Bruce Jenner: The Interview (ABC)

[truthaboutluv]

I don't know, I actually didn't take the comment about the Russian guy to be that big of a deal. It's clear they still have some kind of friendship and likely feel comfortable ribbing on each other. After all, at the end of the special, there was the quote from the Russian about being happy for Bruce whatever he wanted to do but that he can't believe he got beaten by a girl at the Olympics. I'm sure some feminist might have an issue with that "beaten by a girl" comment but again, I just think it's two people who are friendly enough to feel comfortable ribbing on each other. 

[Tuftsmo]

Getting a gel manicure with Bruce is now on my bucket list. But seriously, I went into this thinking.... well actually, I didn't know what I was expecting, but I do know I didn't expect to be so genuinely moved. You are a brave person, Bruce, and truly a role model.

[Guest]

I thought his comment about the Russian's weight was catty but also kind of honest.  I think I would've kept that thought to myself in his shoes, though.  The Russian's joke about 'beaten by a girl' was also sort of unavoidable but tactless.  

 

Who else is he talking about when he says “we” are going to change the world? I was surprised to hear he started transitioning back in the 80s, I guess what everyone thought was bad plastic surgery back then was really the result of hormones.

 

All the use of "we" toward the beginning also had me scratching my head.  I'm assuming he meant "we of the transgender community" but you kind of wondered if he was referring to himself in the plural, too.  

 

I thought and had heard he had just had bad plastic surgery in the 80s, too.  I think his changed look was due to surgery and not just hormones and electrolysis.  At least his nose was surgically changed.  That Linda Thompson article said also his adam's apple was reduced back then, right?  

 

I have trouble excusing his being so absent in Brandon and Brody's lives.  What a forgiving family.  I'm shocked he never paid child support.  I know sometimes a breakup is so painful both parties just want to cut all ties.  But damn.  

[ryebread]

I liked this interview and Bruce despite Sawyer.  She did not do a good job.  This subject has been around long enough to skip the "are you gay" question.  Her comment about makeup was just plain stupid.  

 

Hey, wings!  Nice to see ya in another forum.

 

I respectfully disagree about skipping the 'are you gay?' question. This a.m. I asked my mother and 16 yo son - neither of which saw the interview - if they thought he was gay.  Both are aware, via the media, that he's been changing.  But when asked if they thought he was gay, both said yes.  My mother said, "Of course, he's gay."  Bless her heart. 

 

I like that Diane asked the question and I liked Bruce's response.  He did a good job, imo, of explaining that how he feels has very little to do with his sexual orientation.  I still think a lot of people are confused about how that works.  And I think that bit of the interview will promote some discussion, which is good. 

 

When Diane asked him if he ever saw himself getting married again, I also liked that answer.  That at 65, marriage and sex are the furthest thing from his mind at this point.  He just wants to be happy. I hope he gets that.

[Cosmic Muffin]

I don't know if Diane Sawyer was dumbing herself down because she thinks the viewers in general aren't informed about this or if she herself is pretty ignorant. I did wish someone else had conducted the interview, but she was better than nothing.

 

Re: Kris in the 80s accepting Bruce partially transitioned, I don't think Kris sees gender, race, creed, religion. I think she only sees earning potential, and what she calculates someone can do for her. So she didn't have a problem with Bruce feeling he should have been born a woman, because she was able to create a financial empire with him, and later the high profile reality show. 

 

I will always judge Bruce for being so passive regarding Kylie and Kenner; I don't know if he could have put his foot down when they wanted to drop out of high school for example, but as a parent (of any gender) he should have tried to insist that they not become just like Kim at such young ages. I'm sorry the gender struggle has been going on for him all this time, but that doesn't excuse him from parenting any of the children he helped bring into the world.

[howmanywords]

I wonder how much Kim and Kanye paid him to say that bull crap line about Kanye being the one to turn her around.

I may think many things about Kanye but I actually believe this did happen. I dont think Bruce was blowing smoke about this. For one everything felt so real and honest so I doubt Bruce needed Kanye's money for the sake of adding in some bullshit to make Kanye look good. The words just sounded like something Kanye would say and regardless of how fucked up we think this family is, he is Kim's husband. Its not a surprise that he would know exactly what to say to get through to her and as her husband he probably did sit down with her and try and help her make sense of things. And to be honest I respect Kanye way more than Kim's last husband after the tacky tweet he sent last night saying "I'm glad I got out when I did". Stay classy there, Kris.

Edited April 25, 2015 by howmanywords

[txhorns79]

I don't know if Diane Sawyer was dumbing herself down because she thinks the viewers in general aren't informed about this or if she herself is pretty ignorant. I did wish someone else had conducted the interview, but she was better than nothing.

 

My guess would be that a good reporter would know what questions her audience was going to have, or would want answered, and would explore those topics regardless of what she may know or have dealt with on the topic. 

Edited April 25, 2015 by txhorns79

[Gemma Violet]

Surprised that Khloe is taking it hard.i wonder if this adds to Robs issues.

