Kate Plus 8 - General Discussion

[FamilyVan]

Just watched the 10 year anniversary episode last night - I have not seen this show in probably 4 years.  But my main question is how does Kate have money?  I know she gets paid for the show obviously, but would that cover everything?  Assuming she paid cash for that house, the property taxes have to be at least $15k per year, a single grocery trip was $1200.... she has to at least have $10-$15k in monthly living expenses (or more).  How does she do this?  I don't know what her entertainment career brings in for income - she can't be commanding more than $500k - ??

[ElderPrice]

I am a Nielsen family (shhhhh, it's supposed to be a secret!) and refuse to give that abusive screeching Mommy Dearest my numbers. I'd rather give the ratings to Vanderpump Rules or something equally as classy. 

[AZChristian]

32 minutes ago, FamilyVan said:

Just watched the 10 year anniversary episode last night - I have not seen this show in probably 4 years.  But my main question is how does Kate have money?  I know she gets paid for the show obviously, but would that cover everything?  Assuming she paid cash for that house, the property taxes have to be at least $15k per year, a single grocery trip was $1200.... she has to at least have $10-$15k in monthly living expenses (or more).  How does she do this?  I don't know what her entertainment career brings in for income - she can't be commanding more than $500k - ??

I wouldn't be surprised if she still hits up companies for free stuff.  "We'll wear your matching Gap shirts on our show if you give them to us for free."  "I'll be sure to mention on the air where I get my hair done if you'll do it for free."  "I'll walk around with a Starbucks cup in my hand so the paparazzi will photograph it if you'll give it to me for free."  

She's also smarter about money than most instant celebrities.  I think when the show was hot at the beginning, she invested (in the house and probably in college funds for the kids).  She probably doesn't owe anybody anything.  She negotiated a VERY high contract for Dancing with the Stars, and has been known since then to date a millionaire.  I could see her going through his wallet after he fell asleep.  Because SHE doesn't do anything for free.  LOL.  

[Absolom]

The house was not paid for when they bought it.  They had a mortgage and Kate has refinanced the house.

[FamilyVan]

Ugh and I just watched that video (above) which linked to several others just like it.  I really want to like Kate, you know she's a mom, I'm a mom.  I believe what she does is hard work no doubt, but ugh her personality is just the WORST.  Those TH's with John the final year he was on the show were so painfully awkward to watch.  Cringe cringe.  She is just such a raving B****.  And she looks at the camera like "See?  See what I have to deal with?" As if it is her we would sympathize with.  OMG woman.  And to this day it still has not sunk in for her.   Yikes.

[Honey]

1 hour ago, FamilyVan said:

Ugh and I just watched that video (above) which linked to several others just like it.  I really want to like Kate, you know she's a mom, I'm a mom.  I believe what she does is hard work no doubt, but ugh her personality is just the WORST.  Those TH's with John the final year he was on the show were so painfully awkward to watch.  Cringe cringe.  She is just such a raving B****.  And she looks at the camera like "See?  See what I have to deal with?" As if it is her we would sympathize with.  OMG woman.  And to this day it still has not sunk in for her.   Yikes.

I didn't care much for how she treated him, and he let her get away with that for years.

The good thing about having the show, is that the kids will have plenty of money to go to college. They're also seen parts of the world they never would have been able to visit, without the show.

[movingtargetgal]

If I were Mady I would be secretly shopping a book deal to be signed at midnight on my 18th birthday.  Imagine Kate's head exploding if Mady walked out the door at midnight and into her publisher's limo and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.  Kate would no longer have any control over her daughter with Mady being 18 and having big $$$ from a book deal.  Mady spilling the bean about what growing up in that house with that shrew was REALLY like would be the ultimate karmic payback.  

[Absolom]

3 hours ago, Honey said:

The good thing about having the show, is that the kids will have plenty of money to go to college.

There is no way for any of us to know that.  The way the trust was set up Kate could legally spend every dime before the kids are 18. 

[Diane]

1 hour ago, Absolom said:

There is no way for any of us to know that.  The way the trust was set up Kate could legally spend every dime before the kids are 18. 

How could you possibly know that, is the trust document public information? 

[Absolom]

It's the law that was passed in Pennsylvania and since Kate didn't set up accounts until forced would you expect that she went beyond the protections in the state law?

[mbutterfly]

3 hours ago, movingtargetgal said:

If I were Mady I would be secretly shopping a book deal to be signed at midnight on my 18th birthday.  Imagine Kate's head exploding if Mady walked out the door at midnight and into her publisher's limo and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.  Kate would no longer have any control over her daughter with Mady being 18 and having big $$$ from a book deal.  Mady spilling the bean about what growing up in that house with that shrew was REALLY like would be the ultimate karmic payback.  

