S04.E01: Jackee Harry / Traci Lords

[Tara Ariano]

In the fourth-season opener, Jackee Harry leaves behind her life full of social outings with her ex-husband in Los Angeles and swaps places with Traci Lords, who is a traditional-style homemaker in a house without a TV in Redondo Beach, Cal.

[ichbin]

Was Jackee under the impression she was to provide a real life illustration of the word vacuous?  I hope she thought she simply being entertaining for the camera.

 

It must be tough for people who are constantly being reminded of their past regardless of where they are or what they have accomplished in the present.

[biakbiak]

Who knew being an exploiated underage porn star would you make you more normal than becoming a mainstream celebrity in your twenties! Based on his behavior (other than.the fish incident which I think they were joking about it) the king of the castle seems to be over done.

I was really annoyed about Jackee describing Traci as a slut, nearly all of her porn movies are illegal because they have long been ruled child pornography she started when she was 14.

As for gunner seems healthy and happy and playing with bugs and cheap is ideal for a boy of his age.

[Primetimer]

Jackée Harry and Traci Lords live very different lives, but everyone's pretty cool with their choices in Celebrity Wife Swap's weirdly subdued season premiere.

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[Irritable]

Traci Lords seems like a really lovely person.  Mr. Irritable and I both had terrible upbringings, and that made our bond incredibly strong - sometimes you really do need to be with someone who gets "it" - whatever your personal "it" is, and I love that Traci and her "king" found that in each other.  I agree that the "king" thing was being played up for the show, and that it's not an actual weird/gross situation in their lives.  Their son seems loved and happy, and is being brought up in a healthy environment where material possessions don't rule his life...seems rather idyllic to me.  It's a shame her porn past can't just be cut away and discarded like the cancer it is, but she has done an admirable job of pushing forward, taking control of her own life and making it what she wanted it to be instead of a repeat of her upbringing.  I have to think she's pretty inspirational for a lot of girls who ran away from home and did regrettable things because they were desperate that they later want to overcome.

 

Jackee and her ex-husband seemed kind of like playmates, only she's the bossy one on the playground.  I don't understand their relationship at all, as far as the being married part.  Why did a man who is so obviously gay and presumably way out of the closet bother marrying a woman?  Or was I supposed to think he's just a really effeminate straight man?  Jackee herself used the word flamboyant to describe him, so if I was to be fooled that their marriage was in any way a real marriage, it didn't work.  The way she leaves her boxes all over, and stuff just piled up and sitting around everywhere would drive me insane.  He seems like a really kind man who also happens to be terrified of Jackee if her temper gets going, which is why he never asks her to put her shit somewhere besides all over the house.  It's strange to me that a middle aged woman who has worked as a successful actress for most of her adult life is essentially living as a sloppy roommate in someone else's house.  Her comments about often finding herself alone in spite of her career were sad, but also point to a larger problem, which is clearly that Jackee has issues which prevent people from wanting to be her companion.  She clings to her ex-husband because he is the only one who wants to be around her, but that can't be truly fulfilling for either one of them.  Heartbreaking, really.

[Kromm]

Traci Lords seems like a really lovely person.  Mr. Irritable and I both had terrible upbringings, and that made our bond incredibly strong - sometimes you really do need to be with someone who gets "it" - whatever your personal "it" is, and I love that Traci and her "king" found that in each other.  I agree that the "king" thing was being played up for the show, and that it's not an actual weird/gross situation in their lives.  Their son seems loved and happy, and is being brought up in a healthy environment where material possessions don't rule his life...seems rather idyllic to me.  It's a shame her porn past can't just be cut away and discarded like the cancer it is, but she has done an admirable job of pushing forward, taking control of her own life and making it what she wanted it to be instead of a repeat of her upbringing.  I have to think she's pretty inspirational for a lot of girls who ran away from home and did regrettable things because they were desperate that they later want to overcome.

 

I think there could be a tendency to see Traci Lords as some kind of victim, but she was supposedly the architect of her own underage porno career. There are certainly plenty of complex issues about sexuality, porn industry exploitation, etc. in her story, and I wouldn't dare go so far as to suggest that people outraged by underage (or any) porn are off-base (because they're mostly NOT off-base), but different people form different lives from the same situations.  The gist of this is that while porn (underage or not) has likely damaged/scarred a lot of women working in it, I can entirely buy the notion that Traci Lords isn't one of those, and that she could have easily wound up fairly normal/functional.

