Monday, November 23, 2009

Final episode of Jon and Kate airs, and it's evident both these parents have a lot of learning to do

The final episode of Jon and Kate aired Nov. 23rd, with a mixture of separate interviews with mostly Kate and a little Jon, a few outings with the children, and some brief clips scattered throughout of cute moments from the past (the only redeeming quality).

Jon took the opportunity to say he had made mistakes and to describe how he felt when he first separated with Kate, like he was "free." Ouch. He said he gave up his 20's to having children, and he was trying to get back that time. But now, he claims, he's moving on from that.

Kate used most of her time to continue to berate and belittle Jon, while simultaneously assuring us that she does not berate and belittle the children's father. She accused Jon of making a lemonade stand with the kids for publicity, waxed over how much she worries about the kids being alone with him since he's "never" alone with them (even though on the show he's been shown in charge of them dozens of times over the years), criticized and belittled his relationships, and bemoaned the loss of the show as premature (a show which has been going on more than four years). Not to be outdone, TLC was careful to show footage of the children acting up when they were with Jon, Mady telling him she has more fun with Mommy, and in response Jon raising his voice at them and sending the twins to their rooms, clever editing to make it seem like the kids were being punished for missing Mommy.

Kate says she won't talk badly about Jon (even though she's been caught on camera doing so time and time again in front of the children), because the children love their father. Well, that's only part of it, Kate. Another big reason it is so damaging to disparage the children's father in front of them is because of the psychological effect it has on their little minds. Children their age are old enough to comprehend that half of them came from Mommy, and half from Daddy. Hence, lots of children, when they hear over and over how much Mommy can't stand Daddy and what a screw up he is, tend to internalize it and reflect it back on themselves. "Wait a minute," a child thinks. "If Daddy is so terrible, and I am half of Daddy, half of me must be terrible, too. Maybe Mommy thinks half of me is as big of a screw up as him. Maybe all of me is!" It goes so much more deeper than simply criticizing someone the children love, and we hope Kate will understand this sooner rather than later.

Worst of all was the implication that Jon took the show away because he does not want Kate and the children to have fun experiences, does not want Kate to be able to stay home, and wants them to never have money again. No opportunity was given to Jon to explain why he chose to turn off the cameras, and no one suggested that perhaps the filming and attention might not be in their best interest and that's why the cameras were shut off, while ironically hoards of paparazzi were shown lingering around the outings throughout the episode.

Kate said she mourns the loss of the show because 1. they can't travel anymore and have experiences 2. she got to stay home because of the show and be with the kids and 3. it was too soon to end. To this we say, 1. Kids don't want to travel, they just want to be with YOU wherever you are, 2. Kate was out of town more than she ever would have been in almost any other profession except a flight attendant, and her schedule made public proves it and 3. the sextuplets have spent their entire lives in front of the cameras, nothing was premature about this. If anything, it was long overdue.

Clearly, Kate has a lot of anger and resentment still boiling inside her, which is to be expected during a divorce. TLC could have served her best during this difficult time by stepping back and not giving her any interviews while she is going through it. Instead she was given a free platform to spread so much negativity about Jon and the divorce we can't imagine she won't regret it all in the near future, nor can we see this being all that helpful to her court case. Both Kate and Jon (Kate for her vile words, Jon for his immature actions) have a lot of learning to do when it comes to how damaging their words and actions are to their children. They both could benefit from an intensive child development class, as well as individual and conjoint counseling with their children. They both need to stay at home, put romance on hold, and focus on giving their kids normalcy.

We wish the children the best despite their parents. They have an uphill battle ahead of them. We can breathe a sigh of relief that at least they will no longer have to climb that mountain with all of us watching.

22 sediments (sic) from readers:

Debbie said...

Well said! Hopefully without the TLC outlet for Kate to trash Jon things will settle down and the kids can have a normal life without cameras hanging over them. Until you see pictures of the actual filming you do not realize how close to the kids the camera crew and sound people are. I am so glad this is all over with, at least for now. I hope no court or legal case could force Jon to allow the children to be filmed again.

bbsak said...

DGS,
I apologize for this being off topic. Mike Lohan released tapes of phone conversations between himself and his daughter, his ex-wife, and now, today a new one was released with Jon Gosselin.

Is it against the law to tape a phone conversation without the other party's permission? If so, why is nothing being done about Lohan's widespread use of this practice? Or, is it up to the party who was taped to file suit against Lohan?

It just makes no sense to me that he continues to do this without consequences.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Believe it or not, it's perfectly legal in most states including PA to tape a phone conversation without the other party's permission. You only need one party's consent. So Michael Lohan could tape his conversation with Jon without getting in trouble with the law, but Michael couldn't try to tape a conversation between Jon and Kate in which Michael wasn't a party.

Anonymous said...

The tape released today also shows that Jon Gosselin, at least, knew that pedophiles were watching his children on tv. That he -- and presumably Kate -- knew this and that fact alone was not enough to cause them to stop the show speaks volumes about both of them, and about TLC.

Those poor kids.

Anonymous said...

"No opportunity was given to Jon to explain why he chose to turn off the cameras..."

