Pop-Ed: Is Jon Gosselin Trying to Be Unlikeable?

By John Mitchell Posted Apr 9th 2010 05:15PM

This week, Jon Gosselin filed legal papers in Pennsylvania challenging ex-wife Kate for custody of their eight children. In the filing, he alleges she abuses the custody scheduling laid out in their arbitration process and claims she is not being completely honest about her income. His lawyer also reportedly called her an "absentee mom" due to her commitments to 'Dancing with the Stars.'

Ugh. Public opinion of the Gosselins has never been exactly stellar, but why would Jon -- just when he'd arguably traded places with Kate to become the less publicly loathed of the two -- go out of his way to make himself the bad guy again? We suspect it's because Kate is getting all the tabloid headlines these days. But that begs another question: Why are both Gosselins, people who've been in the public eye for years, so incapable of gauging the public's good graces? Or is it really better to be famous and hated than to not be famous at all?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Jon Gosselin, a man detested by, you know, most reasonable people, had a big opportunity to sway public opinion in his favor. By simply supporting his ex-wife, he could have endeared himself to a public that has deemed him a deadbeat in the wake of his very-public womanizing and subsequent shaming.

Further, Nancy Grace-related (and isn't that really the best kind), shaming below -- just for fun:

He could have offered to pick up some of the slack in caring for his own children while Kate's busy dancing, writing books and developing TV shows. Like her or not, those things feed eight little mouths, and Jon (who does what exactly?) would have been smart to champion her efforts. He squandered an opportunity to be the bigger man.

Why? Because controversy lands people in the tabloids, of course, and scandal sells magazines (look, we're talking about it RIGHT NOW!) -- so it's off to the fame-monger races for Jon. We just don't understand why both Jon and Kate seem to knowingly choose to be incredibly famous for being deeply disliked by the public, as if it were more satisfying than being moderately famous while being a reasonable person.

We're not PR experts, but we know someone who is: PopEater's own Rob Shuter, who once represented Jessica Simpson. "Jon and Kate are the best examples of what happens when you become famous too fast. They are like me and you," he says. "Without advisers, publicists and managers to help them understand how every decision they make will be interpreted by the general public. Part of me loves how refreshing it is to see someone so famous without any help understanding fame."

That lack of understanding has translated into neither being able to sustain likable public personas. During the 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' days, Kate was painted as a nag. After the couple separated, Jon galavanted about with younger women while obnoxiously clad in one Ed Hardy T-shirt after another, seemingly ignoring his own responsibilities as a father while chain smoking in the south of France with Hailey Glassman. (Yuck!) And for a while, Kate's image rebounded as a result; she was a woman scorned, and people sympathized.

But it didn't take Kate long to oversaturate the media with countless appearances. She quickly proved just as exhausting single as she was married, and we don't find the countless tales of diva-like behavior on the set of 'Dancing with the Stars' all that enchanting.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Kate, and if you really want to sell as many books as Palin (also, good luck with that), you'd do yourself a world of good by maybe not being so ubiquitous. Who needs to pay for your prose when we get it for free every day on 'Dancing with the Stars,' 'The Insider,' 'The View,' 'Entertainment Tonight,' 'Access Hollywood,' 'Extra' and so on.

Gosselin told USA Today, "I don't consider myself an expert on anything," yet she will soon host a show where she "will profile women inspired by her story who are facing their own challenges." We're not a woman, but her story sometimes makes us want to smash our hand with a hammer.

We wonder if she -- or for that matter, he -- can learn anything from that?

And don't think we deny being complicit in all this. Jon and Kate are perhaps the definition of what Vimeo co-founder Jacob Lodwick dubbed "fameballs" -- "individuals whose fame snowballs because journalists cover what they think other people want them to cover" (via Gawker), despite not really being famous for anything beyond being famous. We did it to ourselves; we gave them a platform, and we created a monster. Oh, look, we're even feeding it right now!

Tags: jon gosselin, kate gosselin

Comments

(68)

Friday 09 April

By OhLori

Vote down Vote up Report this

Better to be famous and hated than to not be famous at all. I guess that about sums it up. I for one didn't need to read the rest of the article. Jon won't last a day caring for all the kids. At least Kate is out trying to earn a living so she can take care of the kids. Maybe put some money aside to send them to college. She mostly practices her "dancing" at home in the basement so I don't see where she is away from the kids any more than any other mom that works 5 eight hour days.

By lily

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Jon is really an idiot. Kate is no prize but while he was out cheating and getting an apartment in NY she was at home with her kids. Jon is being vendictive and he needs to think about the kids first before his hatred for his ex.

By JeffF

Yeah, Kate and her 3 nannies. It takes alot of money to make sure that you hve 3 nannies and a bodyguard, but you know its all for the "kids" and i have some swampland to sell you.

By crumbs444

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

If jon wants to be "likeable" he should appear on Nancy Grace once a week. It would be like being on Jon & Kate + 8 all over again with Nancy playing the part of Kate and Jon renewing his role as the henpecked punching bag.

Certain types of chicks find henpecked punching bags irresistible!

;o) ;o)

By merry

The only thing he can offer his kids is a smoke.