[Irritable]

I'm personally not really comfortable with the idea that any girl who is under 18 years old is qualified or emotionally equipped to be considered the one in charge when it comes to doing illegal pornography.  I feel that Traci happened to be a strong enough person to pull her way out from underneath it eventually, but I will always be of the belief that at the time when it happened, her vulnerability and desperation were exploited by adult scumbags who belong in prison, and that even if she did manage to come out of it all "okay", none of it is actually okay, for her, or anyone that age.   

[Maharincess]

I never liked Jackee and this show just made me dislike her all the more. Her sitting at dinner calling Tracy a slut and telling her friends to look Tracy up on their phones was fucked up.

She was probably upset that Tracy is well liked and has people who actually want to be around her.

Jackee's ex is gay right? He needs to kick that leech out of his house.

[Kromm]

I'm personally not really comfortable with the idea that any girl who is under 18 years old is qualified or emotionally equipped to be considered the one in charge when it comes to doing illegal pornography.  I feel that Traci happened to be a strong enough person to pull her way out from underneath it eventually, but I will always be of the belief that at the time when it happened, her vulnerability and desperation were exploited by adult scumbags who belong in prison, and that even if she did manage to come out of it all "okay", none of it is actually okay, for her, or anyone that age.   

Yeah, but read up on Lords.  I wasn't just speaking in "female empowerment" or "youth empowerment' terms or some such vagaries. Nor was it any kind of overall defense of the porn industry. She got a fake ID and then lied to people about her age. She LITERALLY was the only person in a position to make a fully informed decision about her underage self being in porn.  Because she was developed enough, and had a driver's license, that said she was in her 20s.  Now there could be some debate on if they should have checked more on her, but again that's more concerning overall health and safety issues in the porn industry (plus remember this was DECADES ago) rather than direct responsibility for this specific person working in that industry.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Kromm

[Maharincess]

I read Tracy's book. She may have done those things but she was still just a kid.

[Kromm]

I read Tracy's book. She may have done those things but she was still just a kid.

I'm not saying that isn't the case, just that the usual victim mentality doesn't really apply.  The guys who ran the porn industry back then were certainly sleaze balls, but in this specific case it's hard to apply what irritable said, that "the idea that any girl who is under 18 years old is qualified or emotionally equipped to be considered the one in charge when it comes to doing illegal pornography" = her being the victim, because... she made a specific effort to hide that information. She may not have been qualified or emotionally equipped to be in charge of her fate... but... due to her actions, nobody else really was either.  That is,unless we extend that logic to girls legitimately in their 20s, as she pretended to be, and say that the porn industry put them in a similar place with no choice.  Which may be true, but if so is not because she was underage.

[Chief Queef]

As far as I recall from reading Traci's book (and from her Wikipedia) she grew up in extreme poverty, was raised by an abusive father, and was repeatedly raped and molested. The suggestion an underage girl who likely saw porn as her only escape from a horrific life a) possessed full agency over her career and b) wasn't a victim in any way, makes me pretty uncomfortable too.

[c8h10n4o2]

Good lord. In the picture up top Elgin looks just like Fred Armisen in a wig. I seriously spent 5 minutes looking at it to be sure it wasn't.

[stcroix]

Good lord. In the picture up top Elgin looks just like Fred Armisen in a wig. I seriously spent 5 minutes looking at it to be sure it wasn't.

My husband and I kept trying to figure out who he looked like and finally I said,'' Fred Armisen with a wig on!"  haha! 

[MMLEsq]

So happy this show is back....it's one of my guilty pleasures.  However, I usually end up liking the episodes where the celebrities go into it with an open mind the best.  Traci seemed to have a little more of that in this episode -- she was willing to be pretty flexible at Jackee's house, but when they did the "6 weeks later" follow-up, it didn't seem like anything had really changed, other than that they let Gunnar keep the toys.  Other than that, it seemed like she hadn't really learned anything about herself/her family or changed anything as a result of the show.

