Jon and Kate are divorced, as are Jon and TLC. Jon & Kate + 8 is now Kate + 8, and Kate has been moving on and branching out. The show has gone from 50 episodes in a season to about a half-dozen specials in a year. We no longer see the middle-class family at home living out their (sometimes private!) lives. Now we get to see the children enjoying some of the benefits of the reality TV stars’ lives: high-end vacations doing exclusive activities like hiking an Alaskan glacier in summer and meeting a Vice-Presidential candidate.
Despite the changes, so much of the Gosselin blogging world remains the same. Kate is as polarizing as ever; she still has passionate defenders and critics. Hate blogs have come and gone; bloggers have come and gone. But some, like me, still find the topics, the discussions, and the communities fascinating.
We often get asked questions about the Gosselin blog past. Sometimes it is hard to piece together what happened because Kate’s critics have a habit of deleting their blogs or making hem private. That is why I love this old blog. When I want to be more certain of something that happened months or years ago, I can stroll through the comments here to jog my memory.
I was asked recently about “that organic cow debate.” One of our Kate-critics from this blog, NC Resident, brought up a debate I had with him here on GDNNOP when he was recently featured on an Internet radio show. I missed the show, but I understand he was still angry about the side of beef Jon and Kate received in exchange for promoting the farm. Brings back memories! If I recall correctly, the debate was about a side of beef Kate and Jon bought on an episode from the first or second season of the show. The show was already old when we debated, and the debate was 2 years ago! Whew! That’s an impressive amount of time to be angry at Kate for buying beef!
So what was that debate about? I know what my point was: Whether they bought the cow or got it free, the episode promoted local PA businesses, and brought money into the local economy. Two years later, I think it’s pretty obvious: the Gosselins boosted the local economy. Since that time, the Gosselins purchased a beautiful property, hired local babysitters, at least one teacher, lawn care pros, and patronized salons, gas stations, stores, and inspired others to do the same. I know of at least one ticket to the local corn maze that was sold for the privilege of looking at Kate Gosselin, and another blogger who brought her vacation dollars all the way from Mississippi to spend in Pennsylvania. Two local authors have even tried to cash in on the Gosselin phenomenon!
I definitely enjoyed debating the finer points of the Gosselin show here at GDNNOP, and still enjoy Gosselin Chatter at Imperfect Women. I know NC Resident does too! If you have any questions about the Gosselin blogging history, feel free to browse the “old discussions” here at Gosselins Do Not Need Our Pity or ask us in the Gosselin Chatter thread at Imperfect Women.
