Kate Gosselin on ‘Larry King Live’ Aug. 25 — complete transcript
Read what Kate Gosselin had to say to talk show host Larry King last night (Tuesday, Aug. 25).
This transcript was provided by CNN and the “Larry King Live” show.
LARRY KING, HOST: Good evening.
Quite a lineup tonight.
Kate Gosselin was last on LARRY KING LIVE on May 10th. A little more than a month later, on June 22nd, Kate and her husband Jon filed for divorce, announced their split that same day in a special edition of “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ — a show that’s become phenomenal worldwide.
How are you doing, Kate?
Good to have you here.
KATE GOSSELIN: I’m good.
Thanks for having me.
KING: You feel good?
KATE: I do.
KING: How are the kids?
KATE: Wonderful, marvelous, gorgeous, lovely.
KING: All right. Now the twins are going to be nine in October.
The sextuplets were five in May.
How much do they know about what’s going on?
The 9-year-olds probably do, right?
KATE: As far as what is going on…
KING: You and Jon and…
KATE: …in our household, they understand the process.
They’re working through it, the same that Jon and I are. They’re doing remarkably well. This has opened up a lot of discussions between them and myself. A lot of questions come my way. And we’re dealing with it. They’re doing very well considering.
KING: Why — why did you agree to do this reality show in the first place?
KATE: In the very beginning, we started filming a one hour special. It was a way to document what was happening in our lives. At that time, there was a lot of local news stories. There were a lot of people in the country and the world, believe it or not, pulling for us.
As you know, sextuplets are not born every day, so there was a lot of interest.
We did the one hour special to show everyone — I always pictured like the little old lady that was sitting at home who was praying for us, rooting for us and needing to know what happened to those babies that were born. And so we did it for that reason, as well as to collect the memories for ourselves.
KING: And little did you think what would happen from that.
KATE: No way of knowing.
KING: Why did you agree to do a regular reality show?
You could have said that’s the special, here’s my life, good-bye.
KATE: I could have. At that point, the one hour special was a very good experience. The network, TLC, we were on Discovery Health at that time. Now, TLC is wonderful, supportive. And it was a great experience for us. So we, you know, really moved forward because of that reason. It was healthy and safe and fun.
KING: Do the kids talk to you about divorce?
KATE: They do. And as any child, you know, when their parents are divorcing, the goal is peace and we’ve achieved that numerous times. The Fourth of July we spent together as a family. And my goal is, no matter what the circumstance, no matter what place, you know, one of us is in, my goal is really peace and the best that it can be for the kids.
KING: Do they get counseling?
KATE: We have not started that process, but I feel like it is a very normal thing to do. And absolutely, when the time is right.
KING: All right. Jon is quoted in the new “Us Weekly”: “I wish I had a 9:00 to 5:00 job instead of the nightmare I’m living. This is 24/7. I don’t even want to do taping the show anymore.”
What’s your reaction to that?
KATE: Jon’s opinions and his goals are his. I know that, personally, for myself and the kids, this has been a good experience.
It continues to be a good experience. And, you know, really the network has been extremely supportive, above and beyond, I feel, what they need to be. And I only experience good things.
Everyone works. Everyone has a job. Everyone has what they’re dealing with. And, generally speaking, this is the most flexible, workable, wonderful job for myself. Remember, the kids are just playing in front of the cameras so.
KING: How long have you been doing it now?
KATE: We are in season five. We started filming in August of 2005.
KING: Why is it such a good thing to have a private life public?
KATE: It’s — it has been a source of huge — for whatever reason — inspiration for a lot of people. Many, many people — many parents feel that their decisions are maybe not great decisions — every parent has that, you know, parent guilt of my goal is to produce wonderful, productive individuals and put them out into society. That is the goal of a parent…
KING: Right. Of course.
KATE: …for us to show the world that we are not perfect, life is unpredictable, but life always goes on and there’s always, always, always something to look forward to. And for me, that is raising my children to the best of my ability.
KING: But as an intelligent person, you also know to all good things, there are down sides.
KATE: Absolutely. With every positive, there is a negative across the board in life. It’s about choosing to see the positive and working with the negative.
KING: So what happens now?
Are you and the kids going to do the show and Jon is out?
KATE: I don’t — I’m not the person to make that decision. I know that myself and the kids will continue the show.
KING: But if Jon says I don’t want to do it anymore, I don’t want to be part of it, I’m divorced, I don’t need this, will the network say it’s you and the kids?
I mean when…
KATE: That would be a question for the network.
KING: Will the name of the show change?
KATE: That would be a question for the network.
KING: And if they said forget it, that would be OK with you?
And if they said we’ll continue, that’s OK with you?
KATE: That will be their decision.
KING: So why are you letting the network run you?
