinterpreted Sue, but from her posts, I don’t think so.
PeggyP – Everyone has opinions that are based on a person’s experience, thoughts and beliefs. In my statement about Kate, I make it clear that it’s my opinion I am stating vs. making a comment based on evidence and facts. I don’t know Kate’s motivation, and unless you know her personally, I’m guessing you don’t either. Most of what is talked about here is conjecture, so really, it’s a toss up between who’s right and who’s wrong. We are having debates and opinions about people who we’ve never met (except for Samantha, sort of, who interviewed Jon – is she still here?) so aren’t we ALL judging them? The only difference is that you (and by you I mean for the most part, the posters on this blog) judge them favorably (but not blindly), while I judge them more critically?
In J&K and other things, there were inconsistencies in their statements that bother me more than they bother other people. Personally, I think the inconsistencies show the character of Jon and Kate, while the majority of the people who posted when I was here don’t. I am not going to try and convert you to my way of thinking; I just post my beliefs about Jon and Kate to give an alternative view and food for thought. As I said, we really will never know who is right or wrong anyway, and only time will tell how all this will affect the kids.
I actually agree with you that Kate thinks she is making the best decision for her kids. Kate has thought a lot of things that turned out to be wrong, just like we all do. However, I still stand by my statements. I wish Kate would have tried to make it in show business on her own before putting her kids back into the show, and I think the show is a train wreck and I don’t see how this can be healthy for the kids.
My response is what is in those options that would cause someone in her position to choose them as a better course for her family?
Well, at the risk of repeating myself, I will say again – I wish Kate would have tried to make it in show business on her own, before she brought the kids back into another TV show. Exactly, what, is your argument against that option?
Theresa – Let’s face it, Kate really doesn’t have to do much orchestra the situation – there are papparrazzi that follows her around. I do believe she knowingly allowed it to happen, and perhaps someone in Kate’s camp made a phone call saying when Tony was arriving. How many shots are there of her and the kids recently? If you judge from the time she got her extentions, the only ones that were taken were the few I pulled up. Personally, it’s too much of a coincidence for me. (Just like the “casual” drive in the convertible white Porche Tony and Kate drove around town in was just a drive and not for publicity purposes as well.)
Peggy said – Again, unless she paved part of her back yard, fenced the area, and locked the kids in there preventing them from ever playing in front of the house, I don’t see how she could have avoided the paps getting photos from the road with telephoto lenses. . . Kids greet invited visitor to family homes all the time. & Theresa said – but Kate is also a woman who won’t bow down to others and not be true to herself and her family. It’s their house, so the kids can do what they choose and play where they want. Yet the only visitor we see a picture of is the kids greeting is Tony? Maybe Kate really is as friendless as the hardcore haters think and no one else ever comes to visit.*
Do you think that she should have kept the kids hidden away when Tony arrived? If she didn’t want their picture taken, then yes, I think the kids should have greeted him inside.
The paps were there almost all the time at that point, given that Jon, after making statements of support for Kate being on DTWS, promptly socked her with a custody action.. And again, when Kate had custody – which is the only time period I am referring to – the only pictures we see of the kids is Kate taking a “break” to play with the kids (which apparently she only did once, since there’s only 1 picture of it*) and when Tony arrived. Are you trying to make my point for me that Kate used some well chosen moments to get some shots of her, the kids and Tony? Because if it was that easy to get them, and they were there all the time, wouldn’t there be more? And wouldn’t there be some current photos of the kids after she got kicked off the show? Theresa and Peggy, if you choose to believe that it was just luck that the paps only got pictures of the kids while Kate was competing on the show, then I don’t think there is anything I can say to change your mind.
*These comments are said tongue in cheek and not to be taken seriously.
Hey Lily! I agree with you that there should be a law that people should be allowed privacy on their own land. While every celebrity has it’s detractors; what’s so interesting w/Kate is she’s criticized for her parenting when she’s known for is a being a mom. Actually, that part doesn’t surprise me. Look at Martha Stewart – she’s criticized all the time for not cooking her own meals and making her own crafts.
Sue
Sue-I’ll leave you to your opinions except to make one point. You state: “Theresa and Peggy, if you choose to believe that it was just luck that the paps only got pictures of the kids while Kate was competing on the show, then I don’t think there is anything I can say to change your mind.” We don’t know all of the pictures that the paps took , what the subjects were, and/or how many they were. We only know what pictures were purchased by the media & later published. Kate could have no control of that whatsoever, yet you are using that as the foundation for your opinions. Of course. there are published photos of Tony arriving and of Kate playing with the kids when he was there to rehearse since not only was Kate on DTWS but Jon and his attorney had filed a custody action accusing her of being an absentee Mom. That’s also when, after a period where the media had pretty much stopped publishing photos of who dropped off and picked up the kids at the school bus stop, there was a sudden upsure.
Of course, the Kate and Tony in the car photo was clearly intended for publicity purposes, but you don’t see the kids in the car, do you?
I have been reading at other about the uncoming protest & the 5 min of Klarity. All the planners and commentors of the protest appear to be trying to outdo each other in the how to’s and what for’s of the planned event. Some of them sound nuttier than Jacks pony’s cojones, and others comments sound scary and way over the top. I personally feel each of them should turn all this energy into something positive for their own children.
It does not matter what anyone’s opinion is regarding filming the children because the fact is they will always be looked at, scrutinized, pointed at, have cameras pointed at them, and be rushed at by strangers. It is scary for the kids and I’m certain it is for Kate. I would perfer being filmed in a controlled environment with bodyguards anyday over the helter skelter. How do I know this? Everywhere we go people point, stare, rush at, touch, take pictures with their cameras, phones, or movie cameras, and/or try to talk to my girls. Even our church family rush at the girls. It is quite frightening to them and to me and Mr. L. I sometimes envy Kate with her nanny help and bodyguards. I can attest to the fact that they are absolutely needed for Kate & the 8.
My 5’s have just recently become very protective of the 3’s in public situations. On one hand I’m glad and on the other I feel that is too much responsibility for 5YO. I’ve seen this same attitude on the earlier shows from Mady & Cara toward the tups.
No matter what your opinion or my opinion is one thing is certain….children are resilient.
All the Gosselin children look healthy, happy, and well cared for. In the long run that is all that matters no matter what anyone thinks and no matter how many protests and moments of Klarity are organized.
BTW, I thought Kate was quite good as an interviewer. My dad thought she was Deborah Norville. Kate & Deborah are similar, sorta, kinda, anyway I thought his mistake was a compliment to Kate especially considering that Deborah is a pro.