I'm sure Kris will find a way to have her say and get a few digs in.

 

Never would I have thought Khloe was taking it the hardest.  I would have thought she was taking it the easiest.

[iwasish]

That comment nearly turned me off the interview. It was needlessly mean, and you'd honestly think that someone who has struggled with his appearance like Jenner has would not be so quick to make comments like that about other people.

I don't think it's out of bounds to ask the question. He's saying that he feels he is a woman who loves women. It seems like a normal question to ask if that would mean he is a lesbian.

It was a mean comment and it made me wonder about Rob. If Bruce was put off by the Russians weight, has that also affected his feelings towards Rob? No mention was made of him, I don't think he even referred to Rob by name.

I did get a sense from Bruce that he thought the reality show was superficial and fake, I wonder if seeing his family turn into materialistic shallow twits before his eyes made him decide to be honest and true to himself and the world. I think of those scenes with him in the garage, his little refuge,wearing his putter pants and all alone, Kris breezing in all dolled up and looking down her nose at him. How sad.

The incidents he told where various family members caught him as "her" yet no one ever discussed it, they just continued with the show, prattling on about makeup and hair and vacations and stuff, ignoring the elephant in the room. I'd bet everything I have that Kris would have preferred Bruce stay as he was. No way, despite her supposed remarks is she pleased with this.

If anything it shows her and her family for the vain, shallow people they are. Anyone else bet they try to do damage control by getting all involved with various support groups etc both on the show and in person?

Could it be that "Her" and her story are the beginning of the end of the Kardadhian era?

I can see Kanye making those remarks, supposedly there are skeletons in his closet too, so he may well trying to influence Kims thinking.

Edited April 25, 2015 by iwasish

[Janet Snakehole]

I could not care less that Bruce is a Republican and would love to see his support of the party influence the party into having more open and widespread support of the LGBT movement and people. That being said, Democrats believe in the constitution too, so if I shook my head at him, it was because of that statement.

Moving on, I was really impressed with the elder Jenner kids. They seemed mature and caring.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Janet Snakehole

[Guest]

I will always judge Bruce for being so passive regarding Kylie and Kenner; I don't know if he could have put his foot down when they wanted to drop out of high school for example, but as a parent (of any gender) he should have tried to insist that they not become just like Kim at such young ages. I'm sorry the gender struggle has been going on for him all this time, but that doesn't excuse him from parenting any of the children he helped bring into the world.

I don't know if Bruce could really put his foot down with Kris.  I sadly wonder if maybe she lorded his secret over him to keep him complacent and her in charge.  

 

Though I don't have a problem with their decision to effectively let the young girls be home schooled after a point.  Young actors go to 'set school' all the time.  They had their own fashion businesses.  Still a little 'fame ho' but not exactly on the level of a sex tape.  

[Gemma Violet]

 

I will always judge Bruce for being so passive regarding Kylie and Kenner; I don't know if he could have put his foot down when they wanted to drop out of high school for example, but as a parent (of any gender) he should have tried to insist that they not become just like Kim at such young ages. I'm sorry the gender struggle has been going on for him all this time, but that doesn't excuse him from parenting any of the children he helped bring into the world.

I think Bruce probably hated the way Kendall & Kylie were given so much freedom at a young age, but I have a feeling he had absolutely no say in anything.  Kris ran the whole kit and kaboodle.  

[Wings]

Hey, wings!  Nice to see ya in another forum.

 

I respectfully disagree about skipping the 'are you gay?' question. This a.m. I asked my mother and 16 yo son - neither of which saw the interview - if they thought he was gay.  Both are aware, via the media, that he's been changing.  But when asked if they thought he was gay, both said yes.  My mother said, "Of course, he's gay."  Bless her heart. 

 

I like that Diane asked the question and I liked Bruce's response.  He did a good job, imo, of explaining that how he feels has very little to do with his sexual orientation.  I still think a lot of people are confused about how that works.  And I think that bit of the interview will promote some discussion, which is good. 

 

When Diane asked him if he ever saw himself getting married again, I also liked that answer.  That at 65, marriage and sex are the furthest thing from his mind at this point.  He just wants to be happy. I hope he gets that.

 

 

Hey back at ya!  I am all over the place.  

 

I should have said a statement like this would have been better.   "People often confuse transgender with being gay, can you please speak to that so viewers can be informed."   It is a peeve of mine when an interviewer asks a question and they know the answer.   It is demeaning to the guest, viewers and does not make them look very bright.  

 

Bruce did a stellar job!  Very compelling man.  

Edited April 25, 2015 by wings707

[spaceghostess]

Wow. Had I known about this interview, I would have avoided it, assuming the worst type of crapsploitation. On your recommendation, however, I will view.

[mwell345]

I was very moved and I didn't expect to be. 

 

I was surprised that Sawyer did not ask how Rob handled the news - maybe he's off limits - but since Bruce has been his father since Rob was 4, his reaction would have been interesting.   Overall, I thought she handled the questioning well - she did fumble a few times, but this was groundbreaking for her too, and her fumbling I think can be excused. 

