'Jon & Kate' Season Premiere: Anger At The Media And Each Other

NEW YORK — Jon and Kate Gosselin arrived separately for their sextuplets' fifth birthday party. During the party, the spouses barely spoke to each other.

Clearly, the Gosselin marriage was under a strain as the new season started for the TLC series, "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

No wonder. The daily challenges of a super-size family with eight kids in the house have recently been overshadowed by reports that Jon and Kate cheated on each other. Both of them have denied the allegations.

But on Monday's premiere (along with scenes of the party), Kate and Jon addressed the media firestorm that has engulfed them from beyond the carefully tended boundaries of their own reality show.

"Did I ever think I'd see myself on the front of the tabloids?" said Kate indignantly. "Or see those words that are there? No. It kills me!"

And Jon, who insisted he was "being innocent and hanging out" despite reports of an affair with a 23-year-old schoolteacher, said, "I never read a tabloid magazine until I was in one. And the first one I bought was the last one I bought."

As they reflected on the scandals that have made their lives so difficult and put their marriage in peril, the Gosselins were filmed individually, each seated alone on a sofa _ in itself, a revealing touch.

"Very swiftly we turned into two different people," Kate said at one point, as she described how she has grown apart from her husband of 10 years, "and it's just hard."

While Kate has spent a lot of time on the road, making personal appearances for the show, Jon has mostly stayed home.

"So he's angry with me that he's home and I'm not," Kate said. "Yet he doesn't really feel great about me, so he wants me to travel.

"It is so involved I almost can't put it into words," she added wearily.

Kate expressed her own share of anger.

"I think the thing that makes me the maddest is: Jon made some mistakes and he was out and whatever, and that made people question him," she said. "I'm doing what I'm SUPPOSED to be doing. I'm working and traveling" _ which led to reports that she was having an affair with her bodyguard.

Declaring that she was only doing her job by traveling, she said, "I'll be darned if they're going to take me down with that."

"I have a lot of anger," she summed up, "because this is not where we were supposed to be, this is not what I envisioned for us."

Premiering two years ago, "Jon & Kate" is TLC's most-watched show, and has made the Gosselins famous. The arrival of its new season was highly anticipated and highly promoted.

"Jon and Kate face each other for the first time," an announcer teased on an ad that aired repeatedly beforehand.

And so they did, sort of, as they sat side-by-side on the sofa in the episode's final seconds.

An off-camera voice asked, "Do you guys know what the future holds?"

Both of them looked puzzled. Neither replied. Then the episode was over. The season had started with lots of suspense.

___

On the Net:

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/jon-and-kate/jon-and-kate.html

Comments

[tinaismad]

02:54 PM on 05/30/2009

I feel terrible for this family. Much of their grief was caused by tabloid vultures. I am praying they will lay off the family and find something else to put on their magazine covers. Just make it go away. Meanwhile, I try to forget I ever heard of this show.

[betterwaymoms]

09:07 PM on 05/28/2009

We're pulling for Jon & Kate, we have so much to say we wrote an entire article on it:
http://www.betterwaymoms.com/articles/59-jon-kate

[teresa43]

11:26 AM on 05/28/2009

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the birth of the world-famous Dionne quintuplets.

Annette, Cecile, Emilie, Marie and Yvonne Dionne were born in 1934 to an impoverished couple in the small town of Callander, Ontario, south of North Bay.

The five identical sisters were hailed as medical miracles for being the only known quints to survive more than a few days.

They were eventually removed from their family home and made wards of the state.

They spent the first nine years of their lives on display to millions of tourists in a specially-built hospital called “Quintland.”

In 1998, surviving sisters Annette, Cecile and Yvonne and their families received a four million-dollar settlement from the Ontario government for their childhood mistreatment.

There are only two remaining Dionne quintuplets — Annette and Cecile.

Emilie suffocated during an epileptic seizure in 1954 at the age of 20.

Marie died of a blood clot in her brain in 1970 at the age of 36.

And Yvonne died of cancer at age 67 in 2001.

Today also marks National Multiple Births Awareness Day.

The day was established in 2005 by the organization Multiple Births Canada to coincide with the Dionne quints’ birthdate.

[tigerlyly]

03:51 PM on 05/28/2009

The Dionne Quintuplets were born in 1934 and the abuse they speak of came from living in a compound where, "Approximately 6,000 people per day visited the observation gallery that surrounded an outdoor playground to view the Dionne sisters. Ample parking was provided and close to three million people walked through the gallery between 1936 and 1943."

Unfortunately, in those times the abilities of child protective services (and knowledge about child development) was more limited. For more information about how to report Pennsylvania child abuse: http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter5/subchapItoc.html

Getting worked up over the perceived harm to these kids appears to be more about condemning their parents for their supposed 'greed' considering the millions of Americans who barely get to see their children because of hours they work.

Instead of hating Kate or Jon 'for the sake of their children of course' why not help out in your neighborhood and be an advocate for a kid who doesn't have TLC to back them up.

[cmarmonhalm]

10:24 AM on 05/28/2009

When you subject your private life and family to a reality show you lose control of your privacy. Most couples that have appeared on reality TV have broken up but they took that chance for the almighty dollar and now they can't control the backlash.

Family is sacred...marriage is sacred and it's none of anyone else's business.

[peanut2005]

03:27 PM on 05/28/2009

Agreed!

[rjupiter]

02:48 AM on 05/28/2009

It's really important for a relationship to be based on common interests! Not the desire for quick fame. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_GnbY7nJl0

[tigerlyly]

11:09 PM on 05/27/2009

This show is tapped 3 days out of the week and when it's all said and done the kids will have an amazing record of their childhood. The show tends to focus on how the parents manage the kids and there's no material that would traumatize the children once they're grown.

All in all, I think it's just popular convention that being on television is harmful to children--no one can give any specifics about how these children are being harmed.

I know what is traumatizing for kids; having your parents work 24/7 just to make ends meet. I wish the public was more concerned with the real problems of struggling families as opposed to expressing their outrage for one families perceived 'greed'--when they're obviously making smart decisions that will help their family far into the future.

[Lisbeth35]

11:25 PM on 05/27/2009

yeah...it isn't harmful at all to have your private life thrown in the public spotlight. Just ask Jon and Kate how that turned out for their marriage, or the Dionne Quintuplets about their experience or the Loud Family.

[tigerlyly]

02:45 AM on 05/28/2009

The Dionne Quintuplets were born in 1934 and the abuse they speak of came from living in a compound where, "Approximately 6,000 people per day visited the observation gallery that surrounded an outdoor playground to view the Dionne sisters. Ample parking was provided and close to three million people walked through the gallery between 1936 and 1943."

Unfortunately, in those times the abilities of child protective services (and knowledge about child development) was more limited. For more information about how to report Pennsylvania child abuse: http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/049/chapter5/subchapItoc.html

I still think getting worked up over the perceived harm to these kids is more about condemning their parents for their supposed 'greed' considering the millions of Americans who barely get to see their children because of hours they work.

Instead of hating Kate or Jon 'for the sake of their children of course' why not help out in your neighborhood and be an advocate for a kid who doesn't have TLC to back them up.

[tinaismad]

09:33 PM on 05/27/2009

I never heard of Jon and Kate Plus 8 until this scandal appeared on the tabloids and I noticed it as I was standing in the grocery checkout line. I have watched a few episodes since then. I would say that this show is a good view into the stressful lives of everyone involved in raising multiples. Anyone considering fertility treatments should think hard. And remember that adoption may be a reasonable option instead of rolling the dice like Jon and Kate did. I have to give Jon and Kate much credit for the way they dealt with this situation. Especially Kate. However, it is clear from the way she devalues her husband on camera that she is buckling under the strain, and is also a controlling personality. Jon gets credit for hanging in there under that abuse. What to do now? This show has to end now. Those kids deserve a quieter, more private environment. Nobody wants to live in a fishbowl. Do we really need to see every activity they do? Including potty training? Too much information. This seems like a circus to me. Problem is, this show has become their living, their way of life. They need to turn off the cameras and get therapy. My sincere wishes and best of luck to all of them.

[Marnie1]

09:22 PM on 05/27/2009

The problem with MJ as a smoke is the same as the problem with cigarettes as a smoke. Its the smoke
.
Particularly the smoke that other people have to deal with.
Other people probably think it stinks.

Other people may have respiratory or heart of other medical problems (mine is asthma. Not only could the smoke trigger an attack, but being sedated during an asthma attack is very dangerous.) which are exacerbated by the fumes and particulates produced by burning.

Other people may not want to be sedated, may in fact need to be alert, for their and other people’s safety.

Any one who has lived in an apartment building and had neighbors who are heavy MJ users knows what a nightmare it is to be sedated against your will, and to have not recourse. (Moving is expensive and is no guarantee that you won't get another MJ puffing neighbor.) And there is also the problem that you end up reeking of MJ smoke, and no body is going to that you have not been smoking.

So, if MJ is such a good medicine, then it should be available by prescription and administered like a real medicine, orally, from an inhaler, absorbed from a patch, or by injection.
That the MJ argument tends to ignore the issue of other people's right to not smoke MJ, makes their arguments pretty damnable.

[Lisbeth35]

11:23 PM on 05/27/2009

The show isn't called "Jon smoked Mary Jane then ATE." It's Jon and Kate Plus 8.

You need to check the clock, because it isn't 4:20 around here.

[Lisbeth35]

11:27 PM on 05/27/2009

Dude. You so are not in the right spot to be posting this comment. Put the pipe down and share your insights when you are a little more clear headed.

[magic3400]

06:21 PM on 05/27/2009

It's all HOLLYWOOD make believe, I think the kids are a product of Industrial Light and Magic.

People magazine ran this article Monday May 25, 2009;

"Kate Gosselin's sister-in-law Julie is urging viewers not to watch TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8 premiere tonight.

...The episodes are also staged. Here's how it works...there is a staff of people reading these blogs and they base the shows around what people are talking about. I haven't watched many episodes, but I do know some of the behind the scenes events'.

A little "Reality" and a lot of "Show".

[leticia32]

04:11 PM on 05/27/2009

It's time for them to close the door. Their kids deserve privacy, regardless of what their parents are up to.

[JenniferWest]

03:50 PM on 05/27/2009

Split good for ratings. Not for kids though. Never watched it. Sounds awful. Is exploiting children in this way really worth the money? Don't think so.

[mosesmom]

02:53 PM on 05/27/2009

From an article in yesterday's Washington Post - an article written by Hank Stuever:

"Also there's the anachronistic, psychological freak show: Daddy is a sure-shooter and Mommy's body is a clown car; we have no purpose other than to eat, sleep, argue, reproduce and grow. Perpetuation of the family gene pool is our only purpose, and all costs (material or emotional) are beside the point."

A clown car !!!??? Perfect.

The whole article - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/24/AR2009052402680.html

[BJD44]

02:39 PM on 05/27/2009

******************************************************************************

WELL, ALL I CAN SAY IS THIS.....

UNTIL YOU'VE PERSONALLY RAISED 8 KIDS, DON'T POINT YOUR
STUPID FINGERS!!

******************************************************************************

[mpreston504]

03:12 PM on 05/27/2009

Nobody made them exploit their children on a reality show, that is the issue. It is dificult enough to raise 8 kids without the extra drama and exploitation that they brought into their family. Way to use all caps though to really get the point across that you don't get it.

[Lisbeth35]

05:41 PM on 05/27/2009

Do the Dionne Quintuplets point of view count then? Take a minute and read this letter, you might see what it is like for the kids in this charade...

Dear Bobbi and Kenny,

If we emerge momentarily from the privacy we have sought all our adult lives, it is only to send a message to the McCaughey family. We three would like you to know we feel a natural affinity and tenderness for your children. We hope your children receive more respect than we did. Their fate should be no different from that of other children. Multiple births should not be confused with entertainment, nor should they be an opportunity to sell products.

continued...

[UpstateNY]

12:11 PM on 05/27/2009

This is a 'reality' show???? Don't people know that everything they see is edited for maximum effect and snippets are taken out to promote the show. This isn't reality - it's a shameful exploitation of the children. While the parents choose to put their lives on the air for money (or whatever), the children had not choice. And their lives (which look like they are spinning out of control) are on public view.

There should be laws to protect the children from parents like these two!

[knowhelpnow]

12:11 PM on 05/27/2009

Ratings that is what it is all about you can only have so many shows watching even 8 kids lives, they have to put some real adult excitement into it, both have affairs.