How do you know that? I was under the impression that Jon ended his relationship with TLC, not the other way around. In fact, Jon posted a sign threatening to take legal action if anyone from TLC was on his property.

This little complaint reminds me of the Menendez brothers asking for pity because they were left orphans after killing their own parents.

Anonymous said...

"TLC could have served her best during this difficult time by stepping back and not giving her any interviews..."

But is that TLC's purpose? To serve Kate Gosselin best? TLC did what they are in business to do. They got great ratings for her interviews. People are interested...which is why you have this blog, right? I mean, you ARE hoping people read your thoughts about the Gosselins, right? You have thoughts that you feel you must share. Your currency is blog hits. TLC's? Money.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

"No opportunity was given to Jon to explain why he chose to turn off the cameras..."

Because it was spun like Jon did it to take away Kate's happiness. If TLC is giving Kate an opportunity to say why he took the show away, Jon should have been given an opportunity to rebut. I know because he was never asked any questions about what he did. Maybe he has been advised not to discuss it, but it's not very fair to only present Kate's side of it.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

But is that TLC's purpose? To serve Kate Gosselin best? TLC did what they are in business to do. They got great ratings for her interviews. People are interested"

TLC's purpose is, under normal circumstances, to be a successful network. But the line has to be drawn somewhere. This was not a drama or a comedy. It was a real family, real people, real feelings, real children.

They exploited and manipulated this family to achieve their ends. TLC cannot hide behind "we're just a network whose purpose it is to make money" when they have REAL PEOPLE involved. That does not cut it with me, and it should not be acceptable. That is why they are being investigated by the Labor Department, because someone thought they might be crossing a line when they tried to make a buck. We're all still human and we're all people, the world is not all about making money. There's lots of things a network could air that would draw a lot of ratings (like filming a murder, child pornography), that basic decensy and respect for our fellow man prevent them from doing, no matter how much money they might get.

As for my blog, I like to write, I like legal issues, and I'm interested in this whole mess. I don't even keep track of my hits on this particular site. Hard to believe I know, but I do it for the fun and hobby of it.

Anonymous said...

"Jon should have been given an opportunity to rebut. I know because he was never asked any questions about what he did."

How would you know what Jon was asked? Did Jon tell you this?

What we DO kow is that Jon would not permit TLC on his property or to film. In other words, there is proof of Jon's refusal to have anything to do with TLC. How the heck are they suppose to give him a chance to rebut if they can't even step on his property?

Anonymous said...

"TLC's purpose is, under normal circumstances, to be a successful network. But the line has to be drawn somewhere."

Agreed. A line should be drawn somewhere. You seem to be drawing the line so that Kate shouldn't give an interview about the end of the show on the last episode. I wouldn't draw a line there. FWIW, I would draw a line at murders and child porn. Kate interviewing? I thought it was reasonable under the circumstances. The production team of Jon and Kate owed a show to the network and had to use what they had, considering Jon was not cooperating with them.

Anonymous said...

"As for my blog, I like to write, I like legal issues, and I'm interested in this whole mess. I don't even keep track of my hits on this particular site. Hard to believe I know, but I do it for the fun and hobby of it."

Fair enough, I was wrong about your currency being blog hits. It seems to be the satisfaction you get at discussing the Gosselins, having people read your thoughts about it, and the power to censor other's thoughts or control the discussion. Mine is too (except the censoring part, since I am not a blog owner.)

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

"How would you know what Jon was asked? Did Jon tell you this?"

Actually you are right, I don't know what TLC asked Jon. So technically, any response he gave to all of Kate's characterizations of what happened was never AIRED. Jon actually did give a final interview with TLC. Did you see the final episode? I guess they worked out enough of their differences to have Jon give one more interview. He briefly talked about his new life in New York, Hailey, moving on, growing, etc., and that was about it. But clearly it was a recent interview. Kate was given the floor the rest of the time.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

"Agreed. A line should be drawn somewhere. You seem to be drawing the line so that Kate shouldn't give an interview about the end of the show on the last episode. I wouldn't draw a line there. FWIW, I would draw a line at murders and child porn. Kate interviewing? I thought it was reasonable under the circumstances. The production team of Jon and Kate owed a show to the network and had to use what they had, considering Jon was not cooperating with them."

I think that's a reasonable opinion. I'm of the opinion TLC should have gotten out of this family's lives the second they filed for divorce. Actually, a lot sooner than that. I don't think they owed the network anything, I think they were well within their rights to just walk, no final episode, nothing. In the entertainment world, actors sometimes walk off projects after irreconcilable differences, and that's it, they're either written out or replaced. No flowery final episode. (Of course leaving on good terms is usually treated with a respectful sendoff episode) If anyone owes something, TLC and Discovery owe them, for permanently destroying their family.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to disagree about the final interview with Jon. He didn't give that recently, but just before pulling the plug on the cameras. Jon and Tlc did not work "out enough of their differences to have Jon give one more interview." Not at all. in fact, since Jon posted that sign against TLC, TLC has filed suit and Jon has filed a countersuit. I am surprised you think they worked out any differences since Jon put up the sign. IMO, your timeline is off. The interview you saw, with Jon talking about Hailey, New York, moving on, etc. happened BEFORE Jon told them to leave his property.