KATE: I’m not letting the network run me. It’s — it’s a thing where we signed up for this.
And do I have my opinions?
Absolutely.
Do I need to discuss them?
Probably not. I know that I am going to — I signed my name to a contract and I am going to do my best to make that work, as long as it is healthy and safe for myself and the kids.
KING: You’ve become famous worldwide over this.
What’s the downside of that?
KATE: You know, I could really live without the — the following.
KING: Attention?
KATE: Yes. I could live my whole life — I would have to say that is absolutely the negative. I realize it comes with it. I know that it goes along with it. I — I’m smart enough to figure out that, you know, there’s interest. It’s going to be interest across the board. It’s another learning lesson.
KING: Do paparazzi follow you around?
KATE: Yes.
KING: You land at an airport, they’re there?
KATE: Yes.
KING: You and Jon renewed your marriage vows a year ago this month in Hawaii.
What happened?
How do you go from renewing vows to filing for divorce in a year?
KATE: It is a question I ask myself every day. I don’t have the answer.
KING: What happened?
KATE: I — I don’t — I don’t know. I — I…
KING: But he did — he made this decision?
KATE: You know, it’s just an issue that we discussed amongst ourselves. I don’t feel like that is something that we need to discuss the details of…
KING: Yes, but when you get so famous, you and him and the kids, and then you leave out those details, don’t you disappoint the audience that’s come to expect more?
KATE: My main concern is my kids. And I don’t want them to see or hear anything on TV that I didn’t discuss with them. And — and we discussed what they need to know at their developmental age groups.
But I don’t feel like I need to go any further than that at this time.
KING: Kate — that’s fine.
Kate said she had no choice but to file for divorce.
What was Jon doing that forced her hand?
We’ll ask after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY TLC)
JON GOSSELIN: Kate and I have decided to separate.
K. GOSSELIN: Yes. We have decided that we will separate.
J. GOSSELIN: I try to contemplate and think about it and would it be better for us. It’s just not good for our kids for us to be arguing in front of our kids. And it just — we can’t be cordial with one another and we decided to separate.
K. GOSSELIN: I’m not very fond of the idea, personally, but I know it’s necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: What were your feelings right then?
KATE: That was very hard to say. It was the first time, I think, having a reality show and knowing that something so huge and life-changing had taken place. And we did need to talk about it.
Choosing the correct words and hearing myself say it, it was very hard.
KING: There’s been different reports about who initiated it.
Can you tell us that?
Who — who said let’s separate?
KATE: It’s all in that vault.
KING: Mixed?
KATE: Yes, it’s all in that thing where, you know, it just kind of shook out the way it did. And…
KING: Do you take any responsibility?
KATE: Everyone who is in a divorce or has been is responsible to a degree.
KING: When you filed, though, you issued a statement — and this was public, because the public is interested in you — saying that Jon’s activities had left you no choice but to do so.
What were you talking about?
KATE: I am not at liberty to discuss that because, for the sake of my children, I only speak positive.
KING: But the implication is obvious, isn’t it, Kate?
KATE: There were — there were some details there that I’m
— I can’t share, but that did lead me to do that, yes.
KING: Police came to your home?
KATE: Yes.
KING: That’s always sad with kids around — called by you after an argument. He says you tried to come home when it was his time with the kids and he wouldn’t let you in, accusing you of crying it up with the cops.
Can you tell us what happened, because that’s what he said?
KATE: Well, number one, the tabloid and the whole media mess always makes it worse than it is. Remember that. It actually was not this huge fight. It was just a thing where I wanted to be there with the kids
and — as opposed to a babysitter. And he wasn’t fond of that idea.
And I just had a very rough day. I have good days and bad days.
This day was a rough day. I just wanted to be with the kids if he wasn’t going to be with them. And I did. I did it was not a 911 call.
It was the local routine police phone call.
KING: There was no violence?
KATE: No. No. Just to meet me there just in case things, you know, got ugly. I didn’t want them to get ugly in front of the kids. And the kids were not even around. And I left peaceably, knowing that — it’s true, it was his day to be there and…
KING: How does it work now?
You and Jon switch off going to the same house?
KATE: Yes.
KING: Jon doesn’t take them to his, where he’s living?
KATE: No.
KING: He comes to where you’re living?
How did that happen?
KATE: Because…
KING: I mean usually the — the person who has visitation takes the kids.
KATE: Correct. First of all, we have eight kids and, realistically, to pass them off and move them back and forth is not possible. Second of all, to have two houses that could hold eight kids was financially not possible. We bought that house for the kids. It is the kids’ house. And it is the most stable, normal thing for them to remain there. And I do live there with them. And he does when he has the kids.
KING: And you go where?
KATE: Elsewhere.
KING: I mean for days?
KATE: I do. I have to. That’s the hardest part of all of this.
