KATE GOSSELIN: HOW SHE FOOLED THE WORLD - THE RISE AND FALL OF A REALITY TV QUEEN

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KATE GOSSELIN: HOW SHE FOOLED THE WORLD - THE RISE AND FALL OF A REALITY TV QUEEN Page 52

by Robert Hoffman


  I have seen pictures of an obviously drunk Kate Gosselin. I have never personally seen Kate drinking, but I have seen her recycling bin, and there have always been plenty of discarded wine bottles in it. In fairness to Kate, many parents have a drink or more at the end of the day to calm their nerves. If I were in Kate’s shoes, I’d probably drink myself to sleep at night, too. But here’s the difference: we other parents have not lied about drinking in order to market ourselves to a Christian fan base; we have not branded ourselves publicly as an example of great parenting; and we have not been interviewed stating over and over again that we are selfless and everything we do is for our kids. The fact of the matter is that no one would care much at all whether Kate likes to drink if she, herself, hadn’t lied about it, and if she drinks responsibly.

  Kate’s drinking is only relevant because, given her volatile nature, there is concern about what would happen if she were drinking while being angry with the children or, possibly more worrisome, while driving with the kids in the car at her usual very high speeds.

  Kate has said in the past that she doesn’t drink at all. On March 19, 2011, while she was in New York City for a “pre-birthday celebration,” a paparazzo who was shooting video asked Kate if he could buy her a shot for her birthday. She replied, “I don’t do shots.” (And yet, I have a photo of Kate pounding shots.) The pap asked her what she drinks, and she answered, “wine.” So it just begs the question: Why all the lying about drinking? Oh, right. Image is everything.

  The subject of drinking also comes up in some of Kate’s emails. Once again, these are only interesting because of Kate’s insistence early on that she doesn’t drink or that she just drinks wine.

  In December of 2008, Kate emailed Gina Neild and told her she was “Still not sleeping.” She said she was listening to her music and still couldn’t get over “those delish choc martinis”. Kate said, “oh baby, keep those away from me! :)”

  On Thursday, January 1, 2009, at 8:31 AM, Kate sent an email to Gina assuring her that she was going to “totally behave on this occasion!” Kate continued by saying “No more drinking” and she had “drank my fill for a long while…” She told Gina that her New Year’s resolution was “no more drinking!”

  Later that same morning, Gina responded to Kate, saying that she had a chocolate martini waiting for her. Kate replied: “Oh man don’t tempt me!!!! ... But you know my new years resolution.....I wonder how long that will last?! :)”

  Here are a couple of other things Kate said about drinks and drinking in emails: Actually ate yesterday.... And not planning to eat much on Sunday.... So darn yummy! Just drinking... Lightly!” and “We tried out our pom martini recipe last night... It’s perfection!”

  And here are a couple of examples of Kate tweeting to people who have mentioned something about wine to her:

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 and I’ve heard red wine is good for u n moderation; Awesome!

  My rare treat… Merlots lately. I’m a light weight so a bottle lasts a looonggg time lol

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 We are joining you for movie night. “Hugo” at our house. A glass of wine in place of popcorn. Enjoy your night.

  hey! Me too! A very rare glass here.. Had to wonder if wine was spoiled, lol! I think it’s ok… Loving movie so far!

  These are both examples of Kate-speak. She often says the exact opposite of the truth, even if nobody asks. She makes a point of acting like she doesn’t drink much by saying things such as, “My rare treat,” and “a bottle lasts a looonggg time.” In the same way she often says, “No lie,” her use of the word “rare” in both these tweets tells us that it isn’t a rare occurrence at all. But Kate did have a professional “Media Trainer” and publicist for years feeding her the EXACT wording to use in any given situation. She must think that if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.

  RACISM

  “I dont c color”

  – Kate Gosselin

  Kate Gosselin is, at best, ignorant, and, at worst, a racist. She would disagree with this assessment, of course, because she believes she can do no wrong. She is either too self-engrossed as to be completely unaware of her intolerant and judgmental behavior, or she just doesn’t care. Neither of these reasons excuses her behavior.

  In June of 2012, Kate put any accusations that she is racist to rest through this Twitter exchange:

  you beter retweet me.. I’ve tweeted you twice & you keep ignoring! #racistpeoplethesedays

  REALLY??!Wow!A busy mom misses tweet& I’m accused of being racist?Harsh! I dont c color–God made us all! Have a fun day!

  Kate claims she doesn’t “c” color. If this is true, why then does she always feel compelled to describe people based on their ethnic appearance, even when such descriptions are completely unnecessary? These are some examples of Kate’s less than stellar moments as they pertain to the differences among us.

  “BLACK MAN”

  This is a paraphrased excerpt from Kate’s journal:

  October 2006

  The Gosselins were in New York City on their way to the American Girl store and they were in a hurry. Unfortunately there was a Hispanic parade right outside the store and the streets were barricaded!!!!

  Then, when they got to the store, the had to wait in a long line with everyone else waiting for their reservations. Kate said there was a big bodyguard (black man) who told them they would have to go to the end of the line and Kate said she wishes she could have seen his face when they were waved to the front of the line past everyone else!!!!

