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

by Robert Hoffman

  Deanna continued to battle with the worst of the Kate haters on Twitter for hours over a two-day period. She doggedly responded to EVERYONE…well, everyone except me, that is. She must have gotten the memo from Kate that anything that says “Gosselinbook” is to be ignored so it will go away.

  Although it is a fool’s errand, Deanna made a valiant effort in trying to defend Kate. She will just need to take a lot more lessons in the art of lying from Kate, who is a master of the art.

  THE FINE ART OF GRIFTING

  Since filming began in 2006, Kate has been given EVERYTHING she’s asked for on a silver platter. TLC/Discovery either just bought her everything she wanted straight up, or for the larger items, they incorporated product placement deals with sponsors, where the product would be worked into the show “organically,” to make it appear that Kate and the kids had actually purchased the product. Kate Gosselin has never and will never, spend any of “her” money on her children if she doesn’t absolutely have too.

  Kate Gosselin knows EXACTLY what she’s doing when she mentions or tweets about loving something, or wanting something, or needing something. She’s been doing it since her very first television special and it has always worked for her. She became accustomed to asking for anything and everything and having it delivered to her by Discovery/TLC or companies who like the exposure even a washed-up reality star can give them. A polarizing figure such as Kate is always good for a few extra views on a website.

  After her shows were canceled and her contract had expired, Kate had to find a new way to ask for and get freebies. The Christians were onto her game by now, which made it impossible for Kate to tap that well again, so she found and began to worship in a new place to fulfill her grifting needs. That place was the Church of Twitter. And she found that it was good.

  Twitter has given Kate a platform to mention something she needs or wants, and have her fans fall all over themselves to get it for her. Since she is still considered a “celebrity,” even in the most generous sense of the word, Twitter has also allowed her to get products from companies that are looking for publicity.

  Kate gets gifts from fans, but most importantly, she gets gift cards. That’s what she’s really looking for. She also knows how to work businesses to get free stuff. She just includes their name in her tweets and before she knows it, the company sends her their product.

  Kate’s usual method of manipulation is to throw something out there on Twitter about something she is looking for. This is one such instance:

  Any1 know where to find a cute ‘what’s on the menu this week’ chef chalkboard (think sidewalk café type but smaller& hangs on wall) online?

  Now Kate knows good and well that she can find anything she wants through a quick and easy Google search. Or, she could just type in www.amazon.com and she would find a mother lode of products to meet her every desire. But if she did that, her fans wouldn’t send her stuff for free.

  It doesn’t appear that anyone took the bait this time on the chalkboard grift:

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 Did u get ur menu chalk board yet? Cant wait to see it :)

  oh there is SO many online, I can’t decide… Still deciding lol!

  Here she is dropping major hints that she’d like eight new laptops delivered to her front door by someone…anyone. She needs those laptops because she has 8 kids, you know, and she had to scrounge around for laptops to use. What does that even mean? Does she have multiple laptops laying around the house? This tweet sure made it sound that way:

  http://t.co/J9GqOdg3 …The scene at r house last pm…Scrounged around4any laptop we could find2speed the homework process! Still not enuf!

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 Well lots of families have made it w one computer so I’m sure you’ll suffice

  one hour to complete six math homework assignments each night? Um, not happening… ;(

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 I wish you had spoken sooner. I just donated some office laptops. I would have sent them your way. :(

  oh crap! That sucks,huh?We could used ur old laptops but lotsa others can 2 I guess! Thanks for thought! Good of u 2 donate!

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 looks like it’s about time to invest in laptops (MacBooks!!) for everyone :D

  agreed… Birthdays are coming… But then again, wow, that’s a lot to take on… I’m not a computer specialist lol

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 I’m a fan of u and ur cute family….I just don’t like complaining when lots of families have far less than u #stayblessed

  …&far less kids 2! Wasn’t complaining.. Was marveling @ another growing up milestone,read my tweets thru + lenses,not neg 1s!

  PERSONAL GRIFTING

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 Hey K8, I’m being a pest tonite, sorry. If I wnted to snd smthing-what addr.?? Could snd to hme addr, but not sur y’d wnt that

  email me through my website…:)

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 Do you have any other books out apart from Multiple Blessings and Eight Little Faces?? Read them in one day loved them

  yes! My very favorite and most recent ‘I Just Want You to Know’ can get it here: http://t.co/jP1YBjpK

  Now if Kate really gave a crap about her Twitter fans, like she claims to, and if Kate was really interested in helping people save money, like she preached on her couponcabin.com blog, then why would she direct her fans to purchase her book from the Zondervan website for the full retail price of $22.99 plus tax, shipping and handling? Maybe it’s because Kate is not at all interested in helping her fans save money when that money could be hers. She still gets a percentage of book sales from Zondervan’s site, so that is where she will send them.

  A simple search of the internet shows that Kate’s book, I Just Want You To Know, can be purchased through Amazon.com, the most popular site on Earth to make purchases, for $0.01, plus shipping and handling. It is also available in pretty much all dollar stores and discount book stores for the same price or lower. So why not tell her fans that?

