The TLC network has remained surprisingly silent over the past few weeks, as their stars of the hit reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8 have been trashed by the media for their collective marital indiscretions. It seems that the entire planet is caught up in the daily round of accusations and rebuttals.
The mothership, TLC, has really been plotting and planning as things have been unfolding. They had hoped to take the high road and cover the subject only at a very high level, but have now decided to turn the one-hour season 5 premiere into a springboard from which to move forward, amid all the nasty business that has been reported.
The premiere will air on May 25, and will address how the tabloid coverage has affected the Gosselin’s marriage. A spokesperson said, “We are in production for season 5 and moving forward as planned, while fully supporting the family and respecting their needs as they work through this challenging time.”
In a thinly veiled response to recent remarks made by Kate’s brother Kevin Kreider and his wife Jodi, TLC went on to say, “This show has always been about a real family dealing with real-life situations, and that will continue to be the case.”
Kate’s bodyguard Steve Neild, also got some help from his employer in managing rumors regarding their relationship – photos and details here. They said, “Tabloid media is doing what people love it for doing; skewing information, misinterpreting, and embracing garbage and gossip. Steve Neild’s and our firm’s client relationships are, always have been, and always will be of the highest professional standard.”
Jon Gosselin has been rumored to be carrying on a three month affair with third-grade school teacher Deanna Hummel. He and his wife Kate Gosselin, despite seriously considering a marital split, have signed on to do 40 episodes for Season 5. See first episode RECAP here – May 25, 2009.
We are guessing that viewership will be up – which is a very good thing for TLC. Kate has had a hard time keeping her nasty side in check when they were merely trying to cope with the care of their eight children. With the added burden of infidelity allegations and Kate’s media career schedule, fans will likely deem this season to be ‘must see TV’.
Check out another promotional photo below. See two premiere sneak peek videos here.