I apologize if this post seems rambly. My entire house has been down with that stinky ole belly virus and we have just begun to keep ginger ale & crackers down. The girls enjoyed a breakfast of plain pasta this AM. Gotta get those carbs into them, you know. So far, so good.
Lindsay-Then you can empathize with what most obsessors of the Joel on the laundry room floor leave out-that it occurred over an 8 day period with all 6 of the little ones were either coming down with, in the throes of, or recovering from a similar bug & the point of the laundry room for any kid who couldn’t hit the basin was that it was closer to the kitchen so it was easier for Kate to keep an eye of the kid in question, it was a heated room, and it had a tile floor which could be easily cleaned as opposed to carpeting (also that Joel was lying on one blanket, covered with another, and had his pillow). Both Jon & Kate said they got almost no sleep during that siege.
Sue, I don’ t think it’s luck that those pictures were out. Kate is a part of pop culture. Pop culture is cyclical, especially due to the media and what is “hot” at that time. It’s the media that propels the cycle.
Theresa and Peggy, if you choose to believe that it was just luck that the paps only got pictures of the kids while Kate was competing on the show, then I don’t think there is anything I can say to change your mind.
I think we’ll always disagree on the issue of Kate. I like her, you don’t and you’ll always look for the bad and believe everything (or most things) is her fault, or she is doing wrong for the kids and I’ll see it a different way. You’re not going to change my mind and I’m not going to change yours (and that wasn’t the point of my posts).
On one of the hater sites there was a member of the paparazzi who I believe may have been responding to either a direct question or an earlier post. Not quite sure because I can’t bear to read those vile and disgusting post too much was just trying to figure out the protest.Anyway he said that Kate absolutely never tips off the paps and never responds to them and pretty much ignores them as much as possible. Jon on the other hand has been known to definetly tip off the paps himself, as well as some of the people surrounding him. Of course since this cast Kate in a somewhat favorable light, everyone on that site claimed this guy was a liar.Had he said Kate did tip the paps off and that Jon never did than of course he would have been considered a reliable source. There was also a blog on another site, also a Kate hater site that confirmed that Kate never tips pff the paps, but that Jon does it all the time. Apparently it is common knowledge among the paps. I know that this will not change the mind of anyone who is just so sure that Kate’ motives are always underhanded but I am just stating what I read,apparently from the paps themselves. The one guy said it it is pretty simple to get pictures of Kate and the kids, just hang out and wait for them to come out, they know where they get on and off the bus, and they know the places Kate frequents around town. I might also add the paps were never a problem until Jon started running around with women and doing one incredilbly out-rageous thing after the other, but somehow this was turned around to be Kate’s fault too.
There are so many children on TV that are not the target of Irenes “concern’ that it makes me
have to wonder about her motivation. Protest or not, they are not going to remove any or all
children from TV. If they are working with in the established laws and regulations, they are
actually protected from these sort of direct attacks. I am glad TLC knows they are coming.
It does sadden me that parents of 8 children have to be distracted from raising their own children
by these “child advocates. ” I fear some suffer from delusions of grandeur.
Yes Peggy P. I can empathize with Kate and placing a sick child on the floor close by for monitoring. Fortunely, my dad is retired and my mom took off work to help out with the sickness at our house (we live in the same house w/seperate private quarters).
My mom took the 4 girls out to the sunroom (slate floor) each with a sleeping bag and a barf bowl. They didn’t lay on the floor but on couches and chaise lounges covered with vinyl table clothes. It is very heart wrenching when your little ones are so pale and listless and feeling bad but they are ever so much better now and want to have a sleep out on the sunroom floor with their sleeping bags as an adventure.
A child’s imagination is wonderous. I hope and pray that these hurtful people who want to take Kate down would realize the wonder and excitement of interacting with their own children instead of spending 24/7 on the internet blogs hating on a beautiful caring mother they know nothing about except their own hateful made up lies and innuendos.
Just imagine how productive and happy their own children would be if they spent even 1/3 of the time on them that they spend blogging Kate hate. This consuming hate they spew has to have a negative impact on their own children. So all the conjectures of harm to 8 can surely be also applied to their own children
Lindsey,
Glad your family is on the mend. You must have had your hands full. I feel for you. Now I must get myself off to work. Hope everyone has a great day.
Sue says: If Kate is being mocked and vilified, it’s by a small group of people who have no impact on her or her career. If I read this right, you are saying since she’s going to be mocked and vilified anyway, she might as well through her kids in the mix right along with her? OK, I know you really aren’t saying that, but:
I agree that the haters are a relatively small group of people, but they have gone to extraordinary lengths to try and derail Kate having any sort of entertainment or media career – with or without the children. Remember calling the pastor? Spamming Amazon with all sorts of negative reviews of a book they didn’t read? Trying to ignite the tabloids to cover negative stories about Kate that are almost certainly not true, i.e. Kate having an affair with Steve?
These are not the actions of reasonable people who just happen to not care for a celebrity. I think it remains to be seen if the haters have caused Kate any permanent harm, but they have certainly tried.
Which brings me back to my point — I realize you and others believe Kate has been less than honest between what she says and what she does. Please understand there are those of us on the other side that are equally frustrated with Kate’s detractors who we believe are guilty of the same. Claiming their concern is “all about the kids” and their desire that the kids not be filmed while in the next breath mocking Kate on issues wholly unrelated to the children: What shoes she chooses to wear, her body shape, who she chooses to be friends with, etc.
Anyway, glad you checked in, Sue! Thanks for the important reminder about the family photographs on Facebook, etc. Glad to hear you have a new passion. Photography is an area I’d love to have more time to explore.
Peggy – you have a valid point that we don’t know if more pictures were taken, though given peoples interest in the kids I think they would appear somewhere. I’m sure they will start appearing more often when it gets closer to Kate plus 8 premieres. Watch for it.
Kate could have no control of that whatsoever, yet you are using that as the foundation for your opinions.
Actually, I was using the fact that I believe Kate would do everything she could do to win, including arranging to have the papparrazzi take some well timed photos, as the foundation of my argument. I should have made that more clear. My argument that I believe Kate should have tried to make it first in show business without the kids goes along with that theory. I responded to your question about Kate’s career, but you never answered mine. Kate had several options she was exploring in show business – don’t you think she should have tried to make it on her own? If she was successful, and it was only her primarily in the spotlight, don’t you think that would provide a good living for the kids and allow them to have some privacy?
