KATE GOSSELIN: HOW SHE FOOLED THE WORLD - THE RISE AND FALL OF A REALITY TV QUEEN (2 page)

No matter what he’s done or what people have written about him,
I have never once seen Jon act in a rude manner to anyone, or act like he was better than anyone, even when he was being treated like a rock star and on top of the world in Las Vegas hosting a celebrity pool party at the MGM Grand’s Wet Republic. I was there with him, “working” for
U
S
Weekly
. Jon has always acted like a regular guy, and he has always treated me, and every other media person, fairly – even when I was helping to destroy his life by reporting his every move to my employer.

It made me sick to my stomach at times, doing this job, but Jon knew my family and our financial situation
, and he understood that I needed to work to feed my kids as well. All he ever asked of me was that I tell the truth about what I saw.

All that being said,
none of it is why this book is mainly about Kate. There just really aren’t too many more things that can be written about Jon. The tabloids, mine included, and countless media outlets and bloggers have dragged him over the coals and through the mud and back, while a lot of the time giving Kate a free pass.

Did Jon deserve a lot or most of the criticism and mudslinging that he received? Of course he did. He’s received a lot of very bad advice from unscrupulous people
, and he’s made one bad decision after another since I’ve known him. He got caught up in the excitement of being a “celebrity.” Jon got into bed with the wrong people, perhaps literally and figuratively, and he’s paying a heavy price even today. I believe Jon when he says that he was acting out after his behind-closed-doors split with Kate because he got married and took on so much responsibility when he was just 22. He was trying to get back some of what he missed out on. This doesn’t excuse his behavior, but it does explain it.

Meanwhile, Kate Gosselin continued to
be immune from criticism. She strutted around like a peacock with her head held high – with her bodyguards, her handlers and public relations team, her media trainer, her team of lawyers, and her protective Network family feeding her a script of talking points for the week – pretending to be mother-of-the-year, and fooling millions of people while pursuing her Hollywood lifestyle on the backs of her eight beautiful children.

I don’t like that last part.

So why have I written this book? Some people insist it is for the money. It is not. With the size of the book running through Amazon’s self-publishing division, I would have to pay them for each copy sold. I did the math. A book half this size would gross me $2.00 per book after Amazon’s cut.

If anything, I’ll be sued by one or more parties before this is over, so the thought of any profit from this project is not even a consideration.

I have received “cease and desist” letters from Williams & Connolly LLP, the law firm that represents Discovery Communications, Inc. TLC and Discovery Talent Services, Inc. (“Discovery”), and from Lavely & Singer, the firm representing Kate. The letter on behalf of Discovery expressed concern that my book contained Discovery’s trade secrets and other confidential information protected by law. The letter from Kate’s attorney was more heavy handed and threatening. But it is very telling that neither firm accused me of writing untruths or disputed the facts I have presented. Even Kate, who takes to Twitter to attack anyone who even hints at criticizing her, has not denied any of what I have written. She can’t deny it because many of the words that form this book are her own.

I am
not trying to ruin Kate or destroy her life. I wish her a long and successful career at whatever she ends up doing – but I would love it if she would leave her kids out of her quest to retain her celebrity and give them back what’s left of their childhoods, while they still have a chance to be young and innocent.

I
would also love for this book to cause people to question why TLC and Discovery kept filming this family for five seasons knowing full well that Kate Gosselin was abusing her children. I have been told that there is much footage of this that obviously never saw, and will never see, the light of day.

It will be simple, if necessary, for me to prove that I had intended to write a book on my experiences as a tabloid reporter in 2009,
in partnership with a colleague of mine. We had met with a publisher in Manhattan who was interested in backing the book, and I came home excited that I had a new project. But a short time later, after getting to know the Gosselin kids, I decided that I didn’t want anything to do with a book that could potentially cause them even more harm. I also wasn’t happy with my partner’s tactics and the direction in which he was taking the book. My decision to not continue with him also cost me a friendship.

So n
o, I did not write this book for money. I wrote it for the Gosselin kids.

My experiences with the Gosselin children, especially Collin, are priceless to me.

Even though every embarrassing moment of their lives up to this point has been documented for all the world to see, first by Jon and Kate and a film crew, then by Kate and a film crew, Kate continues to exploit her children today. She tweets about them, and blogs about them, and complains about them, and posts photos of them on her personal website and on Twitter. Photos of the children in their bathing suits and photos of the children in bed. I personally find that disgusting.

I
mention the children as little as possible in this book, to respect what’s left of their privacy. But since they are the reason this book was necessary, I will share a personal story.

One day, back in 2009, knowing how strict Kate is with the kids about them not eating anything even remotely fun, I brought them two big boxes of Dunkin Donuts. Their eyes lit up like Christmas morning
, and they dug into them and couldn’t eat them fast enough. (I had checked with Jon first to make sure that nobody had a peanut allergy or anything of the sort.) After a few minutes, Collin had icing all over his face and a donut in each hand. There was one donut left in the box, and he said to me in his precious little voice, “Robert, will you hold that donut for me until I finish these two? I really want it, but I can’t carry it.”

Then one of the little girls reprimanded me in a stern voice,
saying “Mommy doesn’t let us eat sweets!” and I acted surprised and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I won’t bring anymore donuts to the house, I promise.” And she said in a quieter voice, “Oh no, Robert, you bring us more donuts.”