  Why, indeed. The answer is obvious. In its simplest, purest form, it all boils down to everything that Kate is about: money. If you buy her book at her former publisher’s website for full retail price, she will earn more royalties from the sale.

  BIRTHDAY GRIFTING

  Kate always preemptively tweets hints to her fans about upcoming birthdays, sometimes weeks in advance, to give her fans plenty of time to go shopping and send gifts to her or her kids. She knows that most of her fans that send her presents and gift cards are teenage girls and stay-at-home moms with limited incomes, yet she does absolutely nothing to discourage them. She has never asked anyone to please donate items or gift cards to others who are truly in need instead. In 2011, Kate started tweeting hints about the twins’ upcoming birthday a full two weeks ahead of the big day.

  Getting ready for 2 very loved kids’ birthdays… They have everything all planned out and so do I :) Can’t wait to help them celebrate 11!

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 Hey MamaG! I still need to know what I should get M&C. Im getting a few things for them for a late birthday present.. lol(:

  aww sweet. If u want 2, anything thrills them, really and truly. Very grateful girls,even a card will make them happy!:)thx!

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 What color is your and your kids favorites? I like to knit socks and mittens in their favorite colors if you like ? :)

  oh great! Thanks!Email me and I’ll answer! :)

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 KATE- I want to send u a package for u and the kids……where do I address it to?!?!? I hope u rspond. <3 u!!!!!!

  email me at my website…and I’ll tell you :) thanks

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 I thought Icoudnt go wrong getting u something frm 1 of ur fav stores! I loved”shopping for u!”I’ll have to do it again soon;)

  got it. Love it. SO thoughtful and kind of you and your book will go in the mail tomorrow! When were u in paris, lucky girl?

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 Hi- how do we send gifts w/o ur address? I would love to send a surprise!

  aww lol. Ask @BarbGilmer for my address. She will giv
e it to you! So sweet of you. :) thx! U guys make me smile- thanks for that!

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 I was wondering if you have got the gift yet. For your B-Day If not soon it might go out of date+we wouldn't want that! X ;)

  YES! You naughty girl! Lol I'm going to eat some chocolate right now! Thank you! Yum!!It's been a chocolate needing day here!

  omg! Delicious can't even describe this Cadbury 'bubbly' choc!It's dangerous..I'm giving it2my kids-they can eat it b4 I do!

  Kate has often talked about eating, and allowing her children to eat, candy and food sent to her by complete strangers. It doesn’t matter how many times she has tweeted these people, they are still strangers she knows nothing about. Kate is always talking about how she must have security with her because it is important for her safety, but she is oblivious to where the real threats are likely to come from.

  Kate receives these gifts but very often doesn’t acknowledge them or even take the time to tweet a personal “thank you” to the gift giver. Here, after not hearing a peep from Kate, one of her young fans is forced to ask Kate if she received the presents she sent:

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 Um it had some English chocolate a message two cards two bracelets… I sent it 3-4 weeks ago :) thnks for replying ur the bestx

  I’ll keep eyes peeled…

  And if the gift givers are really lucky, they will see a mass thank you tweet like this:

  Dear every1 who sent M&C bday cards/gifts(if I missed u personally): none were necessary,all appreciated&each made us all smile! Thanku XO

  Kate Gosselin is a multi-millionaire. To this day, she is still hinting for and accepting gifts from fans via Twitter.

  Do yourself a favor and block those idiots… I’m not asking for gifts??! It’s a haters ploy!

  – Kate Gosselin

  2.28.12 on Twitter

  CORPORATE GRIFTING

  Kate is an equal opportunity grifter. She will grift from her lowly little fans and from small and large corporations alike. Here she is putting the word out to her fans in Australia and New Zealand that she could really use some Nutrigrain cereal:

  ...sadly,this am, we opened our LAST box of Nutrigrain cereal that we brought back from Aus/NZ...a sad day here!:(Wish we had it in the US!

  For most people and families, a “sad day” is when the power gets turned off because they cannot afford to pay the bill and your family has to spend two days living in the dark. A sad day for Kate is running out of her special cereal from an exotic FREE vacation.

  Here she is singing the praises of Bell & Evans chicken.

  …it’s chicken(200 lbs of it!)food saving day! Thx @bell&evans chicken outlet4great prices&2my food saver 2! ..sorry, pic won’t load :(

  http://t.co/4QwhsVH2 …the final case of chicken..I’m food saving it now and then I’m done! Wow! What a job! @bell&evans @foodsaver

  In case you missed that little Kate trick/lie, here it is in slow motion. Kate told us about her 200 lbs of chicken that she bought/got from Bell & Evans. She took a picture of it all, but oddly enough, she said the picture wouldn’t load :(. Kate did manage to successfully load a picture of only one 20-lb box of chicken. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see the other nine boxes. I’m sure she had them. Kate would never lie about something to make it look like she had to work harder than she actually did.

  http://t.co/9ADT4tOT These were for dinner! They r new & we tested them courtesy of @bell&evans w/ sw pot fries& baked beans! Huge hit!

