About Jon and Kate Plus Or Minus Eight

[Poppy Fields]

A harrowing story indeed. It doesn't make sense to me that any woman would subject herself to such extremeties to become a mother if she wasn't inclined to favor children over career

I would not make that assumption. And even if that assumption were correct, it would only be correct until she changes her mind about her goals. Her choice.

It was that concept that sold TLC on doing a TV show and the rest, as they say, is history.

History is, indeed, the operative word. They are now promoting her, individually, without kids. She does appearances on the View and ET. Sans kids. To me, it appears that she has changed directions and wants a career on TV without kids. It looks like she might achieve this.

It's not an either/or choice for Kate. Her career IS her kids. Without them, she would still be a nurse in Reading PA, earning well below multi-millions.

We do not get to define what this woman's choices are. I don't believe, for a second, that she is locked into a 2-dimensional brand. Producers want HER for ratings boosts, not her kids. I feel she is entitled (reiterating here) to choose whatever career path she wants. Thank God she's not trying to raise those kids on a nursing degree (not a B.S., but a hospital nursing school degree; neither Kate nor John graduated from college ). They would be impoverished. Incidentally, both she and Jon have stated that they did not plan for multiples, but knew it was a possibility when taking fertility drugs. She did want another child and could not conceive one. They assumed the risk of multiples - which is different than planning for them.

The automatic derision of her by some is both amusing and perplexing to me. She's like the proverbial red flag in front of a bull. Ironically, this seems to just enable her to be more and more successful. The more controversial she is, the bigger her paychecks are. The only thing I ever thought ill of her for was her constant tabloid/Internet whining. I don't see much of her complaining on the Internet or in the tabloids anymore. That seems to be well in the past. History

Unless Kate is successful in re-branding herself, she too will be history (at least in terms of a television career). I hope she is successful in her plans, and that Jon is, too. Even if she is not, she will have the capital to pursue anything she turns her lights to. I wish them all every blessing.

[MizDaisy]

They are now promoting her, individually, without kids. She does appearances on the View and ET. Sans kids. To me, it appears that she has changed directions and wants a career on TV without kids. It looks like she might achieve this.

Since Kate+8 includes the kids, and is being promoted by TLC, she still very much needs the kids to maintain a continuing media presence since Twist of Kate isn't scheduled to premiere until the fall. Although the kids won't be on ToK, the premise of that show is about how she, as a mom of 8, can experience other families' challenges. So even when the kids aren't directly involved, she needs to use her status as mother in whatever she does. To me, that's not redefining yourself, it's using what brought you to the public's attention in the first place to continue to bring in an audience.

We do not get to define what this woman's choices are.

Kate defined her own choices: to have 8 children, to sell their lives to the media, to consistently represent herself, in books, appearances, interviews, as "just a mom." This is the strategy she chose to sell to the public and which she continues to use because without linking herself to her status as a mother of 8, in whatever she does, she has no career. The public did not impose that condition upon her--she chose it for herself.

Incidentally, both she and Jon have stated that they did not plan for multiples, but knew it was a possibility when taking fertility drugs. She did want another child and could not conceive one. They assumed the risk of multiples - which is different than planning for them.

Whether or not she planned for multiples is less relevant than the fact that she very much wanted children despite her inability to conceive and rigorously purused fertility treatments to get what she wanted. I don't understand how anyone that determined to become a mother would, within a few years after achieving 8 kids, decide they're no longer the priority. I'm not questioning her right to change her mind about her priorities, of course she can. I just don't get it. But that's just me.

I don't see much of her complaining on the Internet or in the tabloids anymore. That seems to be well in the past.

Oh, I think Kate would be happy to continue complaining on the Internet or the tabloids, but I believe most of the venues that gave her the opportunity have moved on. She's quickly becoming yesterday's news as other stories take precedence. Hopefully for those kids, at least some of those multi-millions she's earned thus far have been saved because I suspect her 15 minutes are just about done.

[lilymax]

This is not about a hardworking mom who used her own skills/talent through hard work and perserverance to become a multi-millionaire. Kate's journey to motherhood is well documented. In her own words, she's said that she wanted to become a mother so much she was willing to undergo fertility treatments not once but twice, and the second time endanger her own life and that of her babies to carry all of them as long as she could. A harrowing story indeed. It doesn't make sense to me that any woman would subject herself to such extremeties to become a mother if she wasn't inclined to favor children over career. Kate's entire branding strategy has been based on Kate as mother to 8 children, not Kate the high-powered multi-millionaire career woman. It was that concept that sold TLC on doing a TV show and the rest, as they say, is history. And that concept continues as the basis for K+8 (challenges of a single mom parenting 8 kids) and Twist of Kate (Kate visiting other moms). Motherhood is the theme that dominates everything she does--books, TV appearances, interviews. Throughout her stint on DWTS there were constant reminders that she was "just a mom," often mentioning her children/waving to them on camera, using her exhaustion as a mother of 8 as an excuse not to practice, etc. It's not an either/or choice for Kate. Her career IS her kids. Without them, she would still be a nurse in Reading PA, earning well below multi-millions.