Sue, I don’ t think it’s luck that those pictures were out. Kate is a part of pop culture. Pop culture is cyclical, especially due to the media and what is “hot” at that time. It’s the media that propels the cycle.
Theresa, publicists (and without a doubt, Kate has one) get paid a lot of money to make sure their client is “hot” and in the media. Publicists feed the media the information, which then the media use to propel the cycle.
And I just want to make it clear that I’m not disregarding comments about Jon, I just don’t think he factors in on this particular issue. I think he’s a scumbag, and I don’t think he would be the one calling the paps to help publicize Kate. I think he would to hurt her, but not help her.
Anya – These are not the actions of reasonable people who just happen to not care for a celebrity. I think it remains to be seen if the haters have caused Kate any permanent harm, but they have certainly tried.
I agree with you 100% that these people aren’t reasonable, and have what too much time on their hands. Writing fake reviews on Amazon isn’t limited to Kate or even show business. Did you read about the lady in London who got caught writing negative reviews of other professors science books, but left glowing reviews for her husband (that’s how she got caught.) This happened about a month ago. I think the fact that their tactics haven’t worked, and only people who blog about Kate know what they are saying shows how ineffective their tactics are. In regards to the story with Steve though, I think that is Jon’s responsibility which gave the story more credibility, which is how GWOP got it so far.
As I said before, I do understand that most here have a different opinion then I do, and I’m just trying to bring in a different perspective. I don’t expect to sway anyone in their feelings about Kate. I do understand your frustration with GWOP’s methods, but I do think some good has come out of it too. I have VERY happy that the state of Penn is paying more attention to the working conditions of the kids, and they now have specific guidelines in place to protect them. I don’t know if that would have happened if GWOP wasn’t so focal in their hate for Kate.
There are so many issues all tangled together here.
First, I stand by my contention that many of the hater bloggers are jealous. There are regular posts and comments about how difficult the author’s life is in comparison to Kate’s followed by statements of Kate not being worthy of the good the she has in her life. That is jealousy — not matter how you look at it.
Second, for many people posting here who don’t like Kate, privacy of children seems to be almost sacrosanct and I am wondering why is there this unsubstantiated claim that lack of privacy is bad and harmful to children. Where is it proven that a lack of privacy hurts kids? Where is the evidence?
Even if we assume that lack of privacy does hurt kids in some way, how do we weigh that against the benefits they realize? Would the Gosselin kids be better off if the public had never heard of them but their parents were struggling to make ends meet working long hours as a nurse and an IT specialist? We know they would live in a much smaller house, attend public school, and go on few, if any, vacations. All of us have to make trade offs in raising our kids – and there seems to be a blind assumption by some that the kids would not suffer just as much if not more if Kate tried to completely remove the family from any public activities.
I’m sure jealously might play a part for a few people, but I think the haters hate Kate because she has an abrasive “forget you” attitude that made for some interesting confrontations but at times were also quite rude. However, it was that attitude that also attracted people to tune in to see what she was going to do next, as well as watching the really cute kids.~Sue
There’s definitely the sense of injustice that Kate “has” and they “havenot”. I have read so many “alas, poor me” posts.
Sue, I had no idea that Martha Stewart was criticized for not making her own stuff. I would turn her show off whenever it came on. Her personality grates on my nerves. Although, like Kate, I admire her success. Kate is still different in my eyes. She’s not famous for anything other than being a person who had sextuplets. I don’t think her or Jon ever counted on becoming so well-known. I see it as a new category as a result of reality shows. I think it’s interesting because she’s a mom and she takes a lot of heat for everyday parenting decisions. How she takes her kids to school, what she wears around her kids, discipline; that kind of stuff.
Sue, Oops, I meant to add that I hope you’re enjoying your new hobby. Glad you’re doing something for yourself that you’ve been interested in.
Theresa, publicists (and without a doubt, Kate has one) get paid a lot of money to make sure their client is “hot” and in the media. Publicists feed the media the information, which then the media use to propel the cycle.
Sue, as a member of the media, I can tell you that publicists are not the #1 source for stories. They rank up there, but beleive me there are indeed sources better than the publicists. I agree…the media propels the cycle as do other factors.
Have a great weekend!
Sue-
I’m finding this a very interesting and informative dialogue. Thank you.
I see your point, but I’ll refer back to a point I made earlier. The route of doing specials is a compromise that other families of high order multiples make in order to achieve some balance between the public fascination with these kids (let’s face it; if it wasn’t there, Jon & Kate wouldn’t have been offered even one special. They were not even close to being the first set of sextuplets. It was the fact that Jon & Kate already had twins & then had sextuplets that got the attention.) and some privacy and control. The specials allow filming to be done infrequently and with crews and, in the McCaughey and Dilley cases, an interviewer with whom the families are comfortable. I don’t know the details of Kate’s deal with TLC but, I expect that, if prior patterns hold true, the interest in the kids will be there but less intense as they get older and approach adolescence I think Kate has made it clear that she knows perfectly well how insecure and ephemeral this all is. I do think she knows, unlike Jon, what it is like to really be scraping by on next to nothing and she wants to build up as much of a financial cushion as she can for the kids and herself while the opportunities present themselves. It might turn into something long term but there’s no way of being sure of that. I also think that the specials offer Kate an opportunity to bring earning money for the family and being with the kids at the same time. However, if she continues to be in demand (and it’s interesting that ET, which previously championed Jon, is now backing Kate) as a solo act, then I’d expect that the kids will appear less and less often, particularly as they get older and have more interests in friends and school that occupy their time and attention.
I won’t give GWOP and their ilk credit for anything. I don’t see the Gosselin children as being in any particular jeopardy. So far they appear natural, well-behaved but not TOO well-behaved, and comfortable when they are with their long-term crew. It’s shows like SuperNanny (much as I see her points) that make me nervous. Many of those children on that show are school age and I can’t imagine how that comes across to their schoolmates seeing them acting out and being disciplined. Personally, as to GWOP and the other sites, including US Magazine, that so viciously attack Kate, I don’t buy that they actually care about the kids. How does it help the kids to see magazine covers where their mother is portrayed as a monster?
There are real issues about protecting kids in reality shows. I think TLC is pretty careful but there are a lot of reality shows out there. But those issues would exist if Kate suddenly turned into Michelle Dugger, sweet and submissive. Kevin and Jodi allowed their children to be filmed for the show and the 8 were filmed in their house even when Jon & Kate weren’t there. The issue that allegedly provoked the split was what they claim were Kate’s objections to TLC offering them a contract (Kevin later admitted that they were paid $3300 (I think per episode) for filming in their house). So, no, I don’t buy that they suddenly have come to an epiphany that filming is bad.
