Six Reasons Jon & Kate Are Faking It

It’s not surprising that Monday’s drama-ridden premiere of Jon and Kate Plus 8 drew 9.8 million viewers—TLC’s best ratings ever. “What is surprising is that everybody believes Jon and Kate are having serious marriage problems,” writes Mark Pasetsky. On the Huffington Post and Cover Awards, he outlines six reasons he’s sure this is “one of the biggest publicity stunts of all time”:

• The timing is “almost too convenient.”
• Jon and Kate make $75,000 per episode—“after watching the show, I’m not confident they could find a way to financially support their family” without it.
• If they’re willing to put their family on reality TV, they’re probably willing to fake marriage drama to boost ratings, too.
• The Gosselins released a redundant statement yesterday—and “who says things like ‘navigating through a very difficult time’?”

For the full list, click the links below.