I can understand that you would expect TLC to air Jon's response if you think he made one for them. What surprises me is that you think one was made. There is ample evidence to think they are not speaking with each other: the sign, the lawsuit, the countersuit, the statements given by both Jon and Heller. There is NO evidence to think they "worked out differences" at any time. So no, it's not a "clearly" obvious conclusion. Shortly after the cameras were turned off, TLC announced they had enough footage to cobble together episodes to last to the end of November. That's what we saw. (Yes, I watched the final episodes.) Kate added voiceovers (very stiff ones, in fact) and did some interviewing, but Jon . Was. Done.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Actually that could be right, since Hailey and New York were going on right before Jon pulled the plug, and his douchebag outfits!

In that case, it's rather unfair of TLC to take Jon's statements out of context. But since when has TLC been fair. If I were Jon's lawyers I would be trying to injoin them from using any footage of Jon or the kids, period. Whether filmed before the plug or not.

Anonymous said...

"If I were Jon's lawyers I would be trying to injoin them from using any footage of Jon or the kids, period. Whether filmed before the plug or not."

Would you have him give his paycheck back, too?

TLC has always edited the family fair or not. Even Jon said TLC made Kate look worse to get ratings up and never showed them reconciling. As for making Jon look bad, I think Jon gives them too much material to work with for Jon to be complaining. Jon looks like a loser when he talks to the paparazzi, no TLC needed. Like you said, douchebag outfits.

What did you think of his speaking-style in that final interview? I thought he was racing over his words. Weird.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

You are right, Jon gives TLC plenty of bad material to work with. I wish Jon would not mention girlfriends, his glamorous new life in New York, and how free he feels, when he interviews. He sounds very, very selfish and immature. I thought he was racing, too. Who knows.

Administrator said...

Actually that could be right, since Hailey and New York were going on right before Jon pulled the plug, and his douchebag outfits!

In that case, it's rather unfair of TLC to take Jon's statements out of context. But since when has TLC been fair. If I were Jon's lawyers I would be trying to injoin them from using any footage of Jon or the kids, period. Whether filmed before the plug or not.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to disagree about the final interview with Jon. He didn't give that recently, but just before pulling the plug on the cameras. Jon and Tlc did not work "out enough of their differences to have Jon give one more interview." Not at all. in fact, since Jon posted that sign against TLC, TLC has filed suit and Jon has filed a countersuit. I am surprised you think they worked out any differences since Jon put up the sign. IMO, your timeline is off. The interview you saw, with Jon talking about Hailey, New York, moving on, etc. happened BEFORE Jon told them to leave his property.

I can understand that you would expect TLC to air Jon's response if you think he made one for them. What surprises me is that you think one was made. There is ample evidence to think they are not speaking with each other: the sign, the lawsuit, the countersuit, the statements given by both Jon and Heller. There is NO evidence to think they "worked out differences" at any time. So no, it's not a "clearly" obvious conclusion. Shortly after the cameras were turned off, TLC announced they had enough footage to cobble together episodes to last to the end of November. That's what we saw. (Yes, I watched the final episodes.) Kate added voiceovers (very stiff ones, in fact) and did some interviewing, but Jon . Was. Done.

Administrator said...

But is that TLC's purpose? To serve Kate Gosselin best? TLC did what they are in business to do. They got great ratings for her interviews. People are interested"

TLC's purpose is, under normal circumstances, to be a successful network. But the line has to be drawn somewhere. This was not a drama or a comedy. It was a real family, real people, real feelings, real children.

They exploited and manipulated this family to achieve their ends. TLC cannot hide behind "we're just a network whose purpose it is to make money" when they have REAL PEOPLE involved. That does not cut it with me, and it should not be acceptable. That is why they are being investigated by the Labor Department, because someone thought they might be crossing a line when they tried to make a buck. We're all still human and we're all people, the world is not all about making money. There's lots of things a network could air that would draw a lot of ratings (like filming a murder, child pornography), that basic decensy and respect for our fellow man prevent them from doing, no matter how much money they might get.

As for my blog, I like to write, I like legal issues, and I'm interested in this whole mess. I don't even keep track of my hits on this particular site. Hard to believe I know, but I do it for the fun and hobby of it.

Anonymous said...

The tape released today also shows that Jon Gosselin, at least, knew that pedophiles were watching his children on tv. That he -- and presumably Kate -- knew this and that fact alone was not enough to cause them to stop the show speaks volumes about both of them, and about TLC.

Those poor kids.

Anonymous said...

"TLC could have served her best during this difficult time by stepping back and not giving her any interviews..."

But is that TLC's purpose? To serve Kate Gosselin best? TLC did what they are in business to do. They got great ratings for her interviews. People are interested...which is why you have this blog, right? I mean, you ARE hoping people read your thoughts about the Gosselins, right? You have thoughts that you feel you must share. Your currency is blog hits. TLC's? Money.

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