The other so-called “child advocates” barely give lip service to children on other shows.
First of all I will like to clarify that my remarks were not directed at Sue. My comments were directed towards people who decide to come here and make statements without looking at the whole site and reading the undertone of the positivity that exists here. Why I have an issue with these “strangers” that come to post is that I have seen their names on some of the negative sites and feel when they visit here their intentions are dishonest. My whole disgust with the Boycott issue is to deny Kate that opportunity to film with the kids again is just being selfish and virtually glorifying yourself as a perfect human being.
Lindsey-I am one of four children born within 7 years of each other. We had everything together, including my younger brother who was a baby & who even had chicken pox in the diaper area. I really don’t know how my mother coped. My dad was very hands on, particularly for someone of his generation, but he was a school administrator and worked long hours. Both sets of grandparents lived close & that helped but my mother was born when her parents were nearly 40 and my dad didn’t get married until he was nearly 41 so our grandparents were very elderly.
I don’t have kids myself, but I am a devoted aunt and great-aunt and I have, at various times, looked after one or more of the kids (particularly the nieces and nephews when they were little) for hours or even a few days at a time. You’re right. You feel so bad for them when they are under the weather, particularly when they are too little to understand why they feel like they do & why mommy, daddy (or auntie<g>) can’t just make them better. I’ve long believed that one of the most critical and underrated milestones, up there with toilet training and walking, is when they finally learn how to blow their own noses and you can finally ditch the blue bulb things.
On the J & K episode in question, there were sick kids on every surface imaginable, curled up in chairs, the carpets, etc. The parents both said that while it was more overwhelming to have everyone at the same stage at the same time, having it staggered, the way it was on this outbreak, was worst because it dragged it out for so long. Kate said that it doubled their already formidable laundry. At one point (I just rewatched the episode, I don’t have that good a memory. It’s just that Joel on the laundry room floor is such an obsession with the Khaters that I wanted to remind myself what actually happened.) At one point, Kate herself (I wasn’t sure if she was just exhausted and/or suffering from the bug too) is curled up in a chair, covered by a blanket. Alexis cuddles with her & announces that Mommy is germy & asks why Mommy’s going to sleep. Alexis then announces that Mommy thinks she wants peace and quiet and hot chocolate & that Alexis likes peace and quiet & hot chocolate too. Kate agrees that she likes all of those. It’s a really sweet moment. Maybe that’s a new t-shirt: Peace, Quiet and Hot Chocolate.<g>
PeggyP said…
Maybe that’s a new t-shirt: Peace, Quiet and Hot Chocolate
I love it!!
Lindsey, it is so scary when little ones get that sick..I’ve been thinking about you guy’s!((Hugs))
ITA, the child advocate bandwagon on many of the icky sites if it was not so sad would be laughable!
Sue..you really truly believe that the hate on Kate movement is not having a negative impact on the Gosselin family? Maybe, we have not been reading at the same places then, because I really think it does.
I agree with whataboutthekids, abbyrose and Sue…Sue we might be best friends!
No one here has attacked anyone or bullied anyone . It would probably help when you make statements like that to be specific to what you are talking about
I gotta disagree with that. Some people on here attacked me constantly and attacked my family our religion and beliefs. I am not a super fan so I was attacked. Being normal and being on the side of the children was not popular.
Sue said,
You put a lot of assumptions into my post that were not there. If you disagree with what I say, please make sure I actually said it.
I used to say the same thing and then have everyone go after every word too! It is hard to discuss when some posters only want to hear bad things about one parent and syrupy sweet love notes to another parent. I too am a child advocate and it really, really bothers me that adults can just toss aside their welfare. Not all, just some.
I agree totally with you Sue. She is trying to be a star and it if it works out great. I would love to see both parents be able to support their family (like everyone else does) by themselves. If she can pull it off I am all for it. Does she have the talent? Does she have the training? Is she doing anything to adjust any experience/training? These kids can’t support their parents forever. They are not property they are people. They deserve to live a private childhood. I think both parents are guilty of calling photogs when they want and then cry foul on the other parent.
I also agree that if one wants to be in the public eye one must be prepared for slights against them. It happens to all celebs. It’s part of the package. Another thing about reality stars going Hollywood is the fact that old Hollywood does not accept them. Another hurdle to cross. I said this before, we only know Kate and Jon because they had 8 adorable kids. Is that enough to launch someone to being a star?
Momsby-I do love the t-shirt idea. Who knew little Alexis was a buddy philosopher? As for the impact on the kids, can you imagine Kate taking them anywhere that has a magazine rack?!? IIRR, they were limited in the amount of TV they could watch even pre-separation so maybe they missed Jon doing all those promos attacking Kate (where’s the $2,000.000.00, Kate?) before TLC got its injunction. Also, I can’t even begin to imagine the kids having to deal with the paparazzi. I don’t know about anyone else but, when I was that age, when I was catching the bus, I just wanted to be left alone to ease into the day.
Glad Lindsey’s kids are feeling better, too.
I gotta disagree with that. Some people on here attacked me constantly and attacked my family our religion and beliefs. I am not a super fan so I was attacked. Being normal and being on the side of the children was not popular.~Trixie
No Trixie, your family, religion and beliefs weren’t attacked. You were called on the stories you were spinning. You act so maligned when you twist comments and accuse others of calling J&K intolerant of the Catholic religion. While you’re acting all innocent and befuddled you rudely slam other posters. That would be the problem, not that you don’t like J&K.
No Trixie, your family, religion and beliefs weren’t attacked. You were called on the stories you were spinning. You act so maligned when you twist comments and accuse others of calling J&K intolerant of the Catholic religion. While you’re acting all innocent and befuddled you rudely slam other posters. That would be the problem, not that you don’t like J&K.
No I was called a liar. I was told that I could not possibly have ever met Kate/Jon and could not possibly think they would speak at any other Christian religion but their own. I said they were not intolerant and I was called a liar. I actually was defending them on this point and felt others were speaking ill of them on a pretty important topic. I actually have a higher opinion, I think, of her. She has an education, she has experience. I thought DWTS was a dumb move and now I am more convinced I was right. It has done nothing for Kate except cause more gossip and attacks against her. Am I wrong on that point? How has DWTS done any good? Do you not think she can support her kids without them on tv?
Both parents must move forward, they must make it work and they must support their own children. Nothing would make me happy then to see them succeed as individuals.