And m
y heart melted.

W
henever I was with the kids, or my kids were playing with them and it was time for us to go, Collin would ALWAYS make sure to come and give us big hugs and kisses and say goodbye. Always. And when I’d look back as I was walking away, he’d still be waving to us. He has so much love to give and his heart is so big.

In 2010,
two of these sweet kids, Collin being one of them, were EXPELLED from KINDERGARTEN for acts of violence and for using foul language. When I saw Kate go on television to deny they had been expelled and to blame Jon and the stress of the divorce as the reason they were acting out, I knew I had to at least tell what I know, and what I’ve seen. I hope that maybe, just maybe, someone will step in to help them. I don’t know whom, and I don’t know how, but something needs to be done – for the sake of the children.

This book contains information I have come to learn
, both personally and through exhaustive research, while reporting for
U
S
Weekly
and in the days since. I have had no official conversations at all with any of the Gosselin extremists – the bloggers. Also, I have not interviewed Aunt Jodi and Uncle Kevin or anyone connected with them, as they have been accused by Kate and her supporters of having their own personal agenda.

I have, however, spoken to and interviewed hundreds of people along the way, including Gosselin friends, family members, nannies, babysitters (both former and present), “helpers,” restaurant owners, wait staff, anonymous TLC/Discovery employees, physicians, nurses, fertility specialists, childhood friends, etc. Not much is from a single source. Wherever possible, I have verified my information through separate sources independently. Contrary to what has been reported in some articles
, Jon has never given me a personal interview for
U
S
Weekly
or for this book, which he didn’t even know I was writing until I went public with it in June of 2012. Again, the only thing he ever asked was that I report the truth.

For the record, I have had exactly one face-to-face conversation with Kate Gosselin. It lasted about a minute on a day when she had no choice but to exchange a few brief words with me because she had let the dogs get out of her property and drove away, leaving them scared and roaming on a busy road in front of her house. You will
read more about this later. I have tried to speak to Kate to get her side of the story, but I have never even come close to getting a civil response from her. Just an angry, hateful glare.

I have, however, been in rooms and in cars, and I’ve overheard conversations with Kate Gosselin, so I have heard some things directly from the horse’s mouth.

In leaving no stone unturned in researching this book, I came across a treasure trove of Kate Gosselin’s personal documents and information. Among those documents was Kate’s personal, very detailed daily journal from 2005-2007, chronicling the Gosselin’s day-to-day lives – the good, and the very bad – in Kate’s own words.

In the interest of full disclosure,
I found Kate’s journal while combing through documents and computer discs and files that she had thrown in the trash the day after she threw Jon out of the apartment above the garage for good.

Many, many negative stories have been written online and in
the tabloids about Kate Gosselin. Some stories are similar to what I have written here, but they can’t be proven, so Kate Gosselin has been allowed to continue on with business as usual. I would never have dreamed of publishing a book filled with my own opinions about Kate Gosselin. It would have been laughed off by Kate and everyone affiliated with her as a pack of lies made up by a “hater.” She is incredibly insulated by her handlers.

Kate’s journal is what finally convinced me to
move ahead with this book and kept me motivated while writing. The journal, once and for all, gives us a glimpse into what happened behind closed doors, in Kate’s own words, and provides hard evidence that cannot be disputed.

T
his book may be difficult to read. It isn’t easy to see Kate’s words describing how she routinely spanked her children so hard that she had to pray to God to help her stop. It isn’t easy to read how she lied and misrepresented herself and her family’s situation so she could get good, caring people to generously hand over their money, time and lots and lots of gifts to her.

I have no regrets about the kids someday reading this book because
they are living this nightmare, and I’m sure their reality has been far, far worse than I, or anyone outside of that house, will ever know or could possibly imagine.

I’ve used many quotes throughout this book
– quotes that I feel capture the essence of what I’m trying to convey. I use quotes because Kate uses them throughout her life and in her writings, and I wanted to keep this book in that same spirit.

My professional
opinion and diagnosis as a graphic designer and photographer is that Kate Gosselin is mentally ill and very sick on several different levels. She needs to get professional help before she seriously injures one or all of her children…or worse. I hope that the truths in this book will push her to get that help because, despite all her lies and the physical, verbal, emotional and psychological abuses she has heaped upon her children, she is still their mother, and I would guess that they love her. Because that is what children do, until they one day realize that their “normal” is really not normal at all.

“I tell you, on the day of judgment,

people will give account

for every careless word they speak,

for by your words you will be justified,

and by your words you will be condemned.”

– Matthew 12:36-37

… there lived a beautiful little girl named Katie Irene. She grew up in a beautiful house in the country, with a barn and a big yard for her to run
around and play in. She had everything a little girl could ever want or need.

Katie had a loving family, which included a nurturing and doting father, who was also an associate pastor at the local church; a protective and supportive mother, who baked cookies and pies and would do anything to see her little Katie smile; and a house full of siblings to play with, and to share in all of her dreams.

Like most little girls, Katie played with her dolls and dreamed of one day becoming a mother herself. She watched her parents closely and learned a lifetime’s worth of parenting skills that would guide her on her way to motherhood.

Katie was raised as a Christian and practiced her faith daily. She was wholesome and shy around boys
and, growing up, never really went on dates or spent much time with them. She stayed focused on her schoolwork and her career instead, and worked very hard to achieve all of her goals.