Kate Gosselin says she’s not a “monster mom.” The TLC reality star, who currently headlines the new reality dating show Kate Plus Date , told The Jenny McCarthy Show that while she has “high expectations” for her eight kids, she is far from the horrible, controlling mom that has been portrayed in the media.
In the new interview, Kate Gosselin reflected on the “image of me that’s out there that isn’t really me” and all of the names she has been called in the media as she raises her eight kids as a single mother following her 2010 divorce from Jon Gosselin. A former TLC publicist recently described Kate as an “awful human,” as previously shared by The Inquisitr .
“That’s probably the most hurtful. I don’t really pay attention or read any of it, but that’s a very huge misconception that’s out there,” Kate said of her reputation.
Kate Gosselin added that she constantly has to fight against the false image of her that it out there. The Kate Plus Date star noted that when people meet her for the first time, they comment that she is nothing like they thought she would be.
Still, the mom of eight admitted that she does have high expectations and drives a hard bargain with her kids—18-year-old twins Mady and Cara and 15-year-old sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Joel, Aeden, Collin and Hannah—but she says it’s out of love because she wants the “absolute best” for her brood at all cost.
Kate also explained why only some of her kids have a relationship with their father Jon Gosselin. Currently, two of the former couple’s eight kids–Collin and Hannah–live with Jon full time. Most of the other six kids are reportedly estranged from their DJ dad.
Kate Gosselin told Jenny McCarthy that she lets her kids make their own choices about visiting their father and does not force any of them to do so.
“Some do [see their dad], some don’t. At this point, they’re 15 and trust me, my kids have their own minds made up and their own opinions. I don’t force them [to see their dad. I can’t even force them, really, to do their homework.”
Kate explained that she feels that “every child should be allowed to love Mom and Dad as they want to.”
“I wouldn’t force them to visit a neighbor that they didn’t want to. Ideally, it’s up to them and I think that, across the board, is a healthy way of existing.”
Last December, Jon Gosselin confirmed that his relationship with his adult twin daughters and four of his sextuplets was strained. At the time, the former J on and Kate Plus 8 star told People that he has no contact with six of his eight kids.
“Hannah lives with me full time, and then Collin,” Jon said. “The other four [sextuplets] aren’t talking to me, but they’re talking to Hannah. It’s what the kids want to do. If they don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine, as long as they keep up with their sibling connections.”
Jon Gosselin went on to say that the last time he saw all eight of his children, the meeting was “volatile” and was “just not a good time.”
As for Kate, who has been widely criticized for continuing to film her reality show with her kids, the mom of eight told McCarthy that reality TV has been the only way to financially support her supersized family as a single mom.
“We are very fortunate that we have like 10, 12 years of Kate Plus 8 on TLC,” Kate said. “Who knew we would still be around? I’ve supported eight kids essentially on my own and that is the Number 1 thing. [Money] is a huge concern for me.”
Kate also said that her kids are “very vocal” about wanting to film and that they all wish they could do it more.
You can see Kate Gosselin’s full interview on The Jenny McCarthy Show below.
Kate Plus Date airs Mondays on TLC.
