John - Kate - 8 = Sad

[DDD]

I watched the show last night with the kids 5th birthday. Like most parents I felt a bit of nostalgia at the sight of pinatas, balloons, presents, gift bags and childrens big smiles. Then...John and Kate had a "for real" interview to end the show.

Anyone who has separated or divorced could feel the emotions. When they said "we love our kids" "we'll always be there for our kids" "nothing will change in regard to loving our kids"......I didn't know whether I wanted to scream or cry.

(insert censored dirty word of your choice). The kids are NOT going to be OK with their life changing. Some will. Some won't. Birthday parties are fun but kids are alot happier with no birthday party and both parents. Why couldn't they share a big house for the next ten years? They could go "do their thing" at will but the kids would have both parents to protect them from the dangerous world they live in as television stars. DDD

 

[totoro]

I never have watched the show but of course have seen the
"story" on the news and at the checkout in the grocery store.
They are splitting up? Did he step out on her?

That is sad. Especially to have it so public, this is going to be a part of their public lives forever.

 

[Jungleland]

I was going to start a thread on this and got interrupted with a phone call.

I am soooo sad! I have gotten so attached to this family and this whole thing just hoovers!

I agree 3D! There is no reason they can't share that huge house as "house mates" and stay "together" for the kids. My husband and I are doing that, not the greatest but it is working for now. We do not fight much, it is actually less stressful since we really aren't working on the marriage, just working on the family. Neither husband nor myself have any interest in "dating" others, we are good friends. At least for now it is ok.

If they think this situation isn't already affecting their kids, they're pretty blind. You could see it during the birthday party.

They sure talking about the paparazzi alot, never did that before. Of course they just had to air Jon's new car!!

Hopefully they will get some counseling, Kate is very hurt and angry. Jon seems pretty sad as well.

Will be interesting to see how this plays out. Can't wait till next week, Duff from Ace of Cakes will be on there!! I LOVE that show!!

Sad, sad, sad! Vickie

P.S. husband thinks this is all a publicity stunt. I think he's nuts! Why in the world would they want to portray themselves like that for ratings???

 

[DammitJanet]

I watched the show last night too. I started noticing last season that something felt not quite right between John and Kate. There was just something in the chemistry that felt like something was simmering. When John was interviewed for the show last night he said some things that made a whole lot of sense to me. Things about how while he adored his kids and enjoyed spending time with him, this was not the life he chose for himself: he had always been a dad who worked outside the home. I can see how being pretty much forced into a stay at home dad with 8 kids and a public tv show in your face constantly would drive a person nuts. Then his wife - who isnt the most patient or nicest person on the face of the earth - suddenly becomes an author and starts going on book tours and publicity tours and leaves the day to day parenting to him? Well, I can see some resentment creeping in.

I think they never looked down the road to what the whole TV life would be like 5 years down the road. They didnt foresee that they would live with camera's nonstop and no privacy. Paparazzi? They asked for it. They wonder why camera's follow them all the time? Well its because they are John and Kate plus 8! They caused this. They get paid for this. They cant get mad about it now because they signed up for it. If they didnt want it they could have had a small little blurb in the newspaper 5 years ago and america would have gone on and forgot about them.

 

[Fran]

It would seem to me that after kids and a few years of married life that it isn't unusual to see some of the glow rub off of any marriage. Hopefully this is a period of adjustment and their common bonds remind them what is important. Marriage is an ever changing dynamic in my humble opinion. Some days, weeks you aren't wild about your spouse and vice versa. If the basic foundation is still there then you go back and rebuild.
Whether he signed on for this or his wife is an author doesn't negate the committment. You have to weather the storms, forgive and move on to being a family.

 

[witzend]

I think it's unrealistic to expect them to share a big house and that it wouldn't affect the kids. Apparently, there is evidence that they were both stepping out on each other, but we will never know.

When Rudy Giuliani was Mayor of NY, he was married to his second wife and cheating on her with another woman whom he moved into Gracie Mansion. It was disgusting to most people who had to be aware of it, which of course was the entire world because they were public figures.

I wouldn't expect John or Kate to remain celibate for the sake of their children, and I wouldn't expect them to be comfortable seeing the other one with other partners. The children should never be expected to understand that. in my humble opinion, married people should be faithful to each other, and if they can't be, their kids shouldn't have to watch it.

 

[Star*]

I feel most sorry for the children. Someone here said it best - better to have 2 parents and no party.

I don't watch the show, and I"m not a huge fan. I think the wife is very unpleasant and demanding and demeaning to her husband. I also know that NO man will allow a woman to lead him around by the nose and spank him verbally in public as much as she does and stay with her.

As far as the idea of them living in the same house for the sake of the children? - I'm not a betting person - but I bet if YOU had to live with her 24/7 that idea would sound very unpleasant.

I know - maybe the "move that bus" crew could build them a house with a center great room - and Jon live on one side, Kate on the other - Dr. Phil could come in and save the marriage, Jon could guest star on Daisy of Love to get out his inner teenager, and What not to wear could give Kate a makeover, while Martha Stewart redecorates the house and THe Nanny could come and tell them all whats going on - while Caesar helps their german shepherds.

GOOD GRIEF what a circus.......but they asked for it.

 

[lizanne2]

I don't watch the show so much anymore but I too have fetl that she doesn't treat him very well...... and that is what we seeon TV. I wonder what happens later!

