Jon’s finally gotten Kate's attention.
Not by moving out, or gallivanting around with tarty women. She doesn't care about that. He's gotten her attention by threatening what she loves most in this world and I don't mean her children. Jon has jeopardized Kate's diva-dom, the gravy train she has ridden to celebrity and a bizarre haircut.
TLC network has shut down filming of the children on Jon and Kate Plus 8 after receiving a cease-and-desist order from Jon Gosselin. Who could have seen that coming?
The ratings for Jon and Kate Plus Eight have dropped like a rock. From a high of 10.5 million viewers at the end of last season, only 3.5 million viewers tuned in for the first episodes of this season. People aren't interested in watching a couple going through a messy divorce, and that's hardly surprising.
Viewers were fascinated by the show because they stand in awe of the commitment required to deliberately choose a large family: the commitment to parenting as a lifestyle choice and the commitment to marriage that lies at the core of the decision to have many, many children. In contemporary America, such a commitment is not only unfashionable; it is unfathomable.
By separating and planning to divorce, Jon and Kate have demonstrated that they are just like everyone else. Both of them abandoned their commitment, and decided "it's all about me."
Kate put stardom ahead of being with her husband and family. He asked to her to stop traveling and spend more time with him and the kids. She needed the rush of attention, the entourage and the extra money that came from turning the children into an industry, not merely a TV show. The books and the speaking tours were necessary steps in building that industry. Visions of celebrity endorsements danced in her head.
Jon, for his part, has decided to meet this rejection with a startling display of immaturity, self-absorption and naivite. He relied upon Michael Lohan for advice. You may remember him as the dysfunctional father of Lindsay Lohan, newly released from jail. Perfect! I guess they traded tips about how divorced dads can still profit from their children's celebrity while failing to act like real fathers and stick around to raise their kids.
Jon and Kate have destroyed the main appeal of their show by putting their own desires ahead of the needs of their children, and the viewers have been quick to react. The drop in ratings is only a part of it.
While Jon and Kate have been very careful to keep their religious fundamentalism out of the TV show (probably on the advice of the network), the books and speaking engagements directly exploited that element. The books are published by a Christian publisher and are filled with Biblical quotes and testimonials about the role of their faith in their lives. The audiences for their speaking tours were conservative Christians. Needless to say, divorce will kill that market completely.
Kate wanted a divorce because Jon was interfering with the building of her personal celebrity and her financial empire. Changing the title to "Kate Plus Eight" was supposed to make it official. But the result was all too predictable. Jon has withdrawn his consent for his children to participate in the show, abruptly calling a halt to filming. The show, and the financial empire that goes with it are effectively over.
It's only a matter of time before Kate begs Jon to come back.
The possibility of getting back together, with its inherent tension and doubt, would be a ratings bonanza, and the effort to repair their marriage would rescue her standing within the conservative Christian community. Imagine the rapturous greeting Kate would get if she claimed that it was their strong religious faith that led to a reconciliation.
Oh, and it might be good for the children, too, but who cares about them?
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Comments
"I always feel bad for kids that get dragged into their parent's shit-storm."
I agree. It's very instructive watching two adults insist to themselves and each other that they "doing this for the kids" while busily destroying the kids lives.
Please don't watch it. Don't encourage others to watch it. The resistance has to start somewhere.
Actually, it's worse than cancer. People can get cancer through no fault of their own.
Watching reality TV is like setting fire to a cat. It's something you choose to do that kills off a piece of your soul.
It might even be worse. People who set fire to cats don't sell advertising for it and they don't try to claim there's some redeeming value in it.
I don't begrudge them the perks of fame. They have eight kids -- that is eight private school tuitions and college tuitions and lets not get into music lessons and the cost of summer camps and etc. etc. Kate is trying to keep on the gravy train going as long as possible because to be poor and a single mother of eight would mean certain poverty-- she couldn't do it on a nurse's salary and Jon is signing autographs for $7 a pop in order to pay for his Manhattan pied-a-terre. That's HIS job right now so what does he bring to the table??? And he dates 22 year olds. Soon enough he's going to impregnant one or two of them and that is just going to mean child support payments divided among various baby mamas.
The children should benefit from the existing child actor laws on the books-- money should be put in trust for them for their future. The celebrity will not last long unless Kate continues to work it, work it, work it so the money should be set aside for the kid's well-being.
I'm not saying their situation is a good one (objectively, it's not!), but you don't have any special insight into their situation, and you don't even realize you don't know that. Doctors can be a little overconfident sometimes.
It's very painful to go through divorce, and while Jon and Kate have very obviously and very openly made many mistakes, I don't think they deserve the degree of righteous derision that they are receiving, either. Any of us going through a divorce would look as bad, or or probably worse, if we were being trailed the way they are.
There is nothing remarkable about any of those children except for the fact that they were born in litters instead of singly. They deserve to be out of the spotlight just as much as any other children.
"Even if they had the perfect marriage, you DON'T set your eight young children up as stars of a reality television show. Nobody's toilet training and childhood temper tantrums should be beamed into America's living rooms as entertainment."