  Kate included the @bell&evans in her tweet, but Bell & Evans isn’t even on Twitter. Kate should do her homework to make sure her target will see her tweets before grifting for free products.

  K8ty Keurig!

  Thanks to a sharp-eyed poster at realitytvkids.com for noticing Kate responding to Keurig. And abracadabra…it appears to have worked for Katie.

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 Keurig Did you know that the new Vue brewer allows you to brew bigger? Enjoy up to an 18 oz. travel mug of your beverage of choice. #KeurigVue

  @Keurig WOW! Sounds like my kind of coffee maker :) good job, keurig! It’s 1 reason I love you so much! :)

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 GM K8ty Keurig! Rainy here and was dragging but feeling more awake now after my run! Have a good one!

  aww I smiled again at my new name—K8ty Keurig! That is SO me today on this dark day! Need Xtra coffee! Yum! @Keurig

  …still thanking @Keurig and now @coffeemate and @Starbucks too for taking care of a caffeine needing mom of 8’s needs! Thanks all! Xoxo

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 Lazy Katie did it again. She’s Tweeting to @coffeemate when the Coffee-Mate brand Twitter name is actually @Coffee_mate. It took me all of five seconds Kate to look it up on my iPhone, just like the one that you have.

  HOLY GUACAMOLE!

  While representing CouponCabin at the March 2012 BlogHer Conference in New York City, Kate made the rounds visiting various exhibitors and collecting lots of freebies. Kate the millionaire was apparently in desperate need of some guacamole dip, so she grifted some free “Wholly Guacamole” product from their booth. After Kate returned home from the conference, she did what any appreciative guacamole lover would do with the free guacamole she had scored.

  In a unique and innovative marketing move, Kate thought it would be amusing to dump “Wholly Guacamole” guacamole over her daughter Leah’s head and take a picture of Leah smiling cutely for the camera. Kate then tweeted the photo to the world. Most significantly, she also tweeted it to @eatwholly, who no doubt must have been overcome with joy to see their product being used in such a “wholly” unappetizing and wasteful way. Kate is always looking for new and exciting ways to exploit her children to bring attention to herself. Maybe Kate actually thought this stunt would cause Wholly Guacamole to consider hiring her as a spokeswoman. The exploitation of the Gosselin children has come to this.

  Wholly Guacamole, Leah! She wears it well! (and smiles while wearing it!!!) @eatwholly http://t.co/hUvkDONr

  BELLA, BOOKS AND PANHANDLE

  Kate does not hesitate to lure her Twitter “friends” into her seemingly endless “not mediocre” money-making schemes. They are so enamored of her, they make easy marks for her begging and scamming.

  On July 10, 2012, Kate started subtly selling vegan/candy/energy/protein bars just by mentioning that she likes them and that she eats them all the time. Smart bloggers at realitytvkids.com quickly sniffed out via the Bella Bar website that this was nothing more than a way for Kate to make a quick and easy buck. And there would be absolutely nothing wrong with that if only Kate would just be upfront with her fans and tell them that this is a way for her to make a few bucks, instead of pretending that she just randomly fell in love with Bella Bars and felt compelled to tell her fans how much she loves them. Maybe Kate should have paced herself a bit and not tweeted four consecutive tweets about Bella Bars in a matter of minutes. How quickly a big “star” has fallen.

  WOW,have you tried the Bella Bar? It is so healthy and delicious! I’m eating one right now……I’m totally addicted! https://t.co/v9QDDgG8

  A FREE box of Bella bars goes to a lucky new fan of their Facebook Page! Click this link to enter for your chance>> https://t.co/v9QDDgG8

  The Bella Bar folks also have a special for all of my followers: FREE shipping on any order during the contest! Use coupon code “Kate”!

  I’ve tried every bar in the world, I think… I cannot get anough of Bella bars… I’m in love! :) Go enter to win.. https://t.co/v9QDDgG8

  Some people, even millionaires, are just addicted to free stuff and easy money. No matter how much they have, they will always want more and will do anything to get what they want, even if it means taking advantage of their loyal fans. And Kate’s loyal fans can’t buy those bars fast enough to help her line her pockets even further.

  xxxxx @Kateplusmy8 My Bella bars arrived today! Already tried the chocolate nut. So good! Thanks Kate! @Bellabars

  and now you must order the Athena bar! Omg that Bella bar makes me screech! ;)

  BIRDS OF A FEA
THER

  There is one particularly worrisome Kate fan who for years has tweeted, and continues to tweet, awful things about Jon, encouraging Kate to further alienate the children from their father. She tweets to Kate advising her to tell the children to keep things from Jon, and to tell them their father is “HER ENEMY.” She tells Kate to THREATEN them and punish them with the “SPOON.” In other words, this fan is telling Kate to smack the heck out of those kids if they dare speak to their father.

  These are the people Kate surrounds herself with. And Kate never, NEVER, asks her fans who tweet terrible things about Jon to stop. But she is the first to cry “bully” when someone says something critical about her.