 

Bruce's struggle seemed so real and honest to me.   One of the youths who's picture they showed as a suicide was a good friend of my neighbor's son. His suicide was recent.   According to my neighbor's son, the boy was well liked, popular, had many friends.  But his family had disowned him.  I think about how difficult it must have been for him, and for anyone else going through this, considering how difficult it is for Jenner - who has the support of family, the nation, and good financial resources.   God bless Bruce Jenner, along with all of the other people struggling with this - especially the young people. 

[Wings]

 

I'm not sure how Kris could be truthful about it now.   Her story so far was that she had no idea whatsoever until after they split and he told the world.  But Bruce himself says he was a 36B back when they married and he cross-dressed around the house at times from day one, which she was aware of.

 

Winston,  I bet she is regretting her decision to lie right now.  All of Bruce's family, aside from the Ks, have spoken poignantly in support of him.  She missed a self promotion opportunity!  She is slipping.  

 

We got some support statements via Bruce about Kim and Kayne and I expect to hear more from all of his kids in the future.  I do believe the plan was to stay mum until Bruce broke the news himself.  But Kris claiming she never knew?  Mistake.  

[mwell345]

Rob did tweet last night

 

"You have always been a role model to me and now more than ever, I look up to you. LOVE YOU‼‼"

[RealityCowgirl]

Old reporter here. In my view, Sawyer dropped the ball. Yes, she was asking questions that many audience members likely have. But no, she did not do her due diligence in not asking more probing questions as well. Bruce would be understandably cautious about what he shares, especially early in this public phase. But, no, I don't think Sawyer came anywhere close to stretching his boundaries to the point of breaking. Not in a two-hour interview.

 

On the other hand, Jenner doesn't strike me as a terribly complex thinker. Not that he doesn't have a deep personal understanding of this entire journey. He's lived it. All of it. It's his specific story to tell - or not. But he doesn't strike me as particularly thoughtful overall (probably why he survived as long as he did with the K-cult).

 

As an obviously ignorant - but empathetic - outsider to the transgender community, that's where I also see the argument that he's not exactly the greatest spokesperson (whether or not that is a role he actively wants - apparently not - or whether it's placed on him at some level because of his public status). I can see the argument that some, like the transgender reporter interviewed on CNN this morning, are making.

Edited April 25, 2015 by RealityCowgirl

[RemoteControlFreak]

Biggest takeways from the Jenner - Sawyer show:

1. The biggest obstacles to him addressing his being transgender were his fear of letting down the public who have a 40-year-long image of him as an iconic male athlete, and fear of hurting his six children and four step-children. It's sad that he felt he had to squelch the expression of who he is out of fear of letting others down.

2. His children from his first two marriages seem far more supportive than his children with Kris Jenner (who, in all fairness are still teenagers) and his Kardashian step-children, who are probably still trying to figure out how to translate this into increasing their own fame and fortune, since that seems to be all they ever care about.

3. Brandon Jenner seems particularly understanding, mature, and empathetic -- so far away from any traits expressed by the Kardashians.

4. Bruce reports that Kourtney Kardashian is concerned about the effect of Bruce's transition on her children, especially her five-year-old son. Why? How would this hurt the child?

5. Kris Jenner conspicuously refused to comment about Bruce's transition, unlike his two other ex-wives and their children who all expressed support. Only after she saw the overwhelming positive reaction from the public did she come out with the most disingenuous Tweet that ever Tweeted, claiming Bruce is her "hero." Does anyone believe that?

6. Jenner steadfastly states that he is not gay. But when asked if when he transitions to female will that make him a lesbian, he appears to have never thought of that.

Edited April 25, 2015 by maraleia
removed transexuality and replaced with being transgender per terminology standards

[Jellybeans]

This morning I received a text from a friend saying "did you hear Bruce is a Republican"? I was confused... who cares? There are a lot of Republicans. It is not a scarlet letter or anything bad. I am one too, don't feel a need to explain.

I thought Bruce told his story very well. I wish him happiness when he comes out as a SHE. Bravo!

Diane is nuts.

[MarysWetBar]

I cried watching the interview. I watched with my older son who is way more knowledgeable about transgender folks than i ever was and it actually opened up quite a dialogue between us.The part that made me emotional was him stating the fear at telling his children. How he didn't want to hurt them. I think Brandon is the most level headed and certainly their family's "go-to" when emotional things need to be discussed. I'm glad the Kardashian family weren't there. This was about Bruce. They all know the circus they bring.

I wish Bruce well. I cannot imagine living 65 years of your life hiding such a huge part of who you are.

What wonderful family support he has! I was also struck by the fact that none of his exwives ever said a thing.

Edited April 25, 2015 by MarysWetBar

[Ohwell]

I started watching this but after a half hour or so, I switched channels.  It wasn't his message that turned me off, it was his personality. I don't care about his gender or sexuality; he just doesn't come across to me as a likeable person.