Paige – All I can say is that time can only tell for the kids. In my opinion, I can’t see how seeing my parents marriage self destruct in the public eye would be considered a positive, but I could be wrong. I hope Peggy doesn’t mind, but I am also going to use her example: How does it help the kids to see magazine covers where their mother is portrayed as a monster?
Lily (and Anya) – Thanks for the comments about my photography! It has really been fun (not to mention a little bit expensive!) but I’m enjoying it so far. However, the more I learn the more I realize how far I have to learn! I have to say though, finding out what can be done with photos is scary. Martha has a HUGE hate group following! Between the stories on how she berates her staff, to the fact she really isn’t that crafty. But I really do believe that just about any celebrity has their own hate group following.
Theresa – I agree that for most areas of journalism, pr people are just a small resource for journalists. However, I beg to differ when we are talking about celebrity news – unless you are talking about a magazine such as Vanity Fair or Rolling Stone, I still believe mags and TV shows like People and E! rely heavily on pr people. (I was in PR for a while, then moved to producing entertainment for corporate events.)
Peggy – Thank you for seeing that I was looking to have a discussion about this and not an attack! I first started posting on GDNNOP and GWOP just right before the whole Julie/Jodi thing started. I have say, at first, I was a big supporter of theirs. I can’t tell you how sad I was to find out that Jodi wasn’t as good as she was portraying herself to be, because I really felt that the kids needed someone in their family who cared about the kids and didn’t have a financial interest in them looking out for their best interests. I still believe the kids need that, which is why I am happy there is more oversight into the conditions of the show then there were when the show started. I know the motives of GWOP and Jodi and Kevin weren’t pure, but at least something good came out of their debacle.
Diane – I didn’t take offense to your comments or consider them an attack on me, and since I haven’t been around in a while, I can see why you would think that I might not be aware of all Imperfect Women has to offer. I know others have made hit and run comments here before, and I was just trying to separate myself from them.
Momsby – Sue..you really truly believe that the hate on Kate movement is not having a negative impact on the Gosselin family? Maybe, we have not been reading at the same places then, because I really think it does. I haven’t been to any of the hardcore hater sites in probably more than 10 months, so I really don’t have a clue what they are currently saying now. And that is sort of my point, unless you are active on the web talking about the Gosselins you really have no idea what the haters are doing so I think overall, the haters have very little influence. And I would have to say, if what the haters do are so bad and negative to the Gosselin family, and Kate is signing her family up for another TV show knowing that it will just bring even more negative attention to her family, that to me would be a sign of a bad parent. So I can only assume that Kate has considered the Kate Hater movement, and decided that the benefits of being in the public eye outweighs the negative.
Trixie – I haven’t been around in a while so I am not really sure where you stand on J&K. However, let me assure you that I am an equal opportunity debator, and just because some of my views might be the same as yours doesn’t mean that I think Kate is evil incarnate. Pam, Anya and others have gone out of their way to make me feel like I was a valued part of both Impefect Women and GDNNOP and even though I have disagreed with others here, I can say for the most part I do not feel attacked. While all comments are welcome here, most people here do like Kate, and they feel just as strong about their feelings as you do about yours. The chances I am going to convert anyone to my side is slim to none, and I fully expect others to defend their thoughts just like I defend mine. If you respect that, then I can’t see why you would have a problem here.
Sue, welcome back! I thought that was you. I hope your kids are well?
It’s nice to read your posts, especially the last one. I wish I had more time to respond on this thread. I will note that you are a valued memeber of IW. Your approach to debating these issues is why. I don’t think you’ve ever attacked anyone here, called them bigots, or announced that “being normal and being on the side of the children is not popular” here at IW.
Theresa – I agree that for most areas of journalism, pr people are just a small resource for journalists. However, I beg to differ when we are talking about celebrity news – unless you are talking about a magazine such as Vanity Fair or Rolling Stone, I still believe mags and TV shows like People and E! rely heavily on pr people. (I was in PR for a while, then moved to producing entertainment for corporate events.)
Sue, thanks for clarifying. Yes I was talking abut journalists…and yes, I agree with the part about celebs…pr must hand out something first than others run with it. We finally agree on something. 🙂
There’s no doubt these shows rely heavily on pr people. They also rely a lot on production and creative services people.
You’re job sounds very interesting Sue. Do you work for a company or are you home-based and work for yourself?
Sue says:
And I would have to say, if what the haters do are so bad and negative to the Gosselin family, and Kate is signing her family up for another TV show knowing that it will just bring even more negative attention to her family, that to me would be a sign of a bad parent. So I can only assume that Kate has considered the Kate Hater movement, and decided that the benefits of being in the public eye outweighs the negative.
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While we all weigh out our life decisions, I would hope unfair criticism would never cause a person to do what they feel is right for their families. I honestly feel the haters and hate sites are wrong. It would actually be an injustice if they could continue to say things that are not true but someone deciding whats best for their family could not follow through out of fear of their hateful words. It is they that should stop, not Kate. For me Paige s comment ( # 22 ) says it all and beautifully.
It is so nice to read the intelligent thoughtful comments here. Great discussion !
I agree Molly about Paige’s post #22. She’s spot on!
There’s a lot of strong emotion in everyone’s posts.
Wouldn’t it be best for the children if Kate could be a star in her own right, without including them in filming?
I don’t know if that’s possible, but it seems to me that would be the best answer.
I don’t know skeptic lady. Filming was stopped for what a year? The hate never missed a beat during that time. So therefore I would not consider it when making my decisions.
Now only a handful of specials will be produced. There is no need for all the hate drama over this. It is fueled by something else.
Molly-If anything, IMHO, the media interest in the kids intensified when filming stopped. It certainly increased the value of photos and videos of them doing the most mundane things (I mean, a regular gaggle of paps filming a bunch of young kids getting on and off a school bus !?!?!?). It’s why many celebs do arrange a formal photo shoot when they have a baby or the SJP/Matthew Broderick tactic of coming out the front door of the hospital with their first baby & letting all the paps snap away thus destroying the financial incentive to go to extremes to get a photo.
I guess I’m just wondering if there’s anything Kate could do to stop the haters. If she stopped filming the kids would people find something else to hate about her? And, WHY? That’s what I don’t understand. These people don’t know her, to the best of my knowledge, so why all this crazy hate?
I’m one of those people who does not think it’s in the best interests of the children to continue filming. If money can be made another way, I think it should be.
But I do not see the “child advocates” as really caring about the kids. I think they just hate Kate and have found a platform that makes them sound like they care.
