Jon and Kate’s family need peace

Jayne Durnin/Staff Writer

Jon, Kate, Cara, Mady, Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah and Joel. Minus Jon.

We were first introduced to Jon and Kate Gosselin on May 10, 2004, when Kate gave birth to sextuplets to add to their twin girls. Three years later the family starred in their own TV show Jon and Kate Plus Eight. The show has had five extremely successful seasons. Around the fifth season, though, rumors started to circulate about infidelity on Jon’s as well as Kate’s part.

The Gosselins have dominated the media circuit ever since, on the cover of tabloids every other week and mentioned almost daily on gossip websites such as perezhilton.com. The process of their divorce has been documented in almost every magazine in the country. And now, as of Nov. 2, Jon and Kate Plus 8 will become Kate Plus 8 as a result of Jon’s recent antics.

The actual reason for firing of Jon Gosselin has not been disclosed, but TLC has said that the new show will be focused on Kate’s role as a single mother. They have said that Jon will still appear on the show but “on a less regular basis.”

“Given the recent changes in the family dynamics, it only makes sense for us to refresh and recalibrate the program to keep pace with the family,” TLC president Eileen O’Neill said. “The family has evolved, and we are attempting to evolve with it; we feel that Kate’s journey really resonates with our viewers.”

Presently, the show has been put on hold at Jon’s request. Kate said that the children want to continue to film, although Jon claims that the kids do not want the show to keep going. Kate’s reasons for filming are to provide the children with opportunities that they wouldn’t normally experience and, of course, to pay bills. With the show on hiatus, Kate says she’s been having trouble paying the bills, even though the children are financially protected.
Recently, Kate had an interview with the Today Show’s Meredith Vieira. In that interview she revealed that Jon cleaned out their joint bank account. Later that day, Jon said that Kate was hiding money. He said that Kate “had a bestselling book. Where’s that million dollars?”

In the meantime, Jon is still going ahead with his reality show project: “The Divorced Dad’s Club.” He intends to make his girlfriend Hailey Glassman a regular on the show. Also on the show would be Michael Lohan, Lindsey Lohan’s father.

Among Kate’s projects there is also a new TV show in the works. She will team up with Paula Deen, Southern cooking expert, for a show that is said to be a mix of celebrity gossip, health and beauty tips and advice.

But what’s next for the children? On television they appear to be happy, normal kids, but how could they be with all of the controversies surrounding their parents? They could be excellent little actors and actresses for all we know, closing off their emotions when the camera is rolling. It has got to be hard to see your parents being torn apart by journalists and hearing the paparazzi taunt them about alleged affairs and scandal. Maybe the best thing for the children would just be to cancel the show, and their family’s income could be based solely on Jon and Kate’s new TV projects.

And what does this say about American pop culture? All of America has been following this story, but no one has spoken up for the family. This is a family that has been having a lot of private family problems and should be left alone to work things out, but we haven’t relented our obsession with their lives. If this were your family, you’d probably have cracked under the pressure way before this.

Maybe we should just let the family have some peace, and get back to our own lives.