[DrSparkles]

Never would I have thought Khloe was taking it the hardest.  I would have thought she was taking it the easiest.

My guess is that Khloe is ok w the transition itself, it's the media & public that she's worried about. He could be massacred & that's what scares her IMO.

[Shannon Sheh]

Same, I don't know what I was expecting however it was a terrific surprise to find such a charming, engaging and witty person.

[Wings]

I think Bruce mentioned that Khloe is a unsettled with this because of the loss of men in her life.  Her dad, Lamar and now Bruce.   She will always have Bruce but not as a strong male figure in her life.  

[LGGirl]

The interview was OK. I just thought it could have been done in one hour instead of two. It dragged for me. Also, he's asking for privacy yet has this two hour interview and a reality show this summer. I guess, for me, it's all a show and about the $$$.

I do feel for his kids. No matter how "good" they are with it or how much they want their dad happy, it still has to be hard. They didn't sign up for this. But then, I'd never give Bruce Jenner father of the year award.

It was nice to see his older kids from his first wife.

[LADreamr]

I thought his comment about the Russian's weight was catty but also kind of honest. I think I would've kept that thought to myself in his shoes, though. The Russian's joke about 'beaten by a girl' was also sort of unavoidable but tactless.

It made them both sound like assholes.

[MartinKSmith]

I'm not a big fan of the Kardashian clan, but I can't help but feel they would have been damned if they did, damned if they didn't in terms of appearing during the interview. 

 

With the reactions people are having toward them just now, for them not showing... I feel if they had, people would be claiming (even more so) that it was a publicity stance. Using his interview to further their brand, etc.

 

I, personally, think they did the right thing, distancing themselves. Letting him have his moment. 

[Picture It. Sicily]

It just breaks my heart that it took over sixty years for Bruce to get to this point. I wish it had happened sooner.

[GreatKazu]

I only watched a little bit of the special. Is Jenner really that important enough to make a big impact? When he said it was going to change the world I started laughing. I think of him as the Olympian but mostly just the whipped husband of Kris Jenner.

 

Jenner actually said, "WE are going to change the world." I assume when he said that, he is referring to others, like him, who are coming out and moving forward with their transgender change.

[Guest]

Old reporter here. In my view, Sawyer dropped the ball. Yes, she was asking questions that many audience members likely have. But no, she did not do her due diligence in not asking more probing questions as well. Bruce would be understandably cautious about what he shares, especially early in this public phase. But, no, I don't think Sawyer came anywhere close to stretching his boundaries to the point of breaking. Not in a two-hour interview.

I assumed Bruce called the shots here.  I think ABC brought the questions they wanted to ask to the table and Bruce brought the parts he wanted to discuss, and the parts he wanted off limits, and they decided on this set of questions together.  I doubt he wanted to be stretched to breaking or anything close.  Did ABC suggest that's what they were going to do?   

 

I think the Kardashians AND Bruce AND E Network probably all wanted them left off the show itself, as far as making an appearance.  

 

I wish he wasn't doing a reality show of his own, but he really never struck me as into the fame (my teen daughter watched some seasons of the Kardashians so I've seen plenty) so maybe it truly is to educate and help other transgender people.  

[againstthewind]

Now that I've slept on this interview, I had a few more thoughts I wanted to share.

 

First of all, everyone who hasn't read Linda Thompson's article at HuffPo needs to right now. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-thompson/bruce-jenner-linda-thompson_b_7080918.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

 

The  major thing I keep harkening back to is something my mother references all the time. "You never know what's in somebody's brown paper bag." She relates a story of a woman she knew when my brother was young. Absolutely gorgeous, looked like a Vogue model. She had a 3 carat ring, didn't need to work, had two gorgeous children, a husband who looked like Brad Pitt and was one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. It was impossible to not be envious of her. The year after they became close it came out that her husband had been cheating on her with most of the eastern seaboard. They divorced and my mom lost touch with her. She ten heard about five years ago that she died. She had dealt with ovarian cysts for years, one was caught too late, and she died at 42 years old, leaving two children with an absentee father and no mother. She had been struggling with alcoholism and was basically a wreck for the last 10 years of her life. My mother had no idea. She looked like she had a perfect life. But you never know what people are hiding. That's all I could think of when I was reflecting on this interview, and Linda Thompson's piece sort of spoke to it as well, that he was this ideal specimen of a man.

 

Regarding Bruce being an absentee father - I think it explains a lot, and LT's article also seems to support that. I am glad that Brandon and Brody (and the older two as well) were seemingly raised well enough to recognize this and forgive. When they popped up on the show a few years ago, I couldn't help but shake my head at the thought that they wanted to be close to their dad now because of the machine's he is a part of. Now I'm not so sure - the timing seems to line up with when Linda says she told them (at ages 31 and 29). I also loved how while initially Brandon seemed to be the spokesman, the other three called and wanted to come show their support as well. Kudos to them, ESPECIALLY considering the fact that he was not a very good father.

