It kind of sucks when family speak out against you.
Kate Gosselin’s sister-in-law and the Aunty of Jon and Kate Gosselin’s eight beautiful kiddie-winkles, “Aunt Julie,” thinks viewers shouldn’t tune in to TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus 8 show at all.
Aunt Julie blogs: “When the show first started, Kate made a wishlist of things that she wanted, and that became the theme of each episode–the carpet, twin’s room, bunk beds, cow, hairplugs, teeth whitening, trips, etc. EVERYTHING that you see them do or buy is completely paid for out of the budget for the show or traded for free advertising. Kate went on and on about saving up for special days, you saw her paying for things, she talked about budgeting, etc. It is all for the appearance that they are a struggling family with 8 children. They needed to be relatable. They didn’t pay for any of it.
“The episodes are also staged. Here’s how it works…there is a staff of people reading these blogs and they base the shows around what people are talking about. I haven’t watched many episodes, but I do know some of the behind the scenes events.
“The Christmas episode from 2007. Producers told Kate that the viewers wanted to see her show appreciation to their helpers. They told her what the episode was going to be. I think they baked cookies and then went caroling (of course this was probably one of their many ‘traditions”–those are all fake too). Kate threw a fit. She didn’t want to do it, but she did…because they were trying to pacify the viewers.
“Another example is the ‘Games Gosselins Play’ (I think that might have been the same episode as their ‘mission statement’). I actually did watch this one. This was around the time that I started reading discussion boards and finding out that there were many people opposed to the show. It was so obvious that the mission statement was addressing all of the concerns that I had been reading online. The game time was just ridiculous. After the episode, I called Jodi and said, ‘what was that?.’ She hadn’t watched it, so I explained that it came across so fake (at least to me). Jodi was with Kate when she got “the call” about the theme for that episode. Kate said something like, ‘so now I have to pretend that I play with my kids.’ They also wanted her to pay special attention to the boys.
“Don’t believe everything you see. The children are also being prompted to say or do certain things. They signed their lives away to TLC and they will continue to spin the show to keep the viewer’s interest. I don’t believe this show will go away until the viewers decide that they don’t want to be played anymore.
“Of course, you’ve all figured out that they are showing Kate cook/bake to promote her upcoming cookbook. The show has now turned into a show about a family with a reality show–move to a mansion, cross-over shows, book tour, talk shows…
“I’ve only watch a handful of episodes. I haven’t even seen all of the episodes that Jodi has been in. I made a personal decision long ago to do what I can to give those children the privacy and respect that they deserve. I refuse to watch and participate in something that I feel so strongly against.
“Please don’t watch… You’re not going to learn anything new by watching. They will only show what they think people want to see and it isn’t real anyway. They will probably drag this out (J&K’s ‘relationship’) for the entire season. They just string the viewers along hoping that they will come back for more.”
Well “Aunt Julie,” you’ve given us a great breakdown on the production side of reality TV and how a show is made. Even a news story is a certain constructed view of reality. That’s just TV. Now, more importantly: What’s your motivation for writing about Jon & Kate on your blog?
If reading please respond, thank you!
8 comments
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May 28, 2009 at 10:59 pm
GOSSELIN GOOP: 10 THINGS ABOUT THE JON & KATE + 8 SHOW « Horiwood’s Blog
[...] 3. AUNT JULIE BLOGS ABOUT JON & KATE GOSSELIN’S CONSTRUCTED REALITY [...]
May 29, 2009 at 1:18 pm
liv
First, let me just say “Aunt Julie” has no right to talk like this about her own family. Give kate some respect. You don’t know what she goes through and what she’s going through right now, we all don’t. What the hell are you trying to do? Seems to me like you’re a jealous bitch, and you hate kate. You don’t want the best for those kids. Those kids are living a dream life right now and you’re ruining it for them. Frankly, I think that what you said was very unproffesional and didn’t make any sense what so ever. How can you bash your own family? GO TO HELL, “AUNT JULIE”!
May 29, 2009 at 6:00 pm
horiwood
yeah.. being a ‘professional Aunt’
must be a tough job!
May 29, 2009 at 9:13 pm
JON GOSSELIN’S MOMMA SPEAKS OUT « Horiwood’s Blog
[...] year book days, may have been getting slapped around a fair bit by Kate’s family who, like Aunty Julie (Kate’s widey mouth frog sis in law) are all blabbing to the press, and getting apperance fees [...]
June 15, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Mary
If you read Julie’s blog, you’d know her motivation. you’d know her motivation was to stick up for her sister – Aunt Jodi – who has been treated horribly by Kate. Julie is no family to Kate or Jon.
I don’t know why you’d call her a “professional aunt.” You know nothing about Julie or her life.
June 22, 2009 at 1:11 am
seethirty
I couldn’t blame “Aunt Julie” even if her motivation was primarily greed. Why not? Kate Gosselin has been getting rich for playing make-believe, and abandoning any semblance of real life for her family and children. Lying pays the bills in the Gosselin household. It’s only fitting that her relatives make a little money, too. My question, to all the anti-Julie crowd out there, is this. Knowing what you know of Kate to be true, do you really believe Julie is lying?
Paid truth is still truth.
June 22, 2009 at 3:05 am
Michael Vincent Boyer
My book, “The Hollywood Culture War.” predicted the eventual outcome of the Gosselins. As a 20-year veteran film commissioner in Alabama & Atlanta, GA, I used to deny permission to producers, big and small, over potential and actual child labor violatins. I had to threaten Disney producers of “Tom & Huck” in 1995 over lack oversight of 13-year-old actor Brad Renfroe’s out-of-control behavior with no adult guardian oversight. Only then did they exercise oversight. (Renfroe died in 2008 of a drug overdose after years of child labor laws were skirted by producers).
June 23, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Jette
Is Aunt Julie really a relation? Isn’t she the sister of Kates’ brother Kevins wife, Jody? Huh?
Julie is the sister of Kates sister-in-law…correct?
Well, whoever she is, she should stay on it. Kate is a bitch. No wonder Jon left her. Emotionally he had to leave a long time ago. Those kids need a real life and not this fake crap.
Remember the Movie TRUMAN? I see some similarities.