Kate Gosselin has defended her decision to keep “Jon & Kate Plus 8” on the air following her very public divorce battle and the increased paparazzi attention on the family.
“So many people are so funny and they say, ‘Just stop. Just pull out,’” Kate told the ladies of “The View” on Monday when she joined them as a co-panelist. “I could stop and I’d still have all the flack and the lack of a paycheck.”
Kate said one reason she continues to film the show is because she is a single mom with eight children.
“Let’s face it, I have to support my children,” Kate said. “I’m a single mom and now more than ever I need to be out there working hard. It comes with a price. Every job that everybody chooses to do comes with a price.”
The 34-year-old mom said despite all the attention on the family nowadays, they never set out to be stars. Kate explained they were enticed into doing the show because they enjoyed the documentary type shows on TLC and the Discovery Channel.
“We didn’t go into this like, ‘Oh! I want to be this huge celebrity,’” Kate explained. “No, it was never my focus. My focus is supporting my children.”
Her fellow panelists asked Kate’s thoughts on the Duggar family; Michelle Duggar announced earlier this month that she is pregnant with her 19th child.
“It’s only 11 more than I have,” Kate joked before later adding, “I feel like for her, personally, it’s scary.”
The reality star, who used to be a labor and delivery nurse before “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” said her family may be big, but it’s different from the Duggar clan. For starters, their children were born in two sets — twins in 2000 and sextuplets in 2004.
“We don’t have that effect of the Duggars where the older ones keep an eye on the younger ones,” Kate said. “We kind of just went like, ‘Bam! Bam!’”
During her appearance, Kate also was asked about how she handles it when Jon Gosselin, 32, brings his new girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, 22, around their family.
“I’m not [going to] lie, it’s difficult,” Kate said before adding she didn’t want to talk more about it “for the sake of my children.”
She also revealed that life got her down over this past weekend.
“For the sake of my children I am going to continue taking the high road because it’s the only road for me. It is not easy. I melted down over the weekend in the privacy of my own home,” she said. “I melted down.”
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