 

I'm not sure it surprises me that Kim was the most supportive. I figured it would go either way  - either she's the best or the worst. I think the worst role would probably belong to pimpmama Kris who is too worried about their brand. But Kim is not an especially deep thinker, and I could see her shrugging and being okay with it. Khloe on the other hand, seems to feel very passionately and seems to be a bit more of an over-thinker. I could certainly see where this could shatter her worldview, and I could see her being terrified at how others are going to treat him now. I am very interested to see how Scott is doing, incidentally. Scott and Bruce were always quite close, and Scott has struggled a lot with his addiction problems and the loss of his own parents.

 

Regarding Bruce being a Republican, am I the only one who thinks this may be a good thing? Most of my friends and family happen to be in real estate, where that line of thought pervades. But not a single one of them would EVER refer to Obama as an ape (that's disgusting, and whoever posted that should feel bad, because they are as closed-minded as the very people they reference). But my parents are ten years younger than Bruce and he was very iconic back in the day. I know my mother had a huge crush on him. They DVRed the interview (courtside NBA tix last night, damn them) and look forward to watching. My mother hasn't voted for a democrat in fifteen years and is one of the most open-minded people I've ever met in the world, and has been a gay marriage supporter for a long time. My father uses the I BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION line that Bruce whipped out (I laughed) and I think seeing someone who thinks like him could be quite good for him.

 

Finally, I kind of want to put an apology out there. My friends and I have giggled at his "awful" plastic surgery for years and how Kris had seemingly castrated him. It was a joke to us, and it didn't occur to me how we legitimately had no clue what he was hiding. What was in his brown paper bag.

[JennB]

4. Bruce reports that Kourtney Kardashian is concerned about the effect of Bruce's transition on her children, especially her five-year-old son. Why? How would this hurt the child?

 

I thought it was less about the transition hurting Mason (I can't remember how to do calculus, but I know the name of Kourtney Kardashian's oldest child) and more about how it would be confusing for him. Everyone else in the family is either old enough to understand what it means or too young to, in the future, remember Bruce pre-transition. Mason's at the age to ask a lot of questions and wonder what it all means. Kourtney has to be wondering how to explain that Grandpa is going to be dressing differently, wearing makeup, etc.

 

I'm so, so happy that Bruce's family has been so supportive, because so many trans people don't have that. I think this interview was extremely important, both for people considering transitioning and for people who don't understand it. I think (and hope) Bruce's openness with the process will be a huge step forward for the trans community.

[Gemma Violet]

I think Kris had a lot to do with Bruce ignoring his other children.  I think she wanted Bruce all to herself and her own kids.  Not saying that Bruce was right to go along with her, but maybe it was easier for him to let her have her way to keep the peace.  My brother married a woman whose mission in life was to alienate him from his family and she succeeded at it.  When you pair an easy-going guy with a domineering woman, she will rule the roost.    

[GreatKazu]

 

I like that Diane asked the question

I agree. Not a lot of people are aware of the differences between someone being transgender, gay, lesbian, a cross-dresser, etc. As was noted on the show, people who cross-dress are not  wanting to be the opposite gender. I think those questions need to be asked simply for those who are in the dark and with so many different terms to represent so many different people, it needed to be asked in order to clarify.

[Janet Snakehole]

Jenner actually said, "WE are going to change the world." I assume when he said that, he is referring to others, like him, who are coming out and moving forward with their transgender change.

That reminds me, I really enjoyed how the interview special showed clips of other transgender individuals, and was not just Bruce.

[LADreamr]

I'd like to hear John Boehner's and Mitch McConnell's responses to Bruce's expectation of support from them. I hope he, and the entire transgender society, get the support they need and deserve, but I'm not sure he's barking up the right tree there.

I kind of wish there had been more credit given to Chaz Bono. He really blazed the trail here, and not to say that this will be easy for Bruce, but it could be a little bit easier because of all the heat Chaz took first.

[DollEyes]

  My verdict: a lot of mixed emotions. Bruce's finally admitting his truth is long overdue, but the preceding/subsequent media hype is overkill, to say the least. Bruce isn't the first, the last nor the most famous transgender person on the planet by a long shot-just one of them. Diane Sawyer did good, not great. She could have asked more questions or asked a couple of those she had asked in better ways, such as the one about Bruce's potential sexuality ( or lack thereof, according to him), but for the most part, I think she handled it well. Re Bruce's family, I was most impressed by the reactions of his four older children by his first two marriages. They showed the maturity, dignity and class that much of the other side of his family lacks. When those 4 express their support for Bruce, it's believable to me; otoh, when Kim does it, not so much, to put it mildly. Re Kim's claim re the interview that  "As a family, we always support everyone," I think Rob, the brother whom IMO she fat-shamed out of her own wedding, would disagree. At least Khloe's initially being upset about losing the Bruce she knows because of the other losses in her life like her father's death or her divorce from Lamar is understandable because it's real; when it comes to Kim, however, I just don't believe her.