  I’m not sure how calling the bodyguard out as a “black man” had any relevance here. But it is true to form. Kate Gosselin has a habit of identifying people by their color or nationality, even when it is irrelevant to the story. She did this on page 35 of her first book, Multiple Blessings, when she talked about her second infertility doctor and said she saw “the concentration in the deep dark eyes of my African doctor as he himself tried to remain calm as the images unfolded.”

  Why did Kate have to call him her “African” doctor? He’s a doctor in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. She didn’t travel to Cape Town, South Africa, to see him. Does she refer to everyone in her life by their color or country of origin?

  The following exchange on Twitter pretty much sums up Kate’s ignorant nature. This tweeter is the only black woman I can remember Kate ever responding too. Perhaps Kate feels that black people need to be singled out and spoken to in a different manner.

  I am most grateful for my babies Jacob12Austin12Jayden10Kayla10Isaac9Gavin8Hannah8Abraham7Liam2 & my husband Brandon soblessed.

  you a supa momma! :) I think we could be friends who reallllly understand each other lol

  “you a supa momma?” I’m not usually nitpicky, and I tried to read this several different ways to give Kate the benefit of the doubt, but I can only see this as being very racist. If you look at this woman’s Twitter feed from the same time as Kate’s response to her, you’ll see how articulate she is and how she actually spells out her words and uses complete sentences, unlike Kate. This woman sounds like a very well-spoken, thoughtful, intelligent person. Yet Kate responds to her like she’s talking to some hip-hop or rap person. I don’t recall ever seeing Kate respond to anyone like that.

  Kate Gosselin just can’t put a filter on her mouth, or in this case, her fingers. This is what happens when Discovery’s Laurie Goldberg is no longer around to put words into Kate’s mouth for her.

  “MR CHOCOLATE”

  Besides Steve Neild, the Gosselins had another bodyguard who accompanied them on trips for filming. I met him and spoke to him several times while working for US Weekly. (I never talked to him for this book or for my US Weekly reporting. He was always completely professional and loyal to the family.) To give you a physical description, this bodyguard is a very large, athletic-looking black man whose muscular build actually makes him look like a bodyguard - unlike Steve.

  Thanks to Kate, the Gosselin children referred to him as “Mr. Chocolate.” She must
have thought that it would be cute to have her kids calling him that name. It would have been interesting to find out how he felt about it.

  “ASIAN BOYS AND GIRLS”

  Kate Gosselin has eight part-Asian children. Her ex-husband Jon is half Korean. What would ever possess her to think that her being photographed making a “slant-eye” pose with a big smile on her face could look anything other than disrespectful? This is an excerpt taken from my US Weekly reporting. Kate tells the kids that they are Asian boys and girls? Not just boys and girls? There is a big difference between celebrating your child’s cultural and ethnic heritage and making fun of it.

  Jon and Kate Gosselin PA Reporting

  November 2009

  Jon got back home just in time to get the girls loaded up to take them to a movie this afternoon with Judy the nanny. Judy had the girls hair done in pigtails and they looked so cute and were very excited about seeing the movie. The boys had seen it a week earlier they told me. They were seeing Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 3D.

  The paps followed Jon and were waiting at the theater entrance when Jon walked in with Hannah and Alexis. They walked inside and the girls were hamming it up for the paps videotaping them. Jon bought the tickets and gave the girls their 3D glasses and told them not to open them until they got inside the theater. Hannah opened hers right away and put them on and they were imitating Joel from a week ago saying in a very Asian accent, “Mommy says I’m an Asian boyyyyy. I’m an Aian Girlllll!” over and over.

  “MY OWN PERSONAL SWEATSHOP”

  Upon giving birth to the sextuplets and raising her total of offspring to eight, Kate joked, “Now I can open my own personal sweatshop some day.”

  “CHINA DOLLS”

  When discussing her children’s Asian genetics in an FAQ episode of Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht, the interviewer asked Kate about the kids looking more like Jon. Kate went a bit overboard, as is typical for Kate.

  Producer’s Question: “Oh, this is a good one. All eight of your children have the Korean characteristics. Is that common?

  Kate: “Um, I don’t know cause my kids are my kids, but I do know that when I was pregnant with Cara and Mady, Jon’s mom said to me one time, I hope you don’t expect your kids to look like you and I said, well no, actually I was hoping that they would look like Jon, picturing the little China doll babies, and um, because she said that the Korean, the Asian gene is very dominant, and she was right.

  Producer’s Question: “Everyone in the family is Asian except for you. Does that bother you?”

  Kate: “Not at all. I love it. The more Asian they can look, the better, and I actually wish I was Korean. And we all know that.”

  “I don’t know. I think they’re beautiful, and my kids are gorgeous and I don’t care how they look, they’re my kids and, I’ve never once cared that they didn’t look like me.”