If Maddie does that, I think Cara will go with her. 

[QuinnM]

Quote

It's the law that was passed in Pennsylvania and since Kate didn't set up accounts until forced would you expect that she went beyond the protections in the state law?

I remember that during the divorce drama when Jon stole $200K from the trust that he said there were 9 other accounts Kate could get money for groceries from.  At first I thought what the hell, who has 9 accounts then I figured that 8 of those accounts were the trust accounts for the kids.  So there were accounts with money at that time.

Plus Kate is someone that, as my friend says, can take a dime and make it a dollar.  So I have always said that if they just do these little update things she should be able to make it to a point were the kids were old enough to drive to their own after school functions and the twins wouldn't have to give up their lives to be sitters while Kate works.

[Absolom]

The way the state worded the law funds could be withdrawn from the trusts for children's health, welfare, and education and something else so private school fees, any medical expenses, and food and shelter could be used as justifiable reasons to use that money.  It was also not that large of an amount that has to be set aside.  I think it was perhaps 20% of what was earned on the show split over the 8 children. 

[AZChristian]

Which means the mortgage payments probably came out of the 20% split 8 ways.  Because hair extensions.

[AZChristian]

33 minutes ago, mbutterfly said:

If Maddie does that, I think Cara will go with her. 

And there will be a long line out the door of Barnes & Noble on release day.

[Maharincess]

4 hours ago, movingtargetgal said:

If I were Mady I would be secretly shopping a book deal to be signed at midnight on my 18th birthday.  Imagine Kate's head exploding if Mady walked out the door at midnight and into her publisher's limo and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.  Kate would no longer have any control over her daughter with Mady being 18 and having big $$$ from a book deal.  Mady spilling the bean about what growing up in that house with that shrew was REALLY like would be the ultimate karmic payback.  

I bet Kate will hand them all non disclosure agreements on their 18th birthdays and tell them she'll cut them off if they don't sign them. 

[BusyOctober]

14 hours ago, Maharincess said:

I bet Kate will hand them all non disclosure agreements on their 18th birthdays and tell them she'll cut them off if they don't sign them. 

Those kids could make individual fortunes on their own without TLC's Kate's money.  A couple of "Mommie Dearest" books and interviews, and the guidance of a saavy publicist can set them up for a while.  As long as they don't have their father's money sense, that is.  Besides, I would hope that each of the 8 kids has a trust fund or bank account for all their years of exploitation.

[Absolom]

1 hour ago, BusyOctober said:

Besides, I would hope that each of the 8 kids has a trust fund or bank account for all their years of exploitation.

See the Kate thread for a discussion about trust funds.

[Honey]

21 hours ago, Absolom said:

It's the law that was passed in Pennsylvania and since Kate didn't set up accounts until forced would you expect that she went beyond the protections in the state law?

If Kate is as concerned with appearances as everyone says, she would want to make sure that her kids went to university.  IMO.

[Honey]

I would watch a reality show with just Cara and Mady at university, making it on their own.

[doodlebug]

21 hours ago, Honey said:

If Kate is as concerned with appearances as everyone says, she would want to make sure that her kids went to university.  IMO.

I don't think that education is one of the 'appearances' that concerns Kate.  Everything revolves around Kate and how hard she works, how burdened she is.  When the time comes, I expect Kate will be crying about how she cannot afford a college education for her kids or that, despite her stellar parenting, her kids didn't want to go to college which is, of course, Jon's fault.

Also, when the 'tups were born, the state of Pennsylvania set up a college fund for them.  I can see Kate blaming the citizens of PA for not contributing enough to pay for Ivy League educations for all 6.

Edited December 10, 2016 by doodlebug

[Honey]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I don't think that education is one of the 'appearances' that concerns Kate.  Everything revolves around Kate and how hard she works, how burdened she is.  When the time comes, I expect Kate will be crying about how she cannot afford a college education for her kids or that, despite her stellar parenting, her kids didn't want to go to college which is, of course, Jon's fault.

Also, when the 'tups were born, the state of Pennsylvania set up a college fund for them.  I can see Kate blaming the citizens of PA for not contributing enough to pay for Ivy League educations for all 6.

I disagree with this.  Her kids are an extension of her, which is why she always made sure they had nice, designer clothes, even if they were donated.  So, we disagree, and that's fine.  :)

[Absolom]

Kate sent the kids to school in Old Navy.  There is a huge difference in what she does in real life day to day and what is shown on TV.

