KATE GOSSELIN: HOW SHE FOOLED THE WORLD - THE RISE AND FALL OF A REALITY TV QUEEN (55 page)

February 4, 2009      Indianapolis Home Show

 
                     
Indianapolis, IN (Kate and Steve, fly in Feb. 4 am,

             
back Feb. 5 am)

             
Contact:  Brent

             
Phone: 317-705-xxxx

             
Email: [email protected]

             
Event Specifics:  Covering all Steve expenses

             
2 talks (likely in afternoon/early evening).

February 7, 2009      King Street Church

 
                     
Chambersburg, PA (just one person, may cancel?)

             
Contact:  Annette Smith

             
Phone:

             
Email:
[email protected]

             
Event Specifics:  Julie to discuss security

February 22, 2009
     Gateway Church

 
                     Parkesburg, PA (Kate and Jon)

             
Contact: 

             
Phone:

             
Email:
[email protected]

             
Event Specifics:                                        

March 7, 2009
         
First Christian Church MOPS

 
                     Elizabethtown, Kentucky

 
                     Changed to 1 day event (Kate and Steve?)

             
Contact:  Pastor Stuart or Amanda

             
Phone: 270-765-xxxx

             
Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

             
Event Specifics:  Change to 1-day event

Call to arrange specifics—Julie to discuss Kate only and Steve

March 20, 2009
        Roswell United Methodist Church

 
                     Atlanta, Georgia (Kate, Jon, Cara and Mady)
 

             
Contact: 

             
Phone:

             
Email:
[email protected]

             
Event Specifics:  7:30 pm event (?)

April 30, 2009        Baltimore Washington Medical Center (pending)

 
                     Baltimore, MD (Kate & Jon, evening keynote)

             
Courtney Conference Center

             
301 Hospital Drive

             
Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061

             
Contact:  Adrianne Carroll

             
Phone:  410-553-xxxx

             
Email:
[email protected]

             
Event Specifics: 6:00-8:30 pm

May 2, 2009           PA Women's Conference (awaiting contract, have deposit)

 
                     Harrisburg, PA  12-2 pm (Kate & Jon)

             
Contact:  Chris Lee

             
Phone: 310-822-xxxx

             
Email: [email protected]

             
Event Specifics:  Covering private car service             

             
12:00 Keynote (1 hour) followed by 1 hour signing

             
(photo cards)

ADDITIONAL POSSIBLE EVENTS:

Oct. 20, 2008 – North Carolina, Lane Home Furnishing Conference (Jon)

Nov. 6/7—Sacramento, CA conference (Jon or Kate & Steve)

November 23/24
th
—Madison, WI conference event (Kate & Steve)

Late November—K-Mart SMT/media outreach

January 22, 2009–Houston, TX, Evening Women’s Christian Conference event with Lysa Terkeurst  (Kate & Steve)

March 25-30
th
, 2009—One day in this range, North Carolina, Lane Home Furnishings Event (Jon or Jon & Kate and Steve)

“WATCH DATES”—PREVIOUSLY CANCELLED SO WATCH WITH RE-BOOKING:

Sept. 27/28, 2008 -- New Life Church (Louisiana)

Jan. 11, 2009 – First Assembly (moved to 1 day only)

Jan 23-25, 2008 – Mission Viejo CA churches

Sept 12-13, 2009 – Newburgh, IL

Sept. 26, 2009 – Judy DeLoria Michigan conference

Oct. 23-25, 2009 – Ohio

The “WATCH DATES” were written down so Kate and Julie May would make sure not to contact the same churches they had canceled on…because that might make Kate look bad.

While the unethical handling of the speaking fee, in itself, is bad enough, if you take a step back from this big lie, you’ll see an even bigger one.

At the same time Kate Gosselin was going from church to church with her hand out, asking parishioners possibly far less fortunate than herself for “Love Offerings” to help support her family, because she didn’t know how she would be able to take care of her eight children otherwise, she was actually very quietly signing those endorsement deals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars that you read about earlier. She was also moving into that million-dollar home on 23 acres just outside of Wernersville, PA.

Some of the endorsement deal specifics bear repeating. In September of 2008, Kate received $50,000 in cash and $35,000 in tax-free merchandise just for shooting a brief video saying how much they “can’t wait to get their new Lane furniture.” On September 15, 2008, again at the very same time Kate was visiting churches and begging for money, she signed a deal with Kmart for $158,000 cash for a total of three days of “work.”