What do you think?
Trixie, no one called you a liar for saying Jon and Kate aren’t religiously intolerant. You were called a liar because you mischaracterized the Catholic Church, you were not treated rudely for disagreeing you were called out on creating more gossip by your innuendo, and you put words in our mouths–something you claim we do to you. Just in case you need a refresher, here is the thread of which you are speaking.
Yes Peggy,
Media interest intensified. But I am talking about Kate not living her life according to the haters demands.
Molly-I agree with you. My point about the media interest intensifying with the kids off the air, and, let’s face it, they still aren’t on the air yet, is that the idea that if Kate just concentrated on her solo projects and the kids weren’t filmed that things would improve. Well, that’s exactly what’s happened, and it certainly didn’t have that effect. I think it’s long been clear that the extreme haters will find fault with whatever Kate says or does and find excuses for Jon. As for Kate, I think she should continue doing what she’s been doing: doing what she believes is the best course for her and the kids. I think the late, lamented Rick Nelson said it best in his classic song “Garden Party”: “‘and’ it’s all right now, learned my lesson well. You see, you can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.”
How did I mischaracterize the Catholic Church we belong to? There are degrees of observance in all churches which is why people find their own church within any religion. We are a liberal church with a strong belief in unity among all religions. Still mystified by the whole idea. Parents speaking on parenting is not unique to any one sect. Are you saying Erin Kate that you wouldn’t hear a speaker of another religion? You wouldn’t enjoy sharing common ideals with others?
Do you all still think DWTS was a good idea? Did it not just inflame the gossip and rhetoric? Am I the only one who thinks the parents can make it on their own? They can’t expect to ride the kids forever. They have their own education/experience from which to draw on. She and Jon should start to only consider serious projects and regain respect in whatever fields they dive into. As a couple they made a good team in regards to public appearances. Singly they don’t seem to be doing as well. I think they need to figure out what they are good at, what they enjoy and look for serious projects to fit. The children should not be the money makers. They should be allowed to drift off into obscurity and live normal lives.
Molly and PeggyP I agree with your points about what took place when filming stopped for the year. The interest in the family didn’t go away. Who is interested and what type of information were they seeking? These “child advocates” put 100s of comments on tabloid threads about the Gosselins, and they post paparazzie photos of the children on their blogs. The hypocrisy is amazing!
An example: There are photos of one of the Gosselin children covering his face over the past few weeks in the presence of paparazzi. Is he “not looking” as his mother instructs? Is he afraid? Is he shielding his face from the rain?
Who knows? The administrator of the lawyer’s blog does, and she claims he is sick of being famous. If that or any of these other reasons are true, why would she “reward” the paparazzi harassing him by using those pictures? In what world would a “child advocate” do that to the child they are advocating for?
“Here world, let’s all look at this poor boy who doesn’t want us to look at him. Let’s all reward the man who takes pictures of this child when the child is frightened or unhappy about it! Then we can blame his mom for our actions! It’s her fault we are harassing her child!!!”
That reasoning is stupid. Concern for the child is not driving that blog. Something else is.
Erin Kate,
Thanks for the link to the thread. trixie, your answers to your first paragraph are there.
trixie,
Do you all still think DWTS was a good idea? Did it not just inflame the gossip and rhetoric?
Yes, I think it was good money for a few weeks work and kept her name out there in the public eye as a bridge to her new shows. She also met key new people in the entertainment field and made some new friends. Her mom and sister came out in support of her, and I see that as immeasurably beneficial to her. I saw negatives, but not enough to convince me that on balance it was a bad idea.
Am I the only one who thinks the parents can make it on their own?
No. You can read 100s of comments of support for their individual projects right here at IW.
As a couple they made a good team in regards to public appearances. Singly they don’t seem to be doing as well.
This is an interesting observation. I agree that Jon isn’t doing as well. They are divorced, so they probably won’t be working together much anymore. With 2 new shows, a book, and these new temporary jobs Kate gets, like special DWTS correspondent or hosting The View, I think she is doing at least as well.
At the time, Trixie, you said you had no beliefs. Have you since converted? (How did I mischaracterize the Catholic Church we belong to? I’m not going to engage with you, you twist everything anyone says. In the end, you can’t argue with someone who continues to twist, twist, twist what was said. I just thought you may need a refresher course since you mentioned the above linked discussion and you mischaracterized it so totally.
I think it’s long been clear that the extreme haters will find fault with whatever Kate says or does and find excuses for Jon. As for Kate, I think she should continue doing what she’s been doing: doing what she believes is the best course for her and the kids. I think the late, lamented Rick Nelson said it best in his classic song “Garden Party”: “‘and’ it’s all right now, learned my lesson well. You see, you can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.”
Right on Peggy! Right on!
Ann, totally agree with your posts 103 and 104. Spot on.
I just looked at the lawyer’s blog, and a few things came to mind..
1. how can a real lawyer spend so much time blogging about a family she does not know?
2. She is rather obsessive. I would think that is something that is not good for her repuation.
3. She has a lot of pictures, pictures that only propel the frenzy of hate, especially throwing them out there like she does with the wild innuendo stories of what they “truly” mean. (once again, she was not there when they were taken, so how does she know what’s going on?). She’s spreading the lies and hate.
4. With posting these pictures, she’s only furthering the detriment to the Gosselin kids. If she were truly a lawyer, and truly an advocate, she wouldn’t have that site up, period.
5. She must be a sucky lawyer if she has the time to spread her hate and lies, if she is a lawyer at all.
Post #103 Ann & #106 Theresa – Agree completely. Nor would a true advocate have income generating ads on their site.
I think Jon would’ve done just fine on his own had he taken a different method in the media & with his life.
The method he took was claiming he was abused by Kate i.e. whining and constantly bashing the mother of his children publicly. He moved away from his children, yet claimed Kate tried to limit him seeing the children, he flaunted other women even though he wasn’t officially divorced yet, he made no efforts at doing anything constructive, all he did was party and play the big shot playboy. Every time Kate is doing something which brings media attention he pulls some stunt which again is negative. Therefore, his doing less well as a single than as part of a couple, is no one’s fault but his own. I don’t believe it’s an issue of being single versus being part of the couple.
