Kate + 8 (Jon Optional)

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I'm surprised she hasn't moved into the giant world of fitness reality tv/product endorsing, actually.

She did try. For a year or so she was doing her best to ingratiate herself into the world of runners. She ran a marathon (allegedly) and attended a few other shorter distance running events. But back then, she had sponsors that paid for her travel and treated her like a star. Now, not so much. If she's still a runner, she's been keeping it on the downlow (as in, the treadmill in the basement).

There was also this thing. If you come across one of these at a yard sale, be very afraid. Only the most die hard loony fans of the celebrities who endorsed it would have bought one.

[margojata]

She said on last night's show that she doesn't do as much running after she broke her foot. I suspect the fitness route just wasn't getting her anywhere.

Damn, so were we supposed to be on her side during that tremendous whinefest she put on about throwing a circus birthday party? I'm sure TLC paid for it all, it was extravagant, and we watched a stay at home mom run around lining up high end bouncy houses, expensive tents, cakes, and a John Deere tractor for her kids' present.

The party seemed to mostly be her kids and a few of their friends, and that's just sad. Not even Steve showed (just their beloved "crew")! You could invite the father of your children just because they might like it (although he also could have shown up with his creepy girlfriend and sat together with their hoods on like they did on all of Couple's Therapy). But she's got the one long distance girlfriend and it appears no other family or friends. She did prove Jodi right, though - she can't bake! She screwed up the cake pretty badly and even had the bird fly into it (luckily there was like a zillion bucks for a super nice circus tent cake)!

I can't imagine raising 8 kids mostly by myself, but she also does not have a JOB. The producers kept prodding the kids about what mom does all day when they go to school, and one actually said that she goes back to bed! But the kids look happy and healthy (except for Mady), so good for them. But I'm not sure how they thought a special about how harried and stressed she is would go over in this economy. She still lives in a gorgeous house, has kids in private school, and does not work.

Maybe they're going for the spinoff - Kate and the Bird. A neat freak like Kate has a bird free flying around the house and pooping all day long? Yet the dog never seems to set foot indoors?

[Deleted]

Aside from the framed picture in the background (see Kate-Haters! She LOVES that dog so much that she puts his picture in a frame! #Shokaisalive#Katedidntkillhim), I didn't see even a glimpse of Shoka. The bird seems to have won over the hearts of the kids too. I'm getting Tweety and Sylvester flashbacks. Zorro is lucky Shoka is a kindly dog instead of a clever cat or he'd be fighting for his life everyday.

The party seemed to mostly be her kids and a few of their friends, and that's just sad.

I kept hoping that that wasn't their real party because the one they showed us just didn't look legit. There should have been 20 to 40 more kids to fill up the yard and enjoy all the games that were set up. Where were the gifts? And what was up with the shuttle? Other than a couple of Mady and Cara's friends, the shuttle seemed to be the source of all the guests. I wouldn't be surprised if TLC had kids of their employees stay at the local hotel and be shipped back and forth to the popup carnival they called a birthday party.

I noticed that the clips of previous birthday parties totally skipped the last 2 or 3 non-TLC sponsored years. Kate had little parties for them and had posted pics of the cakes and gifts on her blog. But I suppose those images weren't fabulous enough to make the cut (or maybe Kate insisted on being paid for her private pics).

[margojata]

Wee, finally Beth speaks!

Kate's a bitch - what else is new

It's always telling when people lose EVERYONE in their life for some reason. I guess that BFF Jamie hangs around for some reason, but now even Steve is gone. People evolve and make new friends, but you at least hold onto SOME old people. Not Kate - when she's done with you, she's done with you.

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I was expecting more dirt. I would assume there was more to their fallout than the book deal. I'm pretty sure TLC made the business decision to include Jon since Jon and Kate Plus 8 was just getting off the ground at the time. They wanted Jon and Kate to appear on the Today Show, not Jon and Kate and this woman named Beth. It's harsh, but that's business. Kate was wrong to betray a friend and go along with the plan to include Jon without protest, but I'm surprised that Beth doesn't hold any ill will towards the string-pullers.