 

  Kris' knowing the truth about Bruce for years while publically pretending she didn't doesn't surprise me. Kris is all about protecting the Kardashian/Jenner brand at all costs, including the truth, on occasion. As for Kylie, I believe that all her recent behavior-the extreme makeover, the new house and her involvement with Tyga-is a direct result of her feelings about Bruce's transition. Bruce's desire to finally live on his own terms is understandable, but if Kylie's acting out is at least a partial result of that, I wouldn't be surprised. Kris isn't helping matters either, to say the least, otherwise her underage daughter wouldn't have gotten plastic surgery, be living on her own (or soon will be) nor involved with a grown-ass man/single parent with baby mama drama. Whatever problems that the Kardashian side of the family has, I think that Kris is just as much to blame as Bruce, if not more.

 

  As for Bruce's being a Republican, his wanting acceptance from the likes of Mitch McConnell and John Boehner sounds nice in theory, but as long as the Conservative/Tea Party wing of the party controls the platform and the purse strings, I don't see the Republican party doing squat for transgender issues anytime soon, if ever. Democrats aren't "perfect" either by a long shot, but the way I see it, at least the odds of them treating transgender rights as anything other than a punchline is above average, not 50/50 on a good day.

Edited April 26, 2015 by DollEyes

[RemoteControlFreak]

I'm not a big fan of the Kardashian clan, but I can't help but feel they would have been damned if they did, damned if they didn't in terms of appearing during the interview. 

The Kardashians were waiting to see which way the wind blew from the interview before putting out a statement of support.

 

With the Kardashians, it's all about promoting themselves to get money and attention.  Once they saw the positive response to Bruce from most of the pubic, they got on board. 

 

Also, Kris Jenner flat out lied when she said that ABC never contacted her for comments.  

 

And with regard to Bruce being a Republican ... the majority of wealthy American professional athletes are conservative and Republicans.  

Edited April 25, 2015 by remotecontrolfreak

[Autumn0516]

I actually think it was a good idea that Kris, the K clan and the Jenner girls didn't appear on the show, leaving it to his older children. The K clan is so polarizing and in the public eye, I think it would've made it more about them than Bruce. I actually think it's very respectful that they haven't commented on it or used it for publicity until Bruce did it on his own terms. I may not like them or their famewhoring ways, but I truly believe they love and support their dad, while struggling with it as well.

[DrSparkles]

Now that I've slept on this interview, I had a few more thoughts I wanted to share.

 

First of all, everyone who hasn't read Linda Thompson's article at HuffPo needs to right now. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-thompson/bruce-jenner-linda-thompson_b_7080918.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

 

The  major thing I keep harkening back to is something my mother references all the time. "You never know what's in somebody's brown paper bag." She relates a story of a woman she knew when my brother was young. Absolutely gorgeous, looked like a Vogue model. She had a 3 carat ring, didn't need to work, had two gorgeous children, a husband who looked like Brad Pitt and was one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. It was impossible to not be envious of her. The year after they became close it came out that her husband had been cheating on her with most of the eastern seaboard. They divorced and my mom lost touch with her. She ten heard about five years ago that she died. She had dealt with ovarian cysts for years, one was caught too late, and she died at 42 years old, leaving two children with an absentee father and no mother. She had been struggling with alcoholism and was basically a wreck for the last 10 years of her life. My mother had no idea. She looked like she had a perfect life. But you never know what people are hiding. That's all I could think of when I was reflecting on this interview, and Linda Thompson's piece sort of spoke to it as well, that he was this ideal specimen of a man.

 

Regarding Bruce being an absentee father - I think it explains a lot, and LT's article also seems to support that. I am glad that Brandon and Brody (and the older two as well) were seemingly raised well enough to recognize this and forgive. When they popped up on the show a few years ago, I couldn't help but shake my head at the thought that they wanted to be close to their dad now because of the machine's he is a part of. Now I'm not so sure - the timing seems to line up with when Linda says she told them (at ages 31 and 29). I also loved how while initially Brandon seemed to be the spokesman, the other three called and wanted to come show their support as well. Kudos to them, ESPECIALLY considering the fact that he was not a very good father.

 

I'm not sure it surprises me that Kim was the most supportive. I figured it would go either way  - either she's the best or the worst. I think the worst role would probably belong to pimpmama Kris who is too worried about their brand. But Kim is not an especially deep thinker, and I could see her shrugging and being okay with it. Khloe on the other hand, seems to feel very passionately and seems to be a bit more of an over-thinker. I could certainly see where this could shatter her worldview, and I could see her being terrified at how others are going to treat him now. I am very interested to see how Scott is doing, incidentally. Scott and Bruce were always quite close, and Scott has struggled a lot with his addiction problems and the loss of his own parents.