Kate had many things to cope with during this past year, much of that brought about by Jon. I think Kate is finding her way while having to cope with not only Jon’s antics, but the main responsibility of the children. There is much talk that Kate should do something to further her career not based on the children. She did DWTS which wasn’t based on the children and is criticized for doing that. One of her knew shows – Twist of Kate is supposed to be her without the children. She did the Special Correspondent for DWTS for E which wasn’t based on the children and was quite good at it. Kate +8 isn’t going to be nearly the number of episodes which J & K +8 were. She became known because of the children. What I feel I see is a move towards developing her own career. First one has to find what niche is going to work and second one doesn’t go from ‘here’ to ‘there’ without some transition in between.
Ziggy-That was perfect! I totally agree with your analysis.
You hit the nail exactly on the head, Ziggy…..as usual.
Rather than accept any of the responsibility for the failure of the marriage, Jon tried to place all ‘blame’ on Kate, which is never the case, we all know that. I suspect this has been his method all of his life. I freely admit this is conjecture on my part, but we all know also that many children are brought up without having to take responsibility for their own actions. Do you recall the interview with Kate when she was speaking about the TLC contract they had??……….she mentioned that whereas she is someone who ‘follows the rules’, Jon is not a ‘rule follower’. He’s one of those people who think the rules don’t apply to him. And the people who keep finding and making excuses for him and his behavior are enablers. I truly hope he can learn to accept responsibility for his actions and move forward with his life in a healthy way. That would be the best gift he could give to his children.
No one that I know of has ever said Kate is a saint, but I personally respect her for the lessons she’s trying to teach her children about responsibility, hard work, honesty, respect and willingness to try their very best, no matter what the challenge. Each one of us would be severely embarrassed about something we’ve done or said if that one thing was taken out of context and focused on without looking at the entire picture…….and that’s what they’ve done to Kate………over and over again.
I feel Kate’s willingness to take part in TLC’s plan for the show with the children is mostly to allow them to have the opportunities for experiences they could never have if the cost had to come out of their budget. Who could afford to give that to their children??…..especially 8 children…..very few, that’s for sure. I feel Kate is trying to give her children more joy and more fun than what she had growing up. Isn’t that what we all try to do???………give our children more than what we had???
Mariposa – I agree with you. Although, as yourself, I seriously doubt this is a new behavior for Jon. Although I have read two of Kate’s books (I haven’t read 8 little faces yet) and she only praises him, I think a lot of her harshness to him on the show was reaction, not action. And often times we someone we love and depend upon, we don’t see their entire true nature, or allow ourselves to see it, until we are no longer ‘connected’ to that person. In addition, she kept in mind that her children will read her books someday.
What is boils down to for me in the most simplistic of terms, is I see Kate trying, and I don’t see Jon trying. Kate may fail at things, but at least she tries and takes responsibility for her short comings and failures. Jon doesn’t even try and then not only doesn’t take any responsibility for anything, he blames everyone else for his failures.
If one tries and fails, it isn’t really a failure if one grew from it and learned something from it.
But if one doesn’t even attempt, that is a failure.
I just read an 2 interesting articles. One was that studies show that when a celebrity spokesperson is dropped, that it does not affect 74% of the people who buy thoses brands. So having a boycott is not going to effect TLC and thier sponsor’s one bit. Kate is very well aware of how to conduct herself in the public eye. The DWST showed ABC what a gold mine she is.
The second article was on Popeater that Kate made 500,00 for being on DWTS. Bravo to Kate for negotiating what was best for her and the kids. Of course the usual snarky remarks were there that she didn’t mind making a fool out of herself for that amount.
Ziggy and Mariposa, I wholeheartedly agree with both of you.
Diane, that’s interesting about her pay for DWTS. Good for her. If I had 8 kids to feed and an ex-husband who isn’t really contributing financially, I would have have made a fool out of myself for that kind of money as well. Heck, I have a husband who DOES contribute, although things are very tight right now, and I’d probably make a fool out of myself for 1/10 that sum, lol!
I appreciate that they are doing the specials, because obviously there is an interest in what the kids are doing. I suspect that as they get older, there will just be fewer and fewer updates until there are no more made. And that’s a good thing.
Diane, that’s interesting about the affect of a dropped spokesperson on a product. Other than I might like the commercials, I pay very little attention to the product’s endorser. I go by if I like it and if it works. I read an article about the 500K Kate earned. I think it’s same one. Wtg Kate! That’s a nice chunk of change.
I don’t understand if the anti-Kate’s all are behind this new legislation that Murt is introducing why they would still have a prob w/Kate+8. What he’s proposing looks to be the same that TLC is doing now.
The bill restricts work hours of minors to between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
It also requires all minors to have a work permits issued by the Department of Labor and Industry, and that 15 percent of a minor’s gross earnings shall be set aside by the employer in a trust for the minor.
The wording for payment is a little strange. As I read it, for the G kids, TLC had to give them 15% of the profits in a trust (TLC said it was more). Murt’s proposed law is saying 15% of the child’s earnings need to be put in a trust. I wonder if it addresses payment in general? I bet since TLC stated that the entire G family is under contract that the children have wages in addition to the 15%. It makes good sense.
Is the boycott still on? I have not heard much about it lately.
Pam@IW says: Is the boycott still on? I have not heard much about it lately.
Interest in the boycott seems to wax and wane, doesn’t it? When new pictures of Jon and his girlfriend are posted or there is a bikini shot of Kate to blow-up and decode, the child advocates attention is easily diverted, it appears.
Anya, that is so funny and so true.
I don’t know about the boycott, they should have to watch the show first to see who the sponsors are. The protest was supposed to be this Wed. (last I read). I wonder if that is still supposed to happen? If those people weren’t so twisted w/hatred, I would be lmao at the thought of it.
So tacky of Jon to bring the gf to the house when Kate is not at home. So unnecessary, rude and insensitive. I was disgusted when I saw the video of him reading Kate’s book in Target (a week or two ago?). I keep hoping he will get it together, but his immaturity and strikes at Kate seem limitless. None of that is good for the kids.
Lily, I don’t know if you listened to the audio (if it was the same clip I saw of Jon reading Kate’s book) but Jon’s personal pap asked Jon if there was anything in the book about him. Jon said ‘yea, the first 20 chapters are all about me’.
I rolled in the floor laughing when I heard that. The book only has 13 chapters!!
I find it amazing that of all the reality shows that they could protest, they choose anyone Kate Gosselin is involved in. There are countless pure trash shows of young American kids drinking, sexing and fighting all over the television. … those kids are making money being trash and making other kids think trash is the way American youth should be. As I’ve said many times this isn’t about protecting anyone, it’s not about solving the problems of the youth today, it’s not about Kate and Jon’s children – it’s about their hate of Kate. If you don’t like her, don’t watch! The name calling that I’ve seen in these “save the children”, “get Kate off the air”, etc. type blogs, pages and comments is crazy. I don’t even know if I’ll watch. The anti-Katers surely must know they are keeping her “popular” by keeping the buzz about her alive…….or maybe not…… maybe they think they can change the world by bashing one woman. Amazing!