 

Jackee, on the other hand, appeared to go into this not even willing to pretend to have a good attitude about any of it.  She complained about having to do what Traci does and was completely unwilling to make any changes in her own life once the show was over.

 

And Elgin....poor, poor Elgin.  So afraid of Jackee that he completely threw Traci under the bus about cleaning up all of Jackee's stuff that's just piled around the house.  It seemed pretty clear from what they had shown that, while he initially was wary of how Jackee would react, he did express that he felt like he was getting his house back.  Emphasis on HIS house.  Why a neat freak would let his Ex-wife move in and completely take over his house and have piles of stuff everywhere is beyond me....he's definitely an enabler because he lets it continue.

 

I didn't like Jackee before this and nothing I saw in this show changed that.  I'm waiting to see if the same thing is true of the second episode since I really don't care for Verne Troyer either. 

[biakbiak]

Traci seemed to have a little more of that in this episode -- she was willing to be pretty flexible at Jackee's house, but when they did the "6 weeks later" follow-up, it didn't seem like anything had really changed, other than that they let Gunnar keep the toys. Other than that, it seemed like she hadn't really learned anything about herself/her family or changed anything as a result of the show.

Most likely because there weren't any changes that Jackee implemented weren't useful. Buying a kid some crappy toys is about the only thing she did because God forbid a child enjoys using his imagination and playing with bugs.

[MsTree]

Why did a man who is so obviously gay and presumably way out of the closet bother marrying a woman?  Or was I supposed to think he's just a really effeminate straight man?

 

Apparently it happens quite often. Guess we could start by asking the ex-Mr. Star Jones.

[LizBug]

Jacked looked like she was acting in a sitcom and was pausing/waiting for the laugh track. Very sad actually.

[loki310]

Is Jackee homeless? That one rack of clothes they moved out couldn't be her entire wardrobe... She must have an actual house/apt somewhere - right?

[stcroix]

Is Jackee homeless? That one rack of clothes they moved out couldn't be her entire wardrobe... She must have an actual house/apt somewhere - right?

That's what I was wondering,too.  Why would someone who had made 'millions' even want to live in a part of someone elses home?!  I think she's fallen on hard times but likes to keep the life style going as much as possible and by living in the ex's house she can do that.  It reminded me of a teenager not wanting to go out on their own.  A very spoiled (and apparently terrifying) teenager.  When I saw Traci trying to edge Elgin to get out on his own, I knew Jackee would NOT LIKE THAT!  (her voice)  At the meeting I was surprised at how fast he spoke up to Jackee about wanting his own space-- but not at how fast he backed down and blamed Traci.

[deSchenke]

I never saw any  of the shows that Jackee has been in, but knew who she was.  This did not elevate my opinion of her, quite the opposite.  I think she's a classless, pretentious, diva.  I think the guys coming home with fish for her to prepare was a bit OTT and they were childish for criticizing her lack of experience butchering fish.  I would have walked out of that kitchen myself under those circumstances.  But the rest of the show demonstrated that Jackee is all about Jackee.  And I really couldn't care less.

 

Hooray for Traci for getting herself out of that life and forming one of normalcy.  She seemed to have married a good man and put her past life behind her.

 

Did anyone else notice that when Jackee was checking the cupcakes for doneness in the oven, she didn't wear oven mitts, nor did she act like the pan was hot?  And the cupcakes they showed in Tupperware when talking to Gunnar on the front steps had piped frosting on them - hardly stuff a non-baker would do.

[tivofanatic]

Jackee and Elgin adopted a boy and raised him together.  I think he's around 18 now.  He probably was away at college or something like that.  That's the reason they keep in touch.  I suspect Jackee moved out 90% of her stuff when they got divorced and uses Elgin's home as extra storage space.    

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

I'd marry Elgin. If he will do my hair and make-up every day and likes to be neat & uncluttered, I can totally go for that. He can be as openly gay as he wants and bring home guys, etc. I like to eat out. I don't buy useless stuff or go to estate sales.

If I can roll out of bed and get my hair and makeup done everyday for free by one the best in the business, I'm down. Call me, Elgin. (I'm married but we can work something out.)