By JACKIE

Jon is a Loser . He is the one that cause all the family problems with his cheating and now that Kate is doing something with her life for her kids he is trying to bad mouth her. Jon LOSER LOSER LOSER .DROP DEAD.

By mmazur

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Does anyone read the frist part of the article. He is saying that Kate does not let him see the kids as was drawn up by the courts. One a shrew always a Shrew. She drove him out of the house!!! I don't blame him for leaving. She treated him worse than a dog. Oh she got rid of them too! Now she is being a shrew on Dancing with the stars. I fear for the kids! They must be getting all her tongue lashing now. Maybe DCFS should look into what she does to her kids. Verbal abuse is just as bad in kids lives a other kinds of Abuse!

By guinevere

No court is going to give a womanizing, deadbeat(means he doesn't work) custody of kids,when he originally left the marriage because he wasn't ready to grow up... just because he's whining that the wife (who's out making money to take care of the 8 kids) isn't home..someone out of the two needs to work, and Kate's definately figured out reality tv is the best bet to make the most cash with least time spent away from the kids.... the publicity also helps sell the books she writes..keep going Kate, I don't approve of everything you have done, but at least you're trying to provide for the brood..Jon needs to shut up, grow up, get a job and try to not bed every young thing that looks at him crosseyed..then maybe a court might take him seriously

By jason22

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

I don't think she gives a hoot about those kids. Every time you see her, she's out to dinner or some other function that doesn't include her children. She's a narcissistic b***h. I'll be so glad when she dances off into the sunset. Hopefully, Jon will disappear with her.

By Lisa Green

i cannot believe she has not been booted off dwts already-she does not belong on a dance floor-she has absolutely no rhythm or personality

By PJ

They BOTH suck to high heaven as parents. This article is spot on!

By Kat

Why won't these people just go AWAY!!!!!

By Diane

To Guinevere, You took the words right out of my mouth. You are right on the money sister !!!

By paswilmington

How much money do these losers need? She just got a mil for her book - seems to me you can"feed your kids" on that kind of money and send them to college. I think she's greedy &a fame junkie who just needs to go home to PA and get off the tv and he's gotten to be the same way. I feel so sorry for those kids, they may now have trust funds but they lost both their parents along the way. Yeah, Jon's turned into a douchebag, but don't forget that she's the one who made him quit his job so she could do her "book tours"-better known as the how my kids made me rich junket). Please just stop covering them; believe it or not we won't miss them when they're gone (not that there's been much opportunity to test that theory.)

By Season

Nobody can make you do something you don't want to do unless they put a gun to your head. I'm sure Jon would have let us know if Kate had done that to him, he didn't want to work and he sure didn't seem like he enjoyed looking after the kids on the show. It takes alot of money to give 8 kids a good education. Why begrudge anyone the money if someone out there is willing to pay them. Don't like 'em don't look.

By tarina

whatever. They can take out student loans like the rest of us. Do you know ANYBODY who's parents pay for school? there should be plenty of money to feed and care for these kids. a mill goes a long way when you aren't spending it on hair extensions, nails, etc...

By Patricia

Jon Gosselin moved in with his brother in West Reading, PA after Morgan kicked him out. Now, his brother wants him out. So, apparently, he thinks he can live in KATE'S house, even though he no longer has any legal right to. He cannot take care of himself, much less those 8 children. He has no job - and please don't bonk me with the TLC settlement. His contract with TLC is up in May. Even though he has claimed he's "too famous" to work a regular job, absolutely NO ONE is lining up to put him on TV again. He should probably get himself a college degree and start over. He never did graduate from college.

I find it both funny and ironic that his attorney's name (Anthony F. List, Jr.) contains the phrase "F List." That's where Jon is finding himself these days - if he's an invitee on any list, at all. The paps don't follow him around anymore. No one is buying his drinks. Girls find him repulsive. He's looking for a meal ticket and, if there is any justice, that ticket won't be Kate and his kids. He has chosen to crash and burn, and he did have other options. Like supporting Kate in her effort to take care of his family.

i dont understand why people are so hard on john-he was abused for years by his wife-while we all sat there and watched-its not a rumor-it is fact-it is all on video-then when they split because she is a control freak & abusive to her mate-it appears she got everything-while he hardly got anything-he was with those kids just as much as she was-she wanted him home from his tech job so he could help HER, with those 8 children-they both conceived these children & they both raised them-thus far-why is kate able thru tlc to do tv work and john is not-he is not a dead beat father and all these negative things people say about him...he wasnt dating until after they split-i think john got a raw deal-and its not fair-he should get 50% of any and all proceeds-afterall kate didnt create this family all on her own-he needs to hier a good attorney who can get him his fair share...

By antiquelady

How do you know when he started dating? Actually, your post is the first that I've seen that says he didn't begin dating until after they split. Everything I've read says that his affair was a big reason for the split!

If he was abused & frustrated, I would have had a lot more respect for him if he could have walked away in a dignified manner instead of having to have an affair with a 22 year old girl (notice I didn't say woman!). He created a lot of his own problems, so I can't feel sorry for him. Plus I can't stand the whining!!!!

Page 1 of 4