Bruce Jenner’s four oldest children, from his first two marriages, appeared on his ABC special. They were all open and understanding, and Brandon was especially supportive toward his dad. I was so impressed by how much love all the older children had for Bruce. Good Morning America aired additional segments yesterday that weren’t shown on the two hour 20/20 episode. (That video is available here.) In one segment, Jenner’s adult children said that their dad was absent during much of their childhood and that it was hard to deal with. Bruce’s daughter Casey, 34, said “He’s disappeared out of our lives, especially out of my life. So I’m looking forward to this next chapter.”
For his part, Bruce admitted that he wasn’t present for their childhood and added “The big formative years for them, I was really struggling with these issues.” Bruce said that he has apologized to them, and his kids said that they forgave him.
Bruce’s absence was something that Jenner’s second ex wife, Linda Thompson, also mentioned briefly in her essay for The Huffington Post. She seemed understanding, but she admitted that “after Bruce and Kris married, there were periods of several years going by without Bruce attempting to contact or visit his sons.” Bruce didn’t send birthday cards or Christmas presents and he didn’t check in at all. That makes it all the more admirable how supportive his children and ex wives have been.
Bruce’s first ex wife, Chrystie Scott, is also very open and understanding. She did an interview on GMA yesterday in which she said Bruce was with her when his 20/20 special aired. She was at a viewing party with Bruce, their friends and family. Chrystie’s reaction to his interview was pain and sadness at what he’s been going through. She said that she has known about Bruce’s gender identity issues for decades as she was the first person Bruce opened up to. She called a “gift that he trusted me with something so intimate.”
As for how Kris Jenner is coping, she’s been somewhat silent and did not issue a statement for his special. She did tweet support to Bruce, calling him her “hero,” and she also tweeted that she was viewing the special with him, presumably at the viewing party. Radar claims that Kris only stopped by the party for a few minutes, stayed apart from everyone, and then left.
Kris’s friend Kathie Lee Gifford spoke for Kris on The Today Show yesterday. She explained that “The other wives… had a long time to get used to this. This was new to Kris. She’s trying to get her act together. She’s trying to be a good friend to him. Trying to still be a good parent. It’s complicated in ways that we cannot even comprehend.”
Meanwhile Bruce’s documentary type special with E! is still scheduled to air. We heard last month that Bruce was reluctant to move forward with the show. It’s still happening, will premiere on July 26, and will feature eight one-hour episodes. Kim, Brody and Brandon are said to have advised their dad to pull the plug on the show, lest it cheapen what he’s trying to accomplish, but it’s moving forward anyway. A source tells TMZ that the show will portray “the dark moments, the lighthearted moments and moments that are just plain hilarious” in Bruce’s life. This includes him trying to play golf now that he has bigger breasts.
Photo credit: ABC and via WENN
I haven’t watched it admittedly, but I read that he had breasts and was already taking hormones in preparation of the transition when he met Kris. Was she aware of this? I’d find it hard to believe she didn’t notice “36C” breasts. I could have picked it up wrong.
If I was his second wife I would feel resentful that he chose to continue to live as a man for Kris but not for me and esp not for my kids. I would understand his struggle but I don’t know if I could get past his abandonment of our children, no matter the reason.
I hate to say it but perhaps theres a touch of the “victorious” in her involvement now. Shes really swept in as the understanding and forgiving one in a very hard to ignore fashion, particularly since shes been happily married for years to somebody else. Not saying she isnt a compassionate person but I bet shes enjoying this just a tiny little bit. It confirms that Bruce couldnt make that “sacrifice” for Kris either which must soothe her ego slightly. Plus Kris is still raw from this, which means she cant wrestle the sainthood from her if she tried.
Yet on the other hand, if Kris truly wasn’t aware of his gender identity, perhaps she feels/felt a bit of resentment toward the other two wives for not divulging this to her? I’m in no way a KJ supporter, but I am open to considering the mental and emotional tribulations of all involved. I do empathize with Bruce, but wonder about his decision over many years to involve three wives and 10 children in his process.