 

[DammitJanet]

Yeah...can you imagine what goes on that we dont see! She was all so angry and it not her fault at all and he was so demeaned and sad and just defeated.

 

[Star*]

Then again.........Maybe he's just gotten good at looking like a victim and she's HAD to be both parents.....

I bet if we asked her it would be Kate+that guy I married who's so passive & 8.....

Passive Aggressive people CAN bring out the worst in people -

Just a thought to be fair to both since I don't know the situation and truly don't care...

I say this because a lot of husbands like him can be real *turds and come out looking like they are just so manhandled. Then we victimize him - and make her out to be the bad guy - and he wins again.

Either that or it's sweeps weeks - and this is a publicity stunt or stunk.

 

[Fran]

I was just going to point out Star that this is a highly edited version of their life, as you said. He chose Kate probably for the very reason that she is self directed, focused and organized. I don't hear him complaining about the way she talks to him or organizes their life. We assume that he is stepping out because she doesn't talk nice to him.
I'm sure that whatever is going on is like an iceberg. Only 10% is above the surface.

 

[DammitJanet]

Well supposedly they are both stepping out on each other but I dont know that I even believe that. How absolutely stupid does one have to be to attempt to cheat when you have 8 million cameras on you? Ok...dont answer that...we have hollywood. LOL. Maybe they did, maybe they didnt. I dont even think cheating is the worst of their problems.

 

[witzend]

Using their large brood as an ATM by putting every aspect of their private lives out there as entertainment is probably their biggest problem. Honestly, I've never seen the program, it's not my type of show. But I find it hard to sympathize with either of them when they subject themselves and their children to such complete scrutiny and neither of them actually work for a living.

 

[Steely]

Using their large brood as an ATM by putting every aspect of their private lives out there as entertainment is probably their biggest problem. Honestly, I've never seen the program, it's not my type of show. But I find it hard to sympathize with either of them when they subject themselves and their children to such complete scrutiny and neither of them actually work for a living.

Ditto what Witz said.

I heard that Jon actually had an affair - and that is why they are splitting.

 

[KTMom91]

On a local news morning show's "Tabloid Tuesday," they had a picture of Kate from the first special next to a current picture. She was heavier, with brown messy hair, but she looked so happy. Now she looks drawn and driven. I do watch the show, but didn't enjoy it last season because everyone was so tense. I plan to watch this season to see how they're handling all this.

My opinion is that this started as a way to earn money, since Jon had been laid off, and let them be home with the kids, and since no one thought the whole thing through, they ended up in their current situation. I don't know who did what, but they are both very unhappy people.

 

[Star*]

THe radio announcer said that most of the industry believes this was done MERELY for ratings - as the interest in their show had started to decline and viewer signal was not what it once was. They said a record 3.9 million viewers checked in......to see.......what would happen.

Hmmmmm......a publicity stunt indeed. Very clever.

 

[Lothlorien]

I was watching CBS news this morning and her brother and sister-in-law were on. I was a little shocked that they were saying that Jon and Kate were allowing their children to be exploited and they were calling for new laws for children on reality tv. Sheesh....as if they weren't dealing with enough, their own family has to out them. Not that I don't somewhat agree, but good grief....their own family!

 

[Shari]

I was never a follower of the show, but I did occassionally catch it, and I only chime in because the one thing that I *did* enjoy about the show early on (and we're talking 2 or 3 years ago and maybe a whopping sum of 8 or 10 shows watched, total) was that Jon seemed *real* then. He didn't love being a parent of 8 kids, he didn't love taking them all to the zoo and chasing them all day, he got frustrated at the every day things that frustrate me, as a parent, and he just seemed real. She did, too, except she seemed to like the cameras a little much, and sent him on to do what I perceived then as the parenting jobs while she talked to the camera.
***
My take on it from 2-3 years ago.
***
Because of this thread, I watched the show last night. Who knows what's going on now. One thing I did think about tho, was the morning she took the kids shopping for birthday decorations. She was exhausted before they even really finished breakfast, and all I could think was "that's him, all the time".
***
Yes, they chose this. He also said he didn't think it all through enough. For that, I feel for them. These decisions were made in the past, tho. Now, its time to buck up and move forward.

 

[Jungleland]

Ya, I saw Kate's brother and sister-in-law on Good Morning America last week and her brother just blasted Kate. Sister-in-law didn't say much but her brother was merciless. That he knew for a fact that Jon had (was having) an affair and that Jon and Kate had been fighting so much that in entire day of taping only about 15 minutes was usable on air. Kate and her brother obviously had a huge falling out. He even addressed her on air asking them to be honest about their lie of a relationship!!

 

[tinamarie1]

wow. some very good comments here. well, its kind of my guilty pleasure (watching their show), its like a train wreck...you know its wrong on so many levels (exploiting their kids, airing your dirty laundry, complaining about photographers following you...hello?) but you still want to watch. i have always disliked how Kate talks to Jon. She treats him like one of the kids. i would think a mans ego could only take so much of that. not giving him an excuse for wandering from their marriage...just sayin.
My opinion is if they really care about their kids the way they say they do, then they need to pull the plug on that show. The older the kids get, it will get nasty with friends and classmates making comments about whats going on in their parents lives.
I get a vibe that they are in it for the money and can't stop now that they live a rather extravagant lifestyle.