KING: To leave?
KATE: Yes.
KING: And how does — is the visitation very well handled, I mean the time allotted?
KATE: We did it very peaceably amongst ourselves.
KING: You made your own agreement?
It wasn’t a court?
KATE: No. We did our own custody.
KING: A judge didn’t say he will have three days…
KATE: No.
KING: …you will have?
KATE: No.
KING: Is there a parenting schedule, too?
I mean do you — do you have all of this so worked out with eight, isn’t it hard?
KATE: Yes.
KING: Aren’t there days when two of the six say, no, I don’t want to — I don’t want to — I want to be with you today?
KATE: Whenever either one of us is away, they miss the opposite parent, which is normal. And it is what it is. They are always there. It’s just us that switch off. So it is a very — of all things, it is a very peaceful thing, custody.
KING: How are you so calm and so well within yourself when so much of this is known to people?
KATE: It has increased over four years. It was, you know, a few people knew who we were to the progression of this. I have learned a lot. My true nature is to freak out about everything — everything’s a big drama, everything’s, you know, the end of the world.
And I can honestly say that there is so much on my plate right now that I absolutely cannot react that way to every little thing that comes by — or big thing.
KING: So you’ve forced yourself to hold back what is your natural instinct?
KATE: Yes.
KING: That’s hard, isn’t it?
KATE: It is very hard. And I have my hard days. And I have days where, you know, I don’t always say the right thing or do the right thing or phrase things the way that I should. But generally speaking, my rule of thumb is I want to be positive, I want to look forward and I want the kids to look back on all that they’re going to see of me and know that I did my best.
KING: We reached out to Jon Gosselin. He declined to provide a statement at this time. He has a standing invitation to appear on this show.
And we’ll be back in 60 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We’re back with Kate Gosselin from “Jon & Kate Plus 8″.
Kate’s moving on — or trying to — during a difficult period.
Here’s a look at her new life raising all of those children alone.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J. GOSSELIN: This was my first official turn with the kids. It didn’t feel very much different. It just felt more like the future.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: This is my daddy.
K. GOSSELIN: They wanted to camp. And I mean, I agreed. I’m a good sport, you know. I’m trying to be, anyway.
I am now going to set up a tent. Da-da-da!
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Daddy knows how to camp.
K. GOSSELIN: Yes…
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: And daddy knows a…
K. GOSSELIN: And mommy has to learn.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Daddy knows it (INAUDIBLE).
K. GOSSELIN: Perfect.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: And daddy knows everything about this.
K. GOSSELIN: Wow! Well, he’s not here.
At this rate, we’ll have s’mores next week sometime. Please work.
Please work. Please work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Who’s with the kids now?
KATE: Jon.
KING: Do you think he’s watching?
KATE: I have no idea. He’s probably putting the kids to bed, actually.
KING: Yes, it would be bedtime…
KATE: Yes.
KING: …for them.
Is he a good father?
KATE: He is.
KING: Why the pause?
KATE: His decisions right now are not ones that I would necessarily make.
But down deep in his heart, I know that he is.
KING: You share the same faith?
KATE: Yes.
KING: So they will be raised in that same culture?
KATE: Absolutely.
KING: Do you agree on how school should be handled?
KATE: Yes.
KING: Those are two key things.
KATE: Yes.
KING: So that — that’s a plus.
KATE: There’s a lot we agree on.
KING: What do you disagree on?
KATE: I — I just think it’s more the — the current things.
KING: You mean day to day things?
KATE: Not so much the day to day. I think that I’m looking more toward the future and the decisions of today that affect tomorrow, more so than he is.
KING: Does Kate still think of herself as a married woman?
That’s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY TLC)
K. GOSSELIN: The city meets the wild, wild West.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: It looks like a mountain rock. Ooh.
K. GOSSELIN: I’m the king of the world.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Do another one.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Eat me. Eat me.
K. GOSSELIN: It’s hot, though. Let it cool.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That was a preview of the next episode of “Jon & Kate Plus 8.” To see more, go to our blog at CNN.com/larryking. And, of course, you can see the entire show on TLC next week.
Do you have a say in what goes on?
KATE: As far as which order?
KING: You know, what — do they decide what goes on or do you say I don’t want that to run?
KATE: As far as editing?
KING: Yes.
KATE: No, they basically have the editing rights. I can, you know, submit my suggestions whenever. And they’re very good about listening to that. But no, I’m not an editor.
KING: Have you ever violently — not violently.
Have you ever really strongly disagreed with something they ran?
KATE: No.
KING: Do you feel married?
KATE: I am not yet divorced officially.
KING: How do you feel, though?
KATE: I don’t know. I’m kind of…
KING: Would you date?
KATE: No. Too busy. Sorry.
KING: Do you think — all right, let’s go on.