Kris knew. Bruce stated that he had to explain the breast situation to her, he had been on hormones for 5 years. Over the years of their marriage she walked in on him dressed as a woman. Her response to both being told and seeing it, was just to ignore it. Kathie Lee is mistaking denial for lack of actual knowledge.
That was my thinking, ok she could have been living in denial but it is sort of being painted like she’s only recently in the last 12 months become aware of it in any capacity which was not the impression I got.
Not only that, but he’s been rolling out his transition for years this t ime. Grow in out the hair, changing his face, shaving down his larynx. If we all knew that this was what he’s been working toward, Kris knew. I don’t really get why they’re trying to push a “Kris was shocked” narrative.
Kris is s a lying liar who lies. She knew about this for years. Her no comment spoke volumes. She cannot handle something not being about her and she cannot handle not being able to control the situation. Kim may be vapid, but I don’t think she is as manipulative and evil as her mom.
@That Dee Chick – THIS, 100%! Let’s not forget that since all of the rumors about Bruce’s transition began to increase, nude pictures of Kris Jenner supposedly having sex were “stolen” from her house and were available on the Internet but never caused a sensation because nobody wanted to see them! She also immediately ran out and got herself a boyfriend that is younger than half of her daughters. Kris is thirsty, desperate for media attention and trying harder than ever to prove that she is still sexy and desirable because she is selfish and obviously somehow believes that Bruce’s transition reflects onto her. She knew about his struggle, she knew he liked to wear women’s clothing, she saw him do it and she chose to ignore it. She doesn’t care about Bruce’s hardship, she is worried about how this makes her look and how people are going to view her now.
Bruce’s eldest son, Burt, posted on Twitter the other day that he was having a hard time not calling out people who are claiming to be supportive who have not been supportive at all and it seems very clear that it was aimed at Kris, especially since she flat out lied that ABC never asked her to comment and they immediately came out and said they had in fact contacted her multiple times.
Michelle, you said what I was thinking. Kris is concerned that her relationship with Bruce makes her appear less of a “woman” (whatever that means), hence her toy boy and Kim’s comment in a recent episode about how embarrassing it is to hear her mother having sex in their home. (Oh yes, I am ashamed to say I watch the show.)
I remember gossip about Robert Kardashian ex wife and her new husband, during the OJ Simson trial. The story back then was very much what we have heard straight from Bruce Jenner. Back then it was consider as a nasty backlash but many knew better. I am glade for Bruce that he has oportunity to tell his story and move forward. I am slightly disappointed of his desision to stay with E and participate in documentary. I guess, he is still not ready to detach completely, start fresh and move away from drama.
How many times have we seen people – men and women alike – who are confronted with what we on the outside view as evidence or obvious proof that something is amiss, only to watch the people involved only ask enough questions to get a safe answer they can live with, but not delve deep enough to hear what they don’t want to. Kim was in denial, but she did ask and Bruce said himself he downplayed it and lied to her. She accepted the lie because it was easier than pushing for the truth, but I don’t blame her. I have seen women close their eyes to far worse. She was told something she wanted/needed to hear at the time and she chose to accept it and not probe the issue futher. I don’t condemn her for wanting to believe his lies. However, I do condemn her for not putting her foot down about his lack of involvement with his older children. As his wife and his older kids’ stepmother, she had a responsibility to stick up for them and try to make them a priority in his life, even if it was his choice. She has influence and I dare say, she wears the pants in the family ( I know – horrible, awful pun under the circumstances). I am hurt for his kids and she could have made a difference. I don’t care what a parent is going through, you don’t get to push your kids to the sidelines like your issues are all that matters. His non-presence helped shape them and will affect them for the rest of the their lives. Kudos to those who are brave and tackle their sexual identity issues, but shame on ANY parent under ANY circumstances that abandon their children. There is never an excuse. Better for them to have thought he’s not around because he’s going through an identity crisis than be led to beleive he’s not around simply because they aren’t important and he doesn’t want to be around.
