COMMENTARY | What started as a wholesome family show that followed the lives of the Gosselin family, “Jon and Kate Plus Eight,” but then devolved into a messy divorce and a demanding mother, “Kate Plus Eight,” has now been canceled. The show originally starred Jon and Kate, a husband and wife who, with the help of medical science, had twins Cara and Maddy, then had the sextuplets: Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah and Joel.
The family lived in Pennsylvania; as a resident of Pennsylvania, I couldn’t help but watch. At first the family was charming. As the seasons went on, however, it became apparent that there were cracks forming between Jon and Kate which led to outright hatred and one of the nastier divorces in reality television history. The show became “Kate Plus Eight,” but has now been canceled.
First, I am somewhat happy to see the show has been cancelled. There were several instances when the children were being filmed despite obvious discomfort. One scene in particular stands out to me. The kids were taking a ferry and cameras kept rolling as each kid got more and more seasick. Eventually, there were graphic shots of the children vomiting. Also, the filming allegedly interfered with Jon’s visitation of the children because of both a bitter divorce with Kate and legal issues with TLC, the television station that was in charge of production.
Second, I will miss seeing the kids interacting and growing up. I think that would be a common feeling among fans. Basically since the sextuplets had been born, they have appeared in news articles and on television. I’m sure the family will not go away completely, especially in the local media. However, it will be strange not to see new adventures involving the kids on TV on a regular basis.
Third, I think that the show will have a lasting impact. There have been efforts made to revise Pennsylvania’s child labor laws because of the advent of reality television. Despite the fact that Jon, for whatever reason, did not want his children working on the show, there was not much he could do. Pennsylvania did not have any relevant laws that could limit the amount of time the kids were filmed or limit Kate from taking the children on work trips during his scheduled visitation, according to The Associated Press.
In the end, I think it is best for the kids that the show ends. Hopefully Kate will not appear on any new shows with the eight children.