Kate Gosselin: Jon Is Dealing “Very Poorly” With Being in the Public Eye
Kate Gosselin of TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus 8 said the focus on her current marital woes is “a result of our situation — our very public lives.”
“We, as you know, have a reality show,” she said on Thursday’s Larry King Live while promoting her new book, Eight Little Faces. “Everyone wants to know everything about us. And I feel like this is a situation where, you know, you can’t believe everything that you read. You know that. I know that.”
“And so we are dealing with it privately,” she went on. “We are handling it one step at a time. And I think the important thing to remember is that we love our kids to pieces. They are safe and happy and healthy. And of all times, their birthday is coming up. And I’m just thanking God for five wonderful years with eight wonderful kids. And, you know, we’re just — we’re focusing on them.”
Asked if their kids — twins, 8, and sextuplets, 5 – are aware of coverage of her husband Jon’s affair with 23-year-old school teacher Deanna Hummel, Kate said, “They attend a very quiet, private school where, you know, people aren’t paying attention to that. They’re investing their time in their kids’ education and activities. And, no, they are, at this point unaware. But they are very aware that we love them very much.”
King also read a statement from Jon, who — despite video, pics and on-the-record interviews — denies cheating on his wife. “These allegations are false and just plain hurtful,” read the statement. “As I adjust to the attention that comes from being in the public eye, I need to be more careful and aware of who I’m associating with and where I’m spending my time. The bottom line is I did not cheat on Kate. I’m sorry for putting my family in this awkward position, given some poor decisions and bad judgments I’ve made recently. I’m working through this difficult time with my family and my family is my top priority.” MUCH
Asked by King what Jon meant by “bad judgment,” Kate replied: “Well, this is a situation where, you have to understand, we are a couple, we are a family who didn’t set out to live, you know, the celebrity lifestyle. We are living our lives like a normal family. Cameras come in and film us. And that, to the world — to the public, makes us celebrities. I do not like that word.”
“I am not a celebrity…” she added. “I am a mom and a wife. And I feel that Jon is having difficult times realizing that, you know, you can’t go to the grocery store without people whipping out their cell phones, calling everyone they know and taking pictures of you. He is dealing very poorly with it.”
She added, “And I feel like these, you know, things are making him realize, oh, my gosh, I cannot go anywhere without everyone knowing…”
Despite her drama being unfolded in the public, she said is not sorry she signed up for their TLC show, for which she earns an estimated $50,000-$75,000 per episode.
“I look at life as a glass half full is my attitude,” she told King. “And I feel like we have learned a lot, the kids have gained a lot. We have benefited a lot. And life lessons is — you will see in our show. And this is full of life lessons.”
“Life happens,” she went on. “And, you know, we all have to react to what happens to us. And I choose happiness. And I choose to survive anything.”
“Life happens,” she went on. “And, you know, we all have to react to what happens to us. And I choose happiness. And I choose to survive anything.”
She doesn’t even mind criticism that she sometimes appears aggressive and mean toward her husband on camera.
Asked if she controls editing, she told King, “We do not. That’s why those episodes still air.”
“Once it’s filmed, it’s in the can … it’s airable,” she went on, adding that she’ll only ask scenes to be edited if they’re inappropriate “from the kid’s standpoint.”
“But as far as myself, I don’t know that I’ve ever asked that anything be changed about me, because I don’t really care about me, she said. “I’m protecting the kids.”