Do you think — you’re very attractive, young, do you think you’ll have a problem having eight kids to the prospective suitor?
KATE: I’m not worried about it.
KING: Don’t think about it?
KATE: No.
KING: Don’t you want companionship?
KATE: I’m lonely, but I’m — I’m very busy and, actually, I’m all right.
KING: On the show back in June, Jon talked about why he thought the marriage broke down.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J. GOSSELIN: I was too passive. And I just let her rule the roost and do whatever she wanted to do and went along with everything. And now I finally stood up on my own two feet and I’m proud of myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Want to comment on that?
KATE: I don’t typically comment on our show. You know, that’s his opinion. Everybody has one and…
KING: Do you understand it?
KATE: I do. I do, to a degree that, you know, everybody has a part in a marriage breaking down.
KING: Do you want this show to go on and on and on?
KATE: Currently, I am happy doing the show, as are the kids. And as long as it goes on, it does.
KING: How long is it contracted for?
KATE: We do — we’re doing season five right now.
KING: Is there a season six contracted for?
KATE: Possibly.
KING: You mean you don’t know if there’s a season six?
KATE: There could be or there could not be. I — I hesitate to say that there will be anything because we take each season as we go and reevaluate — is it fine, healthy, acceptable and wonderful.
KING: Nothing’s in stone then?
KATE: Correct.
KING: So are you saying if it went on that would be fine, if it didn’t, life goes on?
KATE: Correct.
KING: OK.
When it ends, as all things do, what do you want to do?
KATE: I can’t say. I’ve got big dreams.
KING: What — what would be — would have been your profession had this show not occurred, other than being mother?
KATE: I would currently still be a nurse — a working nurse.
KING: You miss that?
KATE: The aspect that I miss of nursing is the interaction with my patients. That part, yes, I do miss.
KING: So would you go back to it?
KATE: If I had to, absolutely. I would go back to anything I needed to provide for my children.
KING: Does it hold you in good stead as a parent, your nursing background?
KATE: Absolutely. That’s probably the best benefit of it all. Yes.
KING: Especially if medical problems develop, right?
KATE: Yes. Absolutely.
KING: Are you concerned about Jon?
Would it bug you if he dated?
Suppose he brought a — a date over to the house when he has the children.
KATE: These are all things that everybody who has been or will be or is in the middle of a divorce…
KING: Thinks about.
KATE: …goes through. And it’s just — it’s that, you know me, I have to have control. It’s just a control issue.
KING: You are a control freak?
KATE: I’ve been known to be one, yes.
KING: All right. Control — people who are control freaks put pressure on themselves, don’t they?
I mean they worry about things that don’t even involve them, right
— why is he doing that over there?
Why can’t I stop him from going there, right?
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Doesn’t it drive you a little nuts to be a — wouldn’t you rather not be a control freak?
KATE: There are very good aspects of being a control freak.
I’m very driven. I don’t — I don’t stop. Nothing less than the best.
Keep moving. Keep moving. And I think that’s a great aspect. I enjoy that part of my personality. I persevere. I will not lay down and die.
However, those issues you just mentioned, yes, I’ve had to relax about. And, actually, over this last year or — or, actually, truly, since my six were born, life has been pretty out of control.
KING: Do you think having this show affected the marriage?
KATE: No. No.
KING: Nothing would — it would have been the same…
KATE: Yes.
KING: …had they never been on television?
KATE: Correct.
KING: Had we never known you?
KATE: Correct. Firmly.
KING: How do the older children deal with it?
KATE: The process?
KING: Yes.
KATE: They’re doing very well. It’s — it’s a lot of…
KING: They’re how old?
KATE: Eight, almost nine. Obviously, again, this is not an ideal situation. Nobody goes into a marriage or has kids, you know, planning a divorce. It’s not what I consider success, really. I’m not a quitter, so this is difficult to me, because this feels like something that, you know, possibly was not in my plans.
But they’re doing very well considering. They’re great kids.
KING: Do you have help?
KATE: We do. We do.
KING: You need that?
KATE: Yes.
KING: No one could — this would be inhuman to do eight kids, right?
KATE: I — I did it for a long time. For the last year, we’ve had very steady help. And it’s necessary — whatever the kids need. And that is necessary to have — I mean my goodness, six 5-year-olds could dismantle your house in an hour if you didn’t know where they all were.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: I would say.
Thanks, Kate.
KATE: Thank you very much, Larry.
KING: Good luck.
You’re back next week, right?
KATE: Oh, I am?
KING: Well, no. Not you’re back here. You’re on the air next — if you want to come back, come back. You want to host this show, take over. But I mean…
KATE: I’ll do it.
KING: I mean the show is on, actually.
KATE: Yes. We are.
KING: Thanks, dear.
KATE: Thank you.
# # #
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment