The Truth About Mady And Cara Gosselin

Children who grow up in front of reality television cameras, like Mady and Cara Gosselin, often feel misunderstood. Case in point: The Kate Plus 8 stars have had to regularly clarify aspects of their highly publicized childhoods in interviews. For instance, many people believe the twins are "messed up" thanks to the divorce drama that went down between their parents, Kate and Jon Gosselin. Other fans theorize that they're brats due to their reality TV income. But, of course, not everything you hear or read about Cara and Mady is true — and there are a lot of things people don't know about the pair. And now that Mady and Cara aren't kids anymore, fan interest in their lives is at an all-time peak. The good news is the girls aren't afraid to speak their minds, which means there is plenty information out there for fans to analyze. 

So, what doesn't the world know about Mady and Cara? Here's the truth about Mady and Cara Gosselin.

It's no secret that Jon is not on great terms with all of his children, a situation that has quite a few explanations. For starters, Jon's divorce from Kate in June 2009 led to a nasty divorce battle, and the kids naturally took sides. Additionally, Jon alienated some of his children with his wild post-divorce antics, which included having numerous girlfriends and hanging out with Lindsay Lohan's dad, Michael Lohan. Although it's not clear what specifically drove Mady and Cara Gosselin away from Jon, one thing is for certain — they don't want him in their lives. 

"He [Jon] makes it seem like we're being kept from him, which is insane," Mady told People in August 2016 about the girls' strained relationship with their dad. "He should maybe spend some time thinking about why we don't want to see him, and maybe realize that if he ever does want a relationship with us, talking about us on TV is not the way to make that happen."

Hmm, it sounds like Jon will have to work really hard to get Cara and Mady back in his life. 

When Jon called it quits with Kate, his love life took off in a major way. In fact, Gosselin reportedly dated six women prior to settling down with his longtime girlfriend, Colleen Conrad, in 2015. And, while this time period might have been fun for Jon (when in Rome, as they say), it wasn't an ideal situation for Cara and Mady. After all, it must be awkward to see your dad entertain a revolving door of women, right?  

"Actually, the stuff I remember now is stuff that I didn't really see anything wrong with at the time ... but now that I look back, I can see, 'Oh, that wasn't a really good thing,'" Mady told People about Jon's dating exploits. "Like girlfriends, lots of girlfriends. Like, maybe it wasn't so normal to have someone new, like, every week."

Sister Cara took the shade a step further, joking, "Every day, every minute, every second!" 

Well, there's no denying how the girls really feel about Jon living la vida loca post-divorce. 

Fans of the Today show probably remember Mady and Cara's notorious interview with co-host Savannah Guthrie in January 2014. The sit-down, which also featured mom Kate Gosselin, was excruciatingly awkward because the twins basically refused to answer any of Guthrie's questions. And to make matters even worse, Kate chided Cara and Mady throughout the entire interview. "Mady, your words," Gosselin snapped during a particularly uncomfortable period of silence. "It's your chance. Spit it out." 

The girls, however, didn't find Kate's persistence amusing — and it quickly became clear that something was going on among the trio. "This is the most wordless I've heard them all morning," an exasperated Kate told Guthrie. "I don't want to speak for them but, Mady, go ahead. Sort of the things that you said in [People] magazine, that years later they're good, they're fine. Go for it, it's your chance." 

Mady, who had enough of Kate at this point, shot back, "No. You just said it." 

Unfortunately for Kate, the tense interview made national headlines and people questioned her relationship with the twins.

Cara and Mady can't help but get brutally honest about their feelings at times, especially when it comes to Kate. And in January 2014, the twins got incredibly real about Kate's supposed tendency to be irritating. "She is so annoying," Mady vented to People (via E! News). Cara, who agreed with her sister's sentiment, added that their mom is "annoying on purpose." 

So, how does Kate get under the girls' skin? Look no further than the word, "'spensive." Apparently, Kate says "'spensive" instead of "expensive" to grind Cara and Mady's gears. "Like, she does it just to bother us," Cara complained. "Like, she says 'spensive. I'm like, 'Mom, it's expensive. 'Spensive isn't a word! Stop it!'" Ah, the joys of parenting in the public eye.

But that wasn't the only time Cara and Mady got truthful about their frustrations with Kate. "I just want you to stop yelling and being stressed," Mady told Kate during a November 2016 trailer for Kate Plus 8 (via ABC). "It's annoying." Hmm, we guess Kate has a lot of traits that annoy her eldest kids.

As much as Cara and Mady may become irritated with Kate at times, they still worry about her. Following news in April 2018 that she got her own dating show, Kate Plus Date, Kate opened up about the her daughters' fears to People. "As we're talking about Mady and Cara going off to college which is becoming more and more of a reality, it's gonna happen, it almost became like a worry for them, too, like 'Mommy, you're gonna be all alone soon,'" Kate told the mag. "But it was very apparent, now that they're older and talking about dating and how they're all gonna get married someday ... it became apparent: they want someone for me. They want me to have somebody in my life." Aww. 

We have to admit, it's pretty sweet that Cara and Mady are so concerned about their mom's well-being. Apparently, at the end of the day, all the twins want is for Kate to be happy.

Considering how Cara and Mady grew up on reality television, many would probably think that they're both extroverts. As it turns out, however, Cara and Mady can be pretty shy at times. Want proof? Look no further than Kate's comments in January 2014 about the twins' aforementioned Today show interview. Following a fan's comment that the girls looked scared to "say the wrong thing," Kate responded on Twitter, "There were no right or wrong answers.... They just had a case of 'stage fright' #notactors." 

Although some people didn't buy Kate's take, she confirmed that Cara and Mady can be intimidated by live TV. "They were so excited but caught off guard by live tv," Kate told her suspicious fans (via E! News). "Have you ever had the opp to do Live tv? It can be scary!" 

It makes sense that Cara and Mady experience anxiety from time to time — that's pretty normal, right?

Cara and Mady must have inherited Kate's Type A personality because they are both very driven in all aspects of their lives. Case in point: The girls don't let anything get in the way of their goals — even when it comes to their dad, Jon. "This year I'm going to turn 16," Mady explained to People in August 2016 (via the Daily Mail). "I'm going to be learning to drive, taking the PSATs, thinking about college ... so much is going on in my life. And the last thing I have time for is a toxic relationship." Well, it's nice to hear that Mady is keeping her eye on the prize. Sorry, Jon. 

As for Cara, she's equally as grounded. Kate testified to this fact in a joint birthday message to the twins in October 2017. "And then you blink, and they TURN SEVENTEEN," Kate penned on Instagram. "Happy birthday to my girls! My heart hurts because you're almost adults and will soon leave for college, yet it smiles because I am seeing who you've become: brilliant, beautiful, kind, caring, logical, responsible, empathetic, honest, amazing individuals!" 

There you have it, folks. If you've ever doubted that Cara and Mady have their lives together, you have your answer now.

When Kate and Jon parted ways, the couple had the difficult task of informing their loved ones about the news. It's never easy to break the news of a divorce, to say the least, especially when young children are involved. So, how did Kate and Jon tell their kids about the end of their relationship? Well, Mady and Cary Gosselin were the first ones to learn about the split, and Kate has admitted that they had very different responses. 

"Mady was something," Kate recounted to People. "She said, 'I can't say this comes as much of a surprise. I could've guessed.'" Unfortunately for Cara, however, the split hit her hard. "Cara just crumpled into tears," Kate revealed. "She was crying, and I was holding her in my arms like a baby, but then she looked up and said, 'You said it was bad but it would turn out good.' And I said, 'Because it is bad. But it will turn out good. You'll see. I promise you that.'" Talk about sad.

Out of all the celebrity divorces out there, Kate and Jon's split in 2009 might be one of the most dramatic ones. From the public feuding (which has continued on over the years) to the explosive disagreements about custody, the breakup was tough. And given how difficult the split was, many people would likely assume that Cara and Mady were deeply affected by it. As it turns out, however, Cara and Mady have denied that the divorce was difficult for them.

"Honestly, it wasn't hard for us," Mady explained on a January 2014 episode of The View (via Us Weekly). "It didn't really affect me and we still saw both parents ... we were little, we were like 8 or 9. We knew what was going on, but we didn't see the stuff." 

As for why the twins fared so well, Kate thinks it has to do with her parenting skills. "I kept them sheltered and yeah, it's necessary and it drew the nine of us closer," Kate explained (via Us Weekly). "There's really nothing off limits we don't talk about. Clearly there's hard times and strange discussions, and probably not preferable things, but we're very open and the girls hang out in my room with me every night."

When Kate and Jon's relationship exploded in June 2009, many people expressed concern for the Gosselin kids — especially where it concerned Mady and Cara Gosselin. The twins are the oldest out of the bunch, after all, and they were privy to most of their parents' drama. The good news, however, is that Mady and Cara are doing completely fine — at least that's what they told People in January 2014. 

"People expect us to be damaged. They think we're supposed to be so messed up, like, 'Ooh, the poor Gosselin kids, they're going to be scarred for life, waaaaaaah,'" Mady said about common misconceptions surrounding the twins' lives. 

"It's so false, we're fine," added Cara. "We're better than ever, actually." 

What a relief, right? Although it might surprise some fans that Mady and Cara are doing great these days, it's really no one's place to judge how they feel.