VIDEO: Kate Gosselin's Brother Slams "Jon & Kate Plus 8" In Hearing On Child Labor Laws
April 14 2010, Published 3:05 p.m. ET
Kate Gosselin's brother Kevin Kreider and his wife Jodi told Pennsylvania lawmakers that the eight Gosselin children have been subject to unfair conditions during the production of the TLC show Jon & Kate Plus 8 in a hearing Wednesday, regarding the state's child labor laws, and how it pertains to reality TV shows, RadarOnline.com can report.
The Kreiders told the court that, among other concerns, the Gosselin kids were stripped of their privacy, emotionally manipulated and had their safety compromised in the name of reality TV.
The kids, according to the Kreiders, were burdened with rooms overloaded with TV production equipment and as many as three crew members present for two to three days at a time. Their privacy was also compromised, the Kreiders said, as the kids were taped during their potty training (even without their parents present) for clips that were subsequently uploaded to the Internet.
VIDEO: Kate Gosselin's Brother Blasts The Jon & Kate Plus 8 Star
One jarring anecdote the Kreiders shared was that "the children were told it was Christmas Eve and Christmas morning when it wasn’t, so that the camera crew would capture genuine reactions. They were only told the truth after the filming ended. They were told they did it for the show. The children stated directly to us that they felt very confused and were upset over this event."
The Kreiders also said that because of their fame from the show, the kids have been unnecessarily subject to "disturbing and threatening comments posted on newspaper blogs or TV social media formats."
VIDEO: Kevin Says He Will No Longer Watch Jon & Kate Plus 8.
In a statement released to RadarOnline.com, TLC responded to the testimony of the Kreiders by saying: "The welfare of and respect for anyone on our network is always paramount; and these allegations are either completely inaccurate or a distorted representation for maximum attention. In addition, we have and continue to comply with all regulations from the Department Of Labor.”
As you'll remember, RadarOnline.com interviewed the Kreiders back in June 2009 when the Gosselins first announced their split; asked what lessons were to be learned from the show, Jodi said that America is witnessing what "the destruction of a family and a marriage is like; it's horrible that this is what people are thinking is entertainment."
RadarOnline.com asked Kate’s Lawyer Mark Momjian to respond to the Kreider’s testimony.
Regarding the TLC crew staging Christmas for the kids and being in the bathroom during potty training without Jon and Kate being there, Momjiam would only say, “ Kate has only had wonderful things to say about how the TLC crew treated the entire Gosselin family during shooting and Jon agreed during the shooting of the show.”
When asked about the possible coincidence in timing between Jon’s custody lawsuit and Wednesday’s TLC hearing, Momjiam responded: “I’m not going to speculate but I do think there’s something rotten about the entire custody matter and I think it’s striking that it comes at a time when Kate is doing so well and providing for her kids.”
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VIDEO: Kate Gosselin's Brother Outraged Over Jon & Kate's Televised Split
Meanwhile, RadarOnline.com has learned that the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry will not file any charges against producers of Jon & Kate Plus 8 who had been investigated for possibly violating state child labor laws by their repeated filming of the Gosselin children during the course of the TLC series.
State officials made the decision known in a letter issued in March, but only released on Wednesday. The letter states that producers must obtain child-permits if they wish to film the Gosselin kids anytime in the future. They must also set aside a portion of the proceeds in a trust fund for the children.
