Is there anyone out there NOT aware of Jon & Kate's marital woes? My heart goes out to the children. And while I'm sure TLC also feels for this poor-choices-made and very misdirected couple, I'm sure they're lovin' the increased ratings as the world (yes, Jon and Kate Plus 8, is popular in Egypt too) speculates on the couple's future. Unfortunately, I did not see season five's premiere on May 25th, since Egypt only gets the syndicated re-runs, but I saw the 2-minute clip that TLC released. The first notable thing I saw was that Jon and Kate were no longer doing their interviews together, and at the end of the clip Jon alluded to problems that he and Kate were having. The tabloids have had a field day with this once heralded couple known for their extraordinary parenting of 8 children: a pair of fraternal twins and set of sextuplets. Talks of infidelity on both sides have prompted the proverbial office water cooler discussions, which alludes to allegations of Jon's affair with a 23 year old third grade teacher, and Kate's side amusement with the family's bodyguard. According to this week's People magazine cover article, Kate hopes her marriage can be saved, especially since she and Jon have quit their jobs to devote to their reality tv show full time. This, combined with the mortgage of their new $1.2 million home, leaves both of them "without a plan". In the same article, Jon admits that he made poor choices of partying late nights while Kate was away promoting her book due to his marrying and having kids too early (had 8 kids by age 27). What has further fanned the flames is the crass interview of Kate's brother and sister-n-law, who aired dirty family laundry by revealing Kate's alleged open-marriage contract she offered Jon when the couple privately began having problems 6 months earlier. What I took out of this interview is their thinly disguised anger at Kate for her alleged vehemence in not having TLC pay them for their sporadic appearances on the show. Regardless if their allegations were true, I thought it was in extremely poor taste that they would expose their family's problems, especially at a time when Jon and Kate were most vulnerable. Sheesh... want some more salt on that festering wound? I find it ironic that this couple can say that Jon and Kate are exploiting their children, while in the same breath say they were doing this interview for the children. What?!? Let's face it. Cultivating a relationship is hard work. All couples undergo problems. However, combine this with 8 children under the age of 10 and the global scrutiny of said lives on a hit reality show, and the factor for a successful relationship becomes skewed. I pray that Jon and Kate can work out their problems, and that their children can remain unfazed by the media circus that has followed them. 'Course I admit that my discussion of their parents' problems doesn't help either, as I've become one of "those people" publicly speculating, but I truly am a fan of the show. I just hope Jon and Kate can rekindle the love that was apparent in the show's earlier seasons.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Jon & Kate Plus Hate
Is there anyone out there NOT aware of Jon & Kate's marital woes? My heart goes out to the children. And while I'm sure TLC also feels for this poor-choices-made and very misdirected couple, I'm sure they're lovin' the increased ratings as the world (yes, Jon and Kate Plus 8, is popular in Egypt too) speculates on the couple's future. Unfortunately, I did not see season five's premiere on May 25th, since Egypt only gets the syndicated re-runs, but I saw the 2-minute clip that TLC released. The first notable thing I saw was that Jon and Kate were no longer doing their interviews together, and at the end of the clip Jon alluded to problems that he and Kate were having. The tabloids have had a field day with this once heralded couple known for their extraordinary parenting of 8 children: a pair of fraternal twins and set of sextuplets. Talks of infidelity on both sides have prompted the proverbial office water cooler discussions, which alludes to allegations of Jon's affair with a 23 year old third grade teacher, and Kate's side amusement with the family's bodyguard. According to this week's People magazine cover article, Kate hopes her marriage can be saved, especially since she and Jon have quit their jobs to devote to their reality tv show full time. This, combined with the mortgage of their new $1.2 million home, leaves both of them "without a plan". In the same article, Jon admits that he made poor choices of partying late nights while Kate was away promoting her book due to his marrying and having kids too early (had 8 kids by age 27). What has further fanned the flames is the crass interview of Kate's brother and sister-n-law, who aired dirty family laundry by revealing Kate's alleged open-marriage contract she offered Jon when the couple privately began having problems 6 months earlier. What I took out of this interview is their thinly disguised anger at Kate for her alleged vehemence in not having TLC pay them for their sporadic appearances on the show. Regardless if their allegations were true, I thought it was in extremely poor taste that they would expose their family's problems, especially at a time when Jon and Kate were most vulnerable. Sheesh... want some more salt on that festering wound? I find it ironic that this couple can say that Jon and Kate are exploiting their children, while in the same breath say they were doing this interview for the children. What?!? Let's face it. Cultivating a relationship is hard work. All couples undergo problems. However, combine this with 8 children under the age of 10 and the global scrutiny of said lives on a hit reality show, and the factor for a successful relationship becomes skewed. I pray that Jon and Kate can work out their problems, and that their children can remain unfazed by the media circus that has followed them. 'Course I admit that my discussion of their parents' problems doesn't help either, as I've become one of "those people" publicly speculating, but I truly am a fan of the show. I just hope Jon and Kate can rekindle the love that was apparent in the show's earlier seasons.