If the book deal really was THE thing that killed their friendship, all Kate would have had to do is apologize and explain that she couldn't control these things. I take it she didn't bother to do that, probably because she tends to view relationships in terms of "what can this person do for me" and Beth no longer served much of a purpose. I think Kate viewed her faith and fellow churchgoers in the same way because she stopped bothering to engage in the Jesus talk or even pretend to be religious a long time ago. 

[Nysha]

If the book deal really was THE thing that killed their friendship, all Kate would have had to do is apologize and explain that she couldn't control these things. I take it she didn't bother to do that, probably because she tends to view relationships in terms of "what can this person do for me" and Beth no longer served much of a purpose.

Beth seems to have realized this & decided to walk away without adding to the drama by begging Kate to stay her friend. I bet the countless people who showed up to rock & feed babies, do laundry, and run errands thought they were valued and appreciated, then heartbroken when they were cut off because they were no longer useful to Kate.

It seems like Kate's always been a narcissistic control freak. I hope her kids write a tell-all once they get away from her.

[margojata]

It always felt like Beth became the best friend because she was rich. Once Kate got her own money, out went the friendship. But I remember Beth taking all those kids into her house when J&K traveled (maybe to get his hair transplant?). I just can't imagine how the kids all feel when mom tells you that the people you love are either not to be trusted or disposable.

I've found most of that "scandalous" book to be boring as hell. How she fooled the world is actually the title? Fooled who? I guess those early neighbors and church people who did everything to help her and were dumped when they were no longer needed. But the rest of the world follows along with her because she's trainwrecky fun. She's not fooling anybody. I actually had great sympathy for her when I read the parts about how she thought she might seriously hurt her children because she was so overwhelmed. I can't imagine being in that place - all those babies at one time. Of course then she loses me with all her victimy shit about needing full time nurses because her children were "disabled" (no, they're just multiples - don't label them as that EVER).

[Deleted]

Kate's got this thing where she is driven by fear and it always makes her go overboard on the anxiety, whether it's over money or traveling in an RV. She's so afraid of losing the things she's attained in life, including her kids, that she can't see straight.

Beth isn't done talking. I'm curious what her motivation is to say anything all these years later. I don't think she needs the money (or does she??), and she's not acting like Kate should have her kids taken away from her. So what's the point.

“My interest from day one, and I think it’s hard for money–minded people to believe this, was seeing that the kids got the care they needed,” she said. “Once it stopped being about the kids, and turned to fame and money , I was out. I really truly just wanted the kids to have what they needed. It was a really easy decision for me once it stopped being about the kids to say, ‘I’m out.'”

This is where Kate's mind gets all screwy. There came a time when something clicked and she honestly from the bottom of her heart believed that the fame and money was about the kids. She became dependent on a TV network to take care of her family and let them lead the way.

[Nysha]

I think Beth is just satisfying people's curiosity. She probably gets asked a lot and figures that enough time has passed that it's not going to affect the children if she shares what happened.

[margojata]

Yeah, I don't think people are paying much these days to hear from Beth. She's right that she could have cashed in at the height of the fame. I think good old Kevin and Jodi did everything they could to make some bucks when they went on their super damaging, "Kate can't bake!" media tour.

“I used to get calls regularly with offers to tell behind the scenes stuff. A lot of people who worked for Kate knew a lot of stuff, and every single person said no. They cared about the kids too much,” she explained.

“It’s a tribute to the character and integrity of those who helped her. It’s also a testament to Kate’s character, for not keeping them in her life. I think she’s got to see that it’s sad.”

I wonder what she means by "worked for Kate"? Like babysitters or crew? Well, Kate calls the crew family, so I'm guessing people like that Janet or Carla. I know Carla's daughter went on the famous RV trip so she wasn't dismissed, but too many others were just cut off at the knees.

And now Steve is back making sure that no teenagers get close enough to Kate to - what again does she need security for?

Kate Gosselin and Steve Neild: Together at One Direction Concert