Very well said! I might add that in my opinion Kate DOES appear to value money and especially fame over her kids. She seems to not like being around them. I also think she is a horrible mother, based on what we have seen, and that is what she is so "famous" for. As you said, she did nothing on her own merits to become famous.

[Bearcata]

Very well said! I might add that in my opinion Kate DOES appear to value money and especially fame over her kids. She seems to not like being around them. I also think she is a horrible mother, based on what we have seen, and that is what she is so "famous" for. As you said, she did nothing on her own merits to become famous.

Well, you could say she planned it all. After all she went ahead and had that many kids and then used the Christian family values circuit to raise money to support herself and the kids to a lifestyle that was much grander then before.

[lilymax]

True. I happen to believe Kate DID plan the whole thing, not to the nth degree maybe, because she would have wanted things to turn out better than they did. Her nasty personality and the fact that she was more than willing to let people see it probably kept her from getting as far as she would like. Time will tell.

A dubious distinction though, to be sure. Having planned the use of unborn babies to acheive fame and fortune. Ugly.

[mushybrain]

I believe that the nanny issue was raised by another poster, as in "they see more of the nannies than the parents." That, I contend, is true for most children.

I would point out that Kate Plus Eight is not a series and it doesn't involve the daily filming those kids were used to. It's also quite finite in terms of lifespan. Twist of Kate doesn't include them.

I'm happy to hear that no one really thinks that the Gosselins are likely to lose custody of their kids.

It is being reported that Kate Plus 8 will be a weekly series beginning August 30th. Sorry kids. Not only did your parents and TLC/Figure 8 steal your summer having you dragged across the country to work in sweltering heat and in contrived scenarios, but now you will be lucky enough to be filmed even more after school and on weekends. This is not shocking information considering the constant filming TLC was doing, and continues to do, this summer.

As far as Twist of Kate, I don't believe for a second that there will EVER be a Twist of Kate show. It was advertised that it would appear in the spring, then the summer, then the fall. They even supposedly filmed some for it, but all that has suspiciously ceased. Then they said that the kids would appear sometimes on Twist of Kate. Now there is not one word from TLC about it. I am convinced that it was just a carrot TLC dangled in front of Kate until they could get their clutches into the kids full time again. They know that Kate is just not marketable without her kids and the pity parties she throws for herself that revolve around them.

[Poppy Fields]

It is being reported that Kate Plus 8 will be a weekly series beginning August 30th. Sorry kids. Not only did your parents and TLC/Figure 8 steal your summer having you dragged across the country to work in sweltering heat and in contrived scenarios, but now you will be lucky enough to be filmed even more after school and on weekends. This is not shocking information considering the constant filming TLC was doing, and continues to do, this summer.

I haven't seen this reported and I searched for it with no luck. Do you have link to the report?

[mushybrain]

I haven't seen this reported and I searched for it with no luck. Do you have link to the report?

Hi Poppy. It was reported on a fan site that is run by one of Kate's most ardent admirers. I am really hoping it is not true.

[Poppy Fields]

Hi Poppy. It was reported on a fan site that is run by one of Kate's most ardent admirers. I am really hoping it is not true.

Me, too.

[lilymax]

No big surprise I guess, if TLC does indeed make KP8 a weekly show. Sickening thought though, and I highly doubt it would have the pull that the original J&KP8 had to bring in the viewers. For one thing, Kate has become more and more despicable as time goes on, and I think people are seeing this, even if they were once fans. Maybe not all of them but some probably aren't interested anymore. For another, the kids themselves are not interesting now (if they ever were, to anybody other than those who just like to watch children). They aren't cute toddlers or babies and the show merely recycles the same activities over and over and over, ad nauseum. Trips and shopping and haircuts and dentists. It's all so mundane. It's all so pointless.

Something else I have noticed and I know some others have too is that these kids now look miserable, tired, and DONE. They look thin and they look unhappy in every set of photos that's been posted recently. I feel so badly for them. They are probably worn out. Kate has nothing but ugly expressions on her face when she is with those children. It must be a horrible existence for those kids to have cameras shoved in their faces especially since they don't appear to be happy or even healthy anymore. I'd like to think that people won't want to watch this on television. It would depress me, I know that. Kate already works my last nerve so I don't watch the show unless I catch it later on Youtube. When I do watch on Youtube, it usually fails to keep my attention. I've fallen asleep a number of times or just stopped watching because of Kate and her screeching and carrying on. She treats those children horribly.

I hope there is no Twist of Kate, and I agree there probably won't be. This woman cannot hold an audience by herself. I really can't imagine many people would watch, even to see her make a fool of herself.

For the sake of these kids I hope the show tanks and will never be a weekly series again. Maybe they could have some normalcy in their lives.