@Jennifer Justice: Bravo! This! This!
And the fact is: he didn’t abandon them because of his identity crisis, he forgot about them because of his shiny new life and shiny new wife. That’s what’s disturbing to me in all of this.
I have to admit, this is my pet peeve: maybe because I have such a wonderful father and because I’ve seen, so many times, how absent father made his daughter perfect target for all kinds of dysfunctional relationships and scumbag men.
Kris is a liar, who obviously would have known something was up when Bruce had breasts in the mid-80’s at the time of their meeting. She is a gold-digger who first latched onto the fame of her first celebrity-lawyer husband, Robert Kardashian. Not content with being a divorcee with 4 kids from a prior marriage, Kris sought out a number of eligible bachelors at the time—-yearning to find the one that would take on her and her 4 children—lest she lose her place in the LA high society of its day. Bruce was the PERFECT candidate that she could both emasculate and use to capitalize off his fame to make her own. When one now realizes that he had gender identity issues all his life, it more than made him the prey for her web.
The Kardashians are now upset because their fakery has been exposed by one who was in the midst of it all this time, which validates what many of us have always thought. They are all upset now that it has derailed their carefully-concocted narrative of pseudo-celebrity that they have metered out drop-by-drop over the past 7+ years.
The Kardashians are not “true originals” or innovative. Kris (with Bruce), Kim (with Kanye), Khloe (with Lamar….then French Montana), Rob (with Rita Ora) etc….. all need the crutch of people with real talents to prop up their fakery. Like the paper tiger, this level of realness from Bruce Jenner may help to tear it apart…this empty, botoxed label of a family brand.
The first time I ever heard of her was when she (with Bruce in tow) made the TV show rounds during the OJ mess of 1994. She claimed to be Nicole’s good friend.
I have since wondered if they really were close after her divorce from Robert Sr, or if she used that highly publicized tragedy to get her own name out there.
I didn’t even know he had two other kids…Jesus.
I thought he was only married once before he married Kris and that marriage produced four kids, not two previous marriage with two sets of kids.
Is it sad that I only knew he had an older son and daughter because they were in the OG Kardashian Khristmas Kards?
Burt has been on the show before. His eldest daughter was on the show once briefly. I also know she got married a few years ago in Hawaii. Bruce, Kris, Kylie, and Kendal went. The Kardashian kids did not attend. His daughter has a child of her own. I wonder if Bruce tried to have a relationship with that child? Bruce and Kris’s marriage is very one-sided. Bruce has to treat the Kardashian kids as his own, while Kris doesn’t give a crap about her step-kids. It’s really not right.
@word – I have to admit I actually watch the show and Brody has called out Kris Jenner for making him and his siblings feel unwanted and unwelcome over the years which usually turns into Kris crying and talking about what a bad wrap she gets and how all she has ever tried to do was be a good mom. Burt and Brody have both been very vocal in calling Kris out for her bullshit. I read once that Bruce’s daughters Cassandra actually lived with Bruce and Kris for a while – maybe an attempt to repair their relationship? Either way, the fact that the Kardashian girls don’t bother with Bruce’s kids for the most part (aside from Brandon and Leah) speaks volumes. There was obviously never an attempt to be one big happy family the way that they claim there was and I blame Kris for that. Both of Bruce’s ex-wives became good friends and raised their children very closely because they wanted their children to be able to form strong bonds with their siblings. It says a lot that everyone coexisted and got along great until Kris was in the picture. Even now as adults, it seems very apparent that Bruce’s older kids can’t stand her.