[Honey]

Yeah Old Navy has pretty nice clothes.  :)

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, Honey said:

Yeah Old Navy has pretty nice clothes.  :)

But inexpensive clothes, not designer. I think we disagree on what Kate considers to be important.  I agree, she sees the kids as a reflection of her.  I think we just disagree that Kate therefore would insist on a college education for them. I don't think education is one of her priorities. 

[Awfarmington]

Can they pack in anymore vacations, parties or fun activities while Collin is away? I hope his current lodging doesn't have TLC available. I can't imagine having the time of my life when one of my children isn't able to be part of the family. 

 

How many puppies does Kate bring home before returning? The last time, she came home with two, one went back. The remaining pooch was in a few scenes but tonight they didn't show him at all. Maybe he's been returned for the newer models. 

 

Lastly, I don't care how much exposure TLC gave my business, no way would I ever deal with that jerkbag. 

[mittsigirl]

On 28/11/2016 at 5:16 PM, mbutterfly said:

I can't even rewatch Colin and the bear clip -- even more so now. I'm not really a big Kate-hater. Sometimes she actually amuses me. But that was horrible, horrible. You don't throw away your toddler's comfort toy. You do everything humanly possible to "fix" whatever is wrong with it. 

She can't fix anything until she fixes herself!

[fonfereksglen]

Kate Gosselin's math lesson from last night - 

2 puppies = one son.  The family is whole again.

Absolutely disgusting.  

[cmccasandra]

On 11/29/2016 at 7:40 PM, bethster2000 said:

I can.  She's a horrible, horrible human being.  I've been watching clips online and am again struck at just how unpleasant and nasty a creature she is.  Jon takes entirely too much chiding for supposedly being the "bad" parent.  What I see is that he is 1000 times the better parent than Khate is.  And does she ever shut up?  She is so convinced that the planet is interested in what she has to say.  She's just awful.  Here are some more examples.  Frankly, someone needs to belt her in the chops and take her down a peg or two.  And I'm a pacifist!

Ok this is just crazy.   She complained about the fridge when they clearly bought a new one.  Poor Jon is treated like a child about the coupon. Just take it back to the store and get the % off. It is frustrating, but it's certainly no reason to treat your husband like a child. I truly feel bad for him when this stuff was going on.

[cmccasandra]

I think Mady just tells it like  it is.  She's tired of her mother's BS and just puts it out there to show she's got her number.  I honestly can't say I blame her. Is it respectful no, she's a sassy teenager it's just on TV.

[Dobian]

Shouldn't this show be called Kate Plus 7 now?  LOL.

[Absolom]

Ratings for Dec 13, 2016, with another drop:  622K viewers and a .2 rating.

[Maharincess]

I refuse to watch this witch but every day I'm shocked that there are still people that think she's a "fun" good mom.  I worry for the children of her defenders to be honest.  If they think the documented physical and emotional abuse is ok, what the hell is going on in their own homes?!  

[Dobian]

3 hours ago, Absolom said:

Ratings for Dec 13, 2016, with another drop:  622K viewers and a .2 rating.

I think our local news gets higher numbers, lol.

[Pickles]

She is going to be on Dr. oz today boo hooing about how the tabloid stories are affecting her health. Poor Kate. Trying to do damage control and stay in the limelight.  I will not be watching. Saw some pictures of her linked to the Dr. oz story and she looks so unattractive. That hair.

[Barb23]

I watched it & it was all damage control. She basically glossed over things & wanted to come across as the best mom: Yes, she's been checked out by Child services but everything was unfounded. In fact the social workers liked her family so much they wanted to stay & play with the kids.  She isn't telling John where Collin is so he won't spill the beans of where he's at.  Collin is at the facility to get more professional help than she could give him. She supports the kids who want to see John & those that don't . (No details)  She is just a mom (we heard that a lot) who spends her time in the kitchen.  She actually said she has mellowed.  I guess she wanted to come across as "just a mom" so she wasn't made up too much & had on her mom wear, a plain sweater & pants.

ETA: she did mention the puppies too.  IIRC, her face seemed to light up more talking about the pets than the kids. 

Edited December 16, 2016 by Barb23

[Absolom]

I'm not a body language expert nor do I play one on TV, but having watched Kate bald faced lie over the years, I watch for a couple of things.  She shook her head no off and on through the entire section of talking about Jon.  I don't think she she really believes a lot of what she said.  During talking about Colin and CPS she looked up and to her right quite consistently especially while preparing her answers.  She seemed to be either preparing the lie or looking for her canned response.  Talking about preparing meals and the pets she seemed to be involved and as honest as she ever gets.  There were no head shakes, weird faces, or looking off from the camera or Dr. Oz. 