That's the crux of the matter. Although both parents insisted that the children "consented", they really didn't have much of a choice.
To me this is yet another example of the toxic effect of fame. Once Kate tasted it, she couldn't get enough of it, and it apparently rendered Jon a fool.
"This is a very judgmental post for a doctor."
Aren't doctors allowed to have personal opinions?
Don’t get me wrong, Kate is no angel, but she has admitted her mistakes and didn’t trash the father of her children on TV.
I haven't bought into the all the hand-wringing over the “exploitation” of the children. Jon is a network engineer and Kate is a nurse, both are fairly well-paid professions, but raising 8 kids on those salaries? Forget college, forget vacations, forget anything other than basic subsistence living.
There is no way they will be getting together after that appearance.
That man is going to have to find a job.
Kate needs to get off the TV and start taking care of her children.
By the way, I like your blog, just not this article. I don't understand why you'd kick people you've never met, and who did not "deliberately choose a large family", their multiples (only two pregnancies, not that reckless on their part) resulted from fertility treatment gone wrong. You must have some sympathy for that, as someone who herself works in a related branch of reproductive medicine?
"But when you sign "MD" after your name, and you do in your blog, you're wanting your opinion to be taken in that context, so yeah, you kind of do have to expect to be held to a higher standard."
Why woul an MD degree carry special weight or a special standard when doctors write about non-medical issues?
"I don't understand why you'd kick people you've never met, and who did not "deliberately choose a large family", their multiples (only two pregnancies, not that reckless on their part) resulted from fertility treatment gone wrong."
My condemnation has nothing to do with the fact that they have multiples. It's a condemnation of parental selfishness and attention seeking masquerading as parental concern.
I'm rooting for her. The children's lives ARE vastly improved by having the financial rewards of the show, otherwise they'd be stuck in family hell -- just because she stayed home without a show wouldn't suddenly turn Kate into Mrs. Beaver. In fact, her frustration at such a life would boil over eventually. Jon just wants to have his day in the sun, now he has power, he is going to use it! I saw the Larry King interview, and he said, "I despise her and I'd never want to be in the same room with her." Yeah, he's purely motivated by love for his children, I am SURE . . .
There are two factors that have created CE. One is cable and the advent of Christian media ministries and the other is the growth of the mega church. They have created a group of Christian celebrities who can draw thousands of people. The Christian media and mega churches are always looking for ways to keep their followers happy and entertained and the pews filled. People do not realize but there are mega churches with 10 or even 20 thousand members. Some of these Christian stars work for a set fee, or love offerings or a combination of both. These guys know the percentages. Even speaking to a relatively small group of several hundred can bring in a couple of thousand bucks with book and T-shirt sales. Speak at a national Christian association or ministry and the fees can be in the thousands, plus expenses.
In the beginning most of the work of Christian artist was sub standard, but as the money poured in the budgets and profits got bigger. Now the quality rivals that of Hollywood. DVDs like Veggie Tales, and Christian romance novels have sales of billions. It is ripe for people like Jon and Kate.
Jon and Kate tapped into this market because lots of kids project a very positive pro-family and pro-life message even if they are not. All Jon and Kate had to do was sprinkle in a few “Gods” and bible verses along with some cute stories about the kids and immediately gain a very big and generous market.
The only way Jon and Kate can salvage there business is to reconcile and they will be bigger than ever because Christians love a good fall from grace and restoration story. Through in the kids and you have yourself an act.
"The only way Jon and Kate can salvage their business is to reconcile and they will be bigger than ever because Christians love a good fall from grace and restoration story. Throw in the kids and you have yourself an act."
I agree entirely with your analysis.
I am 100% in favor of anything that removes overzealously breeding fundies from the public arena, Scuttle back to fundie land asap and shut up about all of your god's little miracles that were actually the result of the secular humanist scientists who you trash as often as possible. Kate and Jon were indeed irresponsible with the IVF treatment that spawned their litter. They could have elected to keep one or two or even three embryos instead of six.
Jon won't be coming back because he has had a taste of freedom, and because TLC doesn't have the billion dollars that it would take to reunite him with his soon to be ex. I doubt that he will even show up regularly for his visiting days after the divorce settlement is finalized. Manhattan and Vegas beat the hell out of some house, stuffed with 8 kids, in Nowheresville PA. Kate discovered that awhile ago.
Although it is easy to become sceptical or jaded in this world Christians should be in the forgiveness, grace and restoration business. I hope they do get their family back together for the sake of their kids and marriage not their show.
"you might want to try this book, "Empire of Illusion" in which the author talks about the American slide into spectacle, and where it will likely end."
Thanks. I'll definitely take a look at it. It is so depressing to consider that the most important thing in American life, more important than talent, intelligence, good works, or even money is celebrity.
My older kids and I placed bets on how long it would be before the divorce after the show became a series. Seeing how Kate treated Jon sparked many conversations about respect. We all wanted Jon to grow a spine, which I'm glad he has. I don't agree with his new lifestyle, but am glad that he has put his foot down in regards to the kids being whored out for his wife's ego. Even if his intentions were not pure, I hope it has a positive outcome.
The whole thing is tragic.