Jon & Kate in trouble? Oh my! Guess I was wrong ... or not

The question is, when you have to “eat crow,” should you add a dash of salt?

Regular readers may recall that last summer I wrote a column citing Mr. and Mrs. Gosselin, the stars of the popular "Jon & Kate Plus 8” television show, as an example of a couple with a “healthy relationship.”

With foot firmly entrenched in mouth I wrote the following: “Jon and Kate have morphed into a couple that is totally honest and open with one another. They have developed a relationship built on trust, so much so that they can say almost anything to each other without producing the type of lingering feelings that fester and destroy so many relationships.

And I further stated “(Yes) Jon and Kate… argue almost daily. But I would bet dollars to donuts…. that they will never cheat on one another or wind up in divorce court.”

Now, less than a year later every gossip television show and magazine is trumpeting rumors that Jon has been seen out partying with young coeds, and that their relationship is in serious trouble.

I even saw one show in which an expert broke down and analyzed the couple’s body language while the Goslings were sitting on their famous interview couch.

The expert predicted that they were a couple whose relationship is in serious trouble. In slow motion I saw the way that Kate was scratching her neck, Jon was rolling his eyes, and leaning father and farther away from his wife.

Supposedly a lot of the problems stem from Kate being out and about delivering speeches and promoting her books, tapes, lunch boxes, etc, while Jon is just out and about promoting himself.

Now I always knew that the couple fought and bickered a lot, but I thought that they also displayed an openness and honesty in that bickering that would keep them together. I also thought that their love for their brood of two sets of multiples (8 kids in all) would prevent them ever from cheating on one another or separating.

Of course Season 5 of their popular show on “The Learning Channel” is set to kick off on May 25, and all of this rumor-mongering could just be publicity to hype the new season.

Was the ominous tone and stilted body language on last season’s finale just another version of a television series cliffhanger? Is this speculation merely another version of “Who shot JR?”

So perhaps I was right all along. Jon and Kate WILL stay together, but NOT because of their love for their kids or each other, but to keep the money flowing in from their ever-popular show.
So maybe I only have to swallow half a serving of crow.