 

Regarding Bruce being a Republican, am I the only one who thinks this may be a good thing? Most of my friends and family happen to be in real estate, where that line of thought pervades. But not a single one of them would EVER refer to Obama as an ape (that's disgusting, and whoever posted that should feel bad, because they are as closed-minded as the very people they reference). But my parents are ten years younger than Bruce and he was very iconic back in the day. I know my mother had a huge crush on him. They DVRed the interview (courtside NBA tix last night, damn them) and look forward to watching. My mother hasn't voted for a democrat in fifteen years and is one of the most open-minded people I've ever met in the world, and has been a gay marriage supporter for a long time. My father uses the I BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION line that Bruce whipped out (I laughed) and I think seeing someone who thinks like him could be quite good for him.

 

Finally, I kind of want to put an apology out there. My friends and I have giggled at his "awful" plastic surgery for years and how Kris had seemingly castrated him. It was a joke to us, and it didn't occur to me how we legitimately had no clue what he was hiding. What was in his brown paper bag.

I may be misunderstanding you, but people HAVE referred to Prez & FL Obama & their lovely daughters as apes (and worse).

[Darknight]

Kris knew but stilled marries him. Nobody wanted her cheating ass. Robert left her broke. So she hooks up with Bruce who did have more money than her at the time and accepted all her kids in addition to his. No way was MAMA Kardashian- Jenner was going back to being "poor" so Bruce at time was the best thing for her. Since the interview got 17 million views more than a Kardashian episode, and most of the comments are positive then The K clan will make a PR move. As for Rob he's going through his own issues. Kylie needs guidance. Her mother isn't doing it. So Bruce needs to guide her.

At first I thought it was sad that none of the Kardashian kids bothered to show up but it was truly a blessing in disguise. Their presence would have only tainted the interview and the reception would have been far different from what it is now. Of course it's funny now to see them so busy tweeting and retweeting all the celebrity tweets calling him a hero  Even Mr. Rob has the audacity to jump on the bandwagon when he has been so disrespectful to Bruce in the past. They all have been but I felt he was the worst. I will never forget that scene when he told him that he didn't have a male figure in his life growing up or something and how much he missed his real dad. I hope he doesn't allow the Kardashians to milk him. I honestly think he won't allow them because I believe he knows that they are fame whores. He doesn't need them, he actually has an interesting story to tell. Bruce is about to leave their asses in the dust. I actually think that THIS event will be their downfall, sort of like when Kim came up and Paris went down.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Darknight

[RemoteControlFreak]

I actually think it was a good idea that Kris, the K clan and the Jenner girls didn't appear on the show, leaving it to his older children

Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian are both older than Brandon Jenner and Brody Jenner.

Edited April 25, 2015 by remotecontrolfreak

[sconstant]

"I wonder if he wishes he had finished the transition that he started back in the 80s when he could have done it in relative privacy."

Since nowadays (given the right parents living in the right community) he might have had an even earlier transition than that, I wonder, in more of a bad science fiction with time travel way, what he'd wish about giving up the Olympic success and fame to have been more in harmony with his inner self all along.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

Another comment I didn't like - when he said he recently met up with the Russian decathlon athlete from the '76 Olympics he beat (I forget his name), who has apparently gained weight, and said: "I won that battle, too." Meow! Even worse, the guy released a very sweet and supportive message to Bruce.

That comment really rubbed me the wrong way. You'd think with the way Bruce has been mocked for his bad plastic surgery and the ugly things people have said about him changing his appearance as he transitions, he'd recognize that beauty is more than skin deep and that being a good person is more important than being physically attractive.

I really liked the whole interview and felt lots of compassion for Bruce, but that was all kind of tainted by that one comment.

I mean, it's one thing to think that....probably lots of us have seen old rivals or frenemies and been excited we are in better shape or thinner than they are, but we know not to gloat about it on national television.

Edited April 25, 2015 by MyPeopleAreNordic

[iwasish]

. Bruce reports that Kourtney Kardashian is concerned about the effect of Bruce's transition on her children, especially her five-year-old son. Why? How would this hurt the child?

 

I can understand Kourtney's concern. One reason Bruce didn't continue with his earlier start at the process was concern over how it would affect those that he loved. Penelope and Reign are much younger, Mason knows Bruce as a man, explaining things to him, in a  way that he can understand and isn't traumatizing is important. I don't think she will keep Mason away from Bruce, but I won't criticize her for expressing concerns, I would expect her to have some.  I think she will find a way to express it to Mason that he can accept and understand and he will maintain his bond with  Bruce. Kim, despite the words of wisdom imparted to her by Yeezuz, didn't seem real anxious for North to be spending time with Bruce, he brought it up to her at one of his outings with all the girls and mentioned bonding time with North.. she sort of brushed it  off.   

[fishcakes]

It was interesting when they mentioned Renee Richards because she won her lawsuit against the US Tennis Association in 1977 when Bruce was at the height of his post-Olympic fame. And Christine Jorgensen had done a lengthy interview with Tom Snyder around that same time. So transgender issues were in the news a fair bit and I would have liked to have known what, if anything, Bruce thought about that at the time (especially with respect to Richards, who was also an athlete) and if it either encouraged or discouraged him to begin transitioning earlier. Overall, I thought it was kind of a superficial interview, but if Bruce set the terms, he may have wanted it that way. And I think the questions about orientation were appropriate because it is a confusing thing to people. The questions may come across as ignorant to people with a better understanding of all the issues involved, but ignorance in and of itself isn't a bad thing. If you're coming from a place of limited knowledge and you ask what are considered dumb questions, I don't see what's wrong with that as long as it's done respectfully.