A few of them try from time to time to throw in kids from other shows to try to make their claims looks legitimate. But none do they give the attention to as they do Kate. Which only makes it that much more clear theirs is a hate campaign and nothing more.
Ziggy, thanks for letting me know. I did hear Jon say that but had no idea how many chapters there were. I was wondering why on earth he goes out of his way to publicly make a jerk out of himself. I didn’t have a problem w/him introducing his current gf..but then she’s shown at the house when Kate’s away w/Kate’s kids. That can be a real kick in the gut. That coming right after he filed for full-custody, the clip of him reading Kate’s book..well, it just doesn’t seem like he will ever stop.
maybe they think they can change the world by bashing one woman. Amazing!~Kat
Kat (wow, it’s so hard not to put an “e” on the end of your name). I love how you summed that up. I agree about the other shows they ignore. It’s all about how awful Kate is.
As for the new show, I am hoping that Kate+8 won’t be such a personal show as far as the children go. I just want to see them having a good time.
Ziggy as always I totally agree with you! (Sorry I am late to this discussion!)
Happymom your #12 comment is dead on.
IMO Kate doesn’t just have detractors…she has people that are really gunning for her. Between things I have seen on Twitter and a few other sites I follow, these people are actually trying to cause harm to her and people who have the nerve to publicly say they like her. Even if I didn’t like Kate at this point I would be in awe of her and how well she has dealt with all the back lash against her. On DWTS last night they showed a clip of her saying that 90% of people following her hate her. Why? Seriously….how can you hate someone that you don’t know??? IMO these people have some thing missing in their life. Their hate would always be directed at something and she is just where they’re directing at this moment. Some of what has been flying around the internet has actually made me lose a little faith in humanity. I wasn’t aware that there was that much hate out there. I guess I was just a little naive.
Craftymom – although I’m a unabashed Kate fan, this is also one of the things which drew me to the subject – the determination to destroy the life of someone one doesn’t know and if that life were destroyed, it would make no difference at all in the real lives of those out to destroy. Kate is not affecting their real lives at all. What Kate does or doesn’t do, how much she makes, how she raises her kids, how she dresses, etc. has nothing to do with their real lives.
The internet is a wonderful tool and a venue for entertainment, and to see people use it to spread hate and lies and try to destroy one humans life is just incomprehensible.
Incomprehensible is a good word. I guess it is hard for me to work my head around it because I am not a judgmental person. I am from the “walk a mile in their shoes” way of thinking.
I understand where some people come from with not having the kids faces in the media, but wasn’t it really a mute point once they were born? Most families of multiples have their kids in the magazines and on talk shows, I think some one cited the Dilley’s and Mulchahy’s(sp?) earlier. These kids were never destined to live in the shadows and in obscurity. And I know we don’t see them on a day to day basis, but I see enough children in my day to day that sure need a lot more assistance and advocacy than the Gosselin kids.
I am intrigued by this because I don’t get it! I’m a fan of Kate these days, but I still don’t particularly care for her. What I do care about is that people be treated kindly and with a sense of fairness. With such a crazy large group of people hating her, I feel almost obligated to support this woman. It’s my way of standing up to the bullies!
So was TLC forced to it’s knees today? Did they protest by not showing up?
The boycott against People has been so effective (snark). I saw Kate and the kids were the cover of this week’s issue.
From what I have read there are permit issues? Just another way to say ……….hmmm….how about no one is really interested ?
There are so many good comments/ points on this thread.
I have grown to like Kate more, skeptic lady, watching her negotiate her career in the face of these bullies. I admired her fortitude through the life-threatening pregnancy. I didn’t care for her interactions with Jon on the show. She whined too much for my tastes. Personally, I thought they filmed the family too much. I hated seeing any negativity from the kids, as normal as I know it is. I liked seeing them happy, playing, and going on fun field trips. Those are just my opinions though. I always thought the parents had the family’s best interests in mind. I know they know and love their kids. So I was not a Kate fan to start, but I do like her now. I really give her credit for admitting her mistakes and treating Jon very kindly in her books and interviews since the family troubles became public.
Ziggy, your observations about how the parents are trying/not trying is a good one. Jon has so many good qualities as a father. I hope he will be displaying that more.
No protest?
Were these “organizers” and “child advocates” and lawyer, cop, supermom lying? Or have they postponed the protest?
I’ve looked (I’m not familiar with most of the sites you refer to) for information on today’s BIG boycott.
I have found nothing! Seems the crazy haters weren’t too successful, if they tried at all.
My guess is that they prefer to be arm-chair protesters, and not really put in the effort to do anything.
As I’ve said before, I’m a reluctant Kate fan, but I was worried about what those people might do today to hurt her with TLC. Glad to say that my fears appear to be unfounded.
Yes, of course it fell apart………..there was no glue of truth to hold it together….they keep their sites and blogs running with smoke and mirrors. These people that spew all this hate do so because they are too cowardly to say the things they say aloud. They use the anonimity of the internet to say whatever comes to mind. I don’t know if it’s the fact that they have no life of their own, so they try to destroy someone else’s life, if it’s just a character flaw, or if they are just truly mean and evil people. It boggles my mind to think that anyone could spew forth with all the nasty things they say over and over!!!! I certainly hope they don’t have children they are teaching these lessons to!!
The protest was built up as being a major event.
Irene now claims she doesn’t know how it went or if it happened. I find it hard to belive that after all the hoopla, this “child advocate” is really in the dark.
This “Kelly” guy bugged me from the beginning. He was so self-important and happy with himself. Now he’s dropped off the surface of the earth?
I wonder what happened?
Well this was her response on her Facebook page:
Just wondering why we haven’t heard anything from Kelly about the protest. Did it Happen?
I don’t know. We did our part here. This was a grassroots idea amongst bloggers. We all live in so many parts of the United States. Kelly had questions about permits, etc. He is a super blogger and we appreciate his keen insights and contributions.
We here, wrote letters, emails, etc to people involved.
Also, Sherry T & I are in the beginning stages of planning one where we will personally travel to Silver Springs, Maryland. We will announce in the future when we have plans & dates.
Janet is contemplating one maybe in New York.
So anyone who is interested please message me on facebook or ask here.
So it looks like the show will go on….and on and on