Deals like these were coming in fast and furiously, and Kate couldn’t get enough of them. But Kate obviously never mentioned any of those deals to the people at the churches who were passing the collection basket to help a “struggling” mother of eight. The thought of jeopardizing her now $25,000 per speaking engagement was the furthest thing from her mind.

In 2008, the same year she was begging for money from church-folk, the Gosselin tax return showed an adjusted gross income of $1,954,414.00. That is the kind of money most people don’t see in a lifetime. Despite that, Kate kept on asking and begging and collecting money from less well-off families at churches who believed her lies and wanted to help her feed her children.

What those kind, generous folks were really helping her do was live a life of luxury, going to expensive spas and pampering herself with the finest things money could buy.

Let me be very clear here. The issue was not that Kate was charging a high speaking fee, and that churches and organizations were willing to pay it; the issue was the fact that Kate misrepresented herself and lied about her circumstances as a means to get people to donate more money to her. There is a word for that. It is called fraud.

DOES KATE GOSSELIN REALLY EVEN BELIEVE IN GOD?

Mir-a-cle 
noun

1 :
an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs

Miracles to Kate Gosselin include things like getting a good deal on a freezer at Lowes. Call me crazy, but I always thought God would have more important things to worry about than Kate’s freezer – like, say, wars, famine, and starving children all around the world, for example. I guess I was wrong. This is a paraphrased excerpt from one of Kate’s journal entries:

Another miracle day. Kate said she and Jon got a new freezer for $618 after using a gift card and a rebate and ten percent off. Then Kate’s brother Kevin gave her a $100 coupon so Kate sent Jon back to the store for even more savings.

Kate mentions miracles, God, Jesus and Lord several hundred times in her books and journal. Given her actions and willingness to scam others, it makes me suspicious whether she truly even believes in God, or if she just uses God’s name as part of the big scam she’s been perpetrating on the American public all these years. Kate breaks nine of the Ten Commandments on a regular basis (she hasn’t killed anyone yet) and rarely goes to church now that she’s rich and famous.

In the beginning, Kate was all about God. God this and God that. She knew early on that by aligning herself with Christians, and speaking about God continuously, she would have a built-in audience to sell her story to, and to buy her books, and to watch her shows – and to believe her lies. But when she got rich and famous, she suddenly stopped going to church. Why would that be?

This is the list of speaking points that Kate delivered to her patrons just before the “Love Offering” basket was passed around for her:

‘Six (in honor of our sextuplets) Lessons We Have Learned’

1. God is in control.
   
2. God is Gracious and Strong.
   
3. Trust in God.
   
4. God is love.
   
5. God will provide.
   
6. Give God the Glory and Praise.
   

Kate’s testimony:
I was born and raised in a Christian home, school and church. I was saved when I was 8 years old on Sept 8, 1983. Growing up, I knew that Jesus loved me and that he saved me, but it was more about how God would punish you when you got out of line. I was never able to see God for who He really is…..It wasn’t until He chose to give us our six beautiful children and really put us in a position that we needed to fully rely on Him for EVERYTHING daily and hourly did I realize…. We struggled through the hard times (especially during my pregnancy, and in the first year with 8 kids) and actually asked ‘why us?’ and were angry with God at times.

Now I can say I am glad that I had to walk through that fire because I now see God-he is amazing! He wants to love me, bless me, forgive me (praise Him for that!!!) and bestow unending grace on me! I am amazed truly by Him everyday! Thank you Lord for loving (even in my multitude of imperfections) and saving ME! Thank you for never changing and never leaving me! I could not do this alone!!!!

Since the day I started reporting on the Gosselins for
U
S
Weekly
, I watched and waited for that beautiful Sunday morning scene where Kate would get the kids all dressed up and take them to church. The girls would have little flowers in their hair, and the boys would be in their matching (of course) Sunday best.

I waited and waited, but I never saw it happen. Not on a Sunday. Not on any Saturday or any other day of the week. And still I waited. Then finally, on Easter Sunday, 2012, Kate tweeted that she would be taking the kids to Easter Sunday services and, sure enough, she actually did it. I saw it for myself. The fact that she tweeted far in advance about going to church was a sure sign that she was angling for a photo op and she would definitely be there.

Since there were no photographers around anymore to prove otherwise, Kate started tweeting about how she takes the kids to church on Sundays. On a personal note, if it was me, and my show (
Kate Plus Ei8ht
) was failing, and my other show (
Twist of Kate)
had been thrown on the scrap heap, I’d be in church too, praying or begging. Whatever it took. So I gave Kate the benefit of the doubt that she was actually going to church, like she tweeted she was, even if it was only to pray for more fame and fortune.