  Let’s forget for a moment Kate’s crass “little China doll babies” comment, and focus on her answer to the producer’s question of whether it bothers her that everyone in the family is Asian except her. First, Kate says that it doesn’t bother her at all, but in the very next breath she contradicts herself and overcompensates by saying, “I actually wish I was Korean.” Then she flips back to saying that she has “never once cared that they didn’t look like me.” Her flip-flopping shows either a complete lack of genuineness (which is entirely consistent with her past words and actions), or a complete lack of cognitive ability.

  Before leaving this topic, we should also examine Kate’s comment that the “more Asian they can look, the better.” Given her track record, it would not be a stretch to think she means that the kids looking more Asian would make them more interesting and marketable for television. As much as Kate likes to engage in verbal gymnastics, the meanings behind her words are usually completely transparent.

  THE NANNY & PLANET NAILS

  This entry from my US Weekly reporting speaks to how Kate stereotypes people based on their race:

  Jon and Kate Gosselin PA Reporting

  September 2009

  A source tells me that Jon hired the main nanny, but Kate likes her a lot because “she’s Asian and she works 24/7 and she knows how to do hair and nails. Kate loves having Asians working for her. That’s why she goes to Planet Nails. It’s owned by Asians and she thinks they don’t get involved in other people’s business and they wouldn’t talk to reporters about her.”

  “OUR KOREAN FOOD MAKER”

  In the “Sextuplets Turn 3” episode of Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht, Jon proudly introduces his grandmother to the TLC audience.

  “This is my grandmother, Gammy,” Jon says.

  And, of course, the words that spring from Kate’s mouth when introducing Jon’s sweet little grandma to the TLC viewing audience is this:

  “This is our Korean food maker.”

  Kate is always so very nice and respectful.

  “RETARDED”

  Some people believe we have gone overboard in trying to be politically correct. While this may be true, it is still always best to avoid speaking words that could hurt someone’s feelings. It is probably pretty safe to say that using the word “retarded” in a derogatory manner is not acceptable and is thought to be particularly insensitive. Was Kate’s use of this word in her following journal entry, then, just an uncharacteristic slip, or is it a word that she throws around without consideration?

  January 2007

  Kate was talking about making an appointment with the doctor but she wasn’t happy with them so she referred to them as a retarded practice.

  Kate has also used the word “retarded” to describe people who get on her nerves or annoy her in some way. She did this in an email mentioned earlier.

  In April of 2012, Kate accepted a paid speaking job at Camp Barnabas, which is a Christian camp that provides life-changing opportunities to people with special needs. Her cavalier and insensitive use of the word “retarded” calls into question her motivation for taking this job. Was her heart truly in the right place, understanding the particular challenges of special needs individuals, or was she just interested in padding her wallet? Her words and actions make everything she does suspect.

  Someone who has known Kate for most of her life, who wishes to remain anonymous, said this about Kate:

  “If you don’t look like her, Kate considers you a second-class citizen.”

  WORK PERMITS AND THE 85/15 SPLIT

  In 2010, Pennsylvania State Representative Thomas Murt formally complained to then State Attorney General Tom Corbett and officials in the Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) that the Gosselin children lacked the proper work permits to appear on television in Pennsylvania, and couldn’t do so until they turned seven. This came about in response to rising concern and criticism that the Gosselin children were being exploited and working illegally. The L&I conducted an investigation into the matter, and their findings are summarized in the following Associated Press article.

  Pennsylvania opts for no legal action against ‘Jon & Kate Plus 8’ producers over child-labor issue.

  Published: Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 3:46 PM

  The Associated Press/file

  HORSHAM – Child-labor permits should have been obtained for the children appearing on the TLC television show “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” but the state will not take legal action against the producers, Pennsylvania regulators have concluded.

  No action will be taken provided a portion of the proceeds from the now-canceled reality show is put into a trust fund for Jon and Kate Gosselin’s children and child-labor permits are obtained for future filming, the state Department of Labor and Industry said in a five-page letter obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The letter was signed by a government attorney and sent to Figure 8 Films and Discovery Talent Services last month.

  It’s important to not that we did an investigation and we made sure the children were not in any danger or endangered as a result of the work they were doing,” said Labor and Industry press secretary Troy
Thompson.

  The agency ruled that the children were employed under the state’s Child Labor Law because of the direction they sometimes received, because of their continued participation in the series and because the Gosselins and others were paid for the show.

  It said that at least 15 percent of the gross proceeds, due to the children, must be placed in trust funds until they reach the age of 18 or unless needed for their safety, education, welfare or health. Laurie Goldberg, a spokeswoman for Discovery Talent Services and TLC, said Wednesday the trust was established in November and that the amount placed in trust exceeds the 15 percent level. Thompson said the new stipulations must be met or labor regulators may prosecute in the future. The letter said that Figure 8 Films, TLC, Discovery Talent Services, the Gosselins and other affiliated parties all deny there were violations of the child-labor law or that permits were required.

  Laurie Goldberg said Discovery Talent Services and TLC have complied with state labor regulations and continue to do so. She said they agreed to get the permits even though they maintain they are not required under state law. “These allegations are either completely inaccurate or a distorted representation for maximum attention,” she said.

 

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