[farmgal4]

On November 30, 2016 at 0:33 AM, Maharincess said:

I wonder if she tells the other kids that she'll send them away too if they misbehave. I wouldn't be surprised.  When they were little and didn't want to film she would tell them that if they didn't film they would lost their house, school, wouldn't have any food and it would be their fault. 

Of course she does!  She's a manipulative bitch and has to be in control at all costs.  I know Kate Gosselin, upside down and sideways.  She's my mother made over.  Everything is about her, she's a master at playing the victim, and there's no one she loves more than herself.  Those kids are doomed.  They will be dealing with psychological/mental health/addiction issues their entire life because of the damage she's inflicted upon them.

[hoosiermom]

I enjoyed the space camp episode because I would like to send my grandson there. Reading about it and then actually seeing the camp was very interesting. Kate seems to have toned herself down a bit.

[ghoulina]

It must be nice to be able to take 5 different summer vacations. The downside is you have to take them with KATE. Way to be an immature ass and try to do all the "best" things at Space Camp. Don't put your kids before yourself or anything. This woman is totally embarrassing. Why does she have to make everything into the biggest deal? I get that putting away groceries for 9 people is a large effort. I do a bi-weekly shopping trip for 5 and want to pass out. But the way she speaks to people is not going to inspire good attitudes. Just saying. 

[Honey]

Who was the brat whining "It's not fair" because she wanted to do the EVA, instead of staying in the capsule with Aaden?

When did Hannah start being a little brat too?

[ghoulina]

The most bratty behavior I noticed was from Kate, who wanted to do all the funnest activities, screw her own children. If Hannah was acting bratty, it's probably because she's her mother's favorite and has learned to emulate her. 

[Honey]

I can't believe Cara actually spoke last night in the TH.  Usually she just sits there like a lump, while Mady talks.

[Absolom]

Another drop in ratings:  560K viewers and a .17 rating.

[CarolMK]

I wonder at what point does the show end up not getting renewed due to low ratings. However, I'm sure Kate will figure out some way to stay in the spotlight and on tv if she can. Though I don't personally think she has any real talent and she might end up appearing on Oprah's Where are They now in 10 years time.

[Bronzedog]

Kate has no real talent but neither do the Kardasians.

[Absolom]

4 hours ago, CarolMK said:

I wonder at what point does the show end up not getting renewed due to low ratings.

I think we're at the point where we'll find out soon.  If the drop continues, we should find out TLC's floor.  It used to be around 750K viewers, but with the general TV viewership drop I'm not sure where the cancellation point will be in January, 2017.

[Maire]

This was a particularly nasty episode. All the kids look so miserable. End it TLC

[bethster2000]

Who finds this entertaining?  Who wants to spend one nanosecond listening to that narcissist bray with those godawful capped teeth and those tacky fingernails that her children's childhoods paid for?

[mangosplums]

On 12/7/2016 at 8:20 PM, Linny said:

I tuned in out of curiosity after reading about Collin in the tabloids. It was concerning to me that in every scene he seemed to be quietly participating on his own; I never saw any of his siblings (or Kate) talk to him. I think the only time he spoke was when they went around the table and shared their favorite part of the trip. I'm not sure what's going on with Collin, but it worries me that he seems so distant from his family. And Kate has only furthered this distance by continuing to film without Collin.

I agree. It really doesn't sit well with me that they are filming, not even mentioning him, except for a small mention by Kate on their birthday, like he's been wiped from existence. I remember on a previous season they were visiting a "pirate ship" and the pirate joked they wanted to take one of the kids. All the children yelled "take Collin" and pushed him forward, then in the interview chair they said that he starts fights and they didn't want him around. It comes off as if Kate's way of dealing with the problem is to give him away. I understand that it's been difficult parenting him, and that as a single mom she doesn't know what to do, but I can't help but think that this approach, just getting rid of him, is going to make everything worse. I can't imagine how he's feeling right now. Probably thinking his whole family hates him, that he's a bad kid. This will shape him for the rest of his life. I hope it turns out ok, and that Kate and the whole family are participating in group therapy that will foster a better relationship with him. But the way they are filming vacations without him, without even a mention of him, makes it seem like they just got rid of him and are moving on with life. 

Edited December 25, 2016 by mangosplums