 

The most moving part of it to me was the idea of him as a young boy going out in his sister's clothes and not really knowing why he felt compelled to do that. Sawyer said something about how he must have felt so lonely back then and he said that he'd been lonely his entire life. I think about what it must be like to have no one who really knows you because, for whatever reason, you can't be yourself.

 

 

I may think many things about Kanye but I actually believe this did happen. I dont think Bruce was blowing smoke about this. For one everything felt so real and honest so I doubt Bruce needed Kanye's money for the sake of adding in some bullshit to make Kanye look good. The words just sounded like something Kanye would say and regardless of how fucked up we think this family is, he is Kim's husband. Its not a surprise that he would know exactly what to say to get through to her and as her husband he probably did sit down with her and try and help her make sense of things. And to be honest I respect Kanye way more than Kim's last husband after the tacky tweet he sent last night saying "I'm glad I got out when I did". Stay classy there, Kris.

 

I believed the Kanye story too because people can surprise you. In general, I think the guy is a jackass, but that doesn't mean he can't have moments of open-heartedness, particularly toward his own family. Also, it seems Kanye couched it in terms of how it related to himself, which makes it seem especially credible. Maybe he didn't say it, but I prefer to think he did because it makes me feel better about the world.

Edited April 25, 2015 by fishcakes

[Irlandesa]

I like Diane Sawyer but some of her confused questions and incredulous demeanor got on my nerves.  I realize she is trying to play the role of the audience but come on, Diane is a sophisticated woman and I doubt this is the first time she has heard that transgender does not mean gay, it just seemed like play acting.

I do think it was somewhat play acting for the millions (almost 17 million) of people who were watching last night.  Some of them have experience with the transgender community but most likely do not.  I do think the posters here are more likely to have more exposure than the average viewer.   She could have been more sophisticated but for many people watching this may have been the first in depth exposure they've had to a transgender woman.  That's one positive about who Bruce Jenner is.  So many younger people associate him with the Kardashians but there's an older generation who mainly remembers him from the Olympics and are interested in him* for that reason in a way they weren't interested in a Chaz Bono.

 

I had no problem with the fact that he was a Republican.  I did side him at the explanation that he "believes in the constitution" (unsaid--unlike the democrats.)  Well no, people can believe in something equally and disagree with how it should be applied/interpreted. There are actually a lot of conservatives who believe in gay and transgender rights. I just wish that those in power in the GOP would stop fighting the progress in these areas.  It'd be great if Bruce could make a difference. 

 

 

I did think it seemed like he was holding some things back for the reality show, like what he looks like in the skin that makes him feel the most comfortable. And he also didn't give out his new name. 

 

There were also moments where he seemed unsure.  I thought his "as far as I know" about his sexuality was interesting.  As was the discussion of surgery.  I think it shows what a massive toll it can be.  He knew he felt like a woman but he still hasn't unpacked all that it will mean to his life. 

 

*I am using "he" since that was his preferred pronoun of right now--or as of last night. 

 

 

..

[Guest]

I believe Kanye said that too because, 1, it was ME ME ME, and 2, he referred to Kim and North practically as pretty possessions.  

 

Kris knew but stilled marries him. Nobody wanted her cheating ass. Robert left her broke. So she hooks up with Bruce who did have more money than her at the time and accepted all her kids in addition to his. No way was MAMA Kardashian- Jenner was going back to being "poor" so Bruce at time was the best thing for her. 

 

I believe they were in love.  23 years and two kids (plus 4) is a long time.  If Kris was in it only for the money, she could've ended it long before now.  I don't know if she ever needed him for income but she definitely didn't once her show became a hit. 

 

I had to give him credit for zinging Diane when she suggested he couldn't even wear pretty clothes due to his age.  

[LotusFlower]

That comment really rubbed me the wrong way. You'd think with the way Bruce has been mocked for his bad plastic surgery and the ugly things people have said about him changing his appearance as he transitions, he'd recognize that beauty is more than skin deep and that being a good person is more important than being physically attractive.

I really like the whole interview and felt lots of compassion for Bruce, but that was all kind of tainted by that one comment.

I mean, it's one thing to think that....probably lots of us have seen old rivals or frenemies and been excited we are better shape or thinner than we are, but we know not to gloat about it on national television.

Exactly. It was a catty remark. In and of itself it's not a huge deal, but I think it represents his nature, at least in part, which makes him a less than ideal public spokesperson for transgender awareness.

David Letterman interviewed Chaz Bono a few years ago after his transition, and it was a far more probing, informative and thought-provoking interview, if anyone's interested. I'm sure there are others, too.