You saying that when his son Brody called Kris out for making him and his siblings feel unwatned and unwelcome turned into Kris crying and talking about what a bad wrap she gets is the classic response of a narcissist. When someone comes to you and tells you they are hurt and you hurt their feelings, carrying on about how you’ve been perceived is simply turning the tables and making yourself the victim. Heaven forbid you listen and empathize and try to see it from their angle. This only confirms for me that she knew exactly what she was doing and she intentionally did what she could to keep them out of her life. All the pretense about trying to be a good mom and boo hooing, is emotional manipulation. My mother does it all the time. If she stepped on my foot and I told her it hurt, she would whine that people are always putting their feet under her’s and why can’t people just accept that she steps on feet sometimes? And, yes, she would cry. Now, I’m mad at my mom.
Jenniferjustice- your post made me actually LOL
I didn’t know either!
And it must suck for them to be neglected all those years, while he was playing the perfect step-dad to the K kids, and know, after all their forgiveness and support, something that has to be very difficult to do (no matter what kind of emotional turmoils he went through, you don’t forget your kids for YEARS while adopting new ones), he still has the nerve to claim that the first one he confided in and the most supportive one was KIM???????????
I’m mean COME’ON!!!
Even if he wasn’t as close to the others, although he has become much closer to Brandon and Brody, is was still very much clear that from the K klan, Khloe was the one he was the closest to, so why not come to her first? I guess saying her name or the others would be less likely to land you bigger headlines in websites and magazines.
Just feels so calculated…
I thought I knew everything there was to know about that family (not from the show, but because of gossip sites and media coverage), and I didn’t know he had two other kids, either.
It is sad that he disappeared from their lives for so long. Sure, he had his own issues to deal with, but that doesn’t excuse being an absentee parent. Also, I don’t think the blame for the absence lies on Kris’s shoulders at all. She seems fairly family-oriented, and it’s his own responsibility to be a father to his children.
I know that right now we’re all supposed to be “Aw, poor Bruce,” but he should have been a better father to those kids.
I think we can see what the attraction was for Bruce and Kris – both self-centered individuals. Bruce drank the kool aid and his kids paid the price.
We can’t blame Kris solely for Bruce’s decisions, but let’s not pretend she isn’t the dominating factor in that family and has great influence on him. If she would have pushed the issue, he would have seen the light. I know when my husband is torn about something and I talk to him about focusing on the right thing, he listens and he knows I’m right (Ha!). He thinks about it and then does the right thing. It hasn’t come up often, but once in a while, something to do with his family has him confused and angry at having been put in an awkward position. I feel it’s one of teh many responsibilities of spouses to keep eachother in check and encourage eachother to take the high road no matter what because no matter how much we may not want to do something, if it’s the right thing to do and we force ourselves to do it no matter how hard, we never regret doing the right thing. She could have and should have intervened. Because she did not, sadly, I see her as one of those stepmothers who want her new family to be their only family and resent their spouse’s history and relationships formed (kids, exes) before them. My bet is she not only didn’t influence him to see his older children, but more than likely discouraged it and made it difficult. Shame on both of them!
@JenniferJustice,
You make excellent points. So, with your reminder, I will now encourage my hubby to attend a family function that was, at best, inconveneintly scheduled and ,at worst, scheduled with an eye for the “important” members of the family…..well, maybe I will.
I definitely feel like Kris favored her kids to an overwhelming amount and that’s wrong no matter how you spin it. At the same time, Bruce’s four kids were HIS children. He had the biggest responsibility to them. It was up to him to make sure his children were included and find someone that was going to support him in that. Bruce was going through a lot of issues; however, Kris gets too much of a bad rap for emasculating him and/or being dominating. Bruce is an adult. PERIOD. That comes with a certain level of responsibility and he was not as strong as he should have been.
People need to back off Kris for this. Go at her for all of the other terrible stuff she does, but I think it’s unreasonable to expect her to embrace her husband of 20+ years becoming a woman this quickly and without any hurt or pain. If this were my boyfriend, I’d be devastated beyond belief. You’re losing your lover and partner and are expected to accept this major change like it’s no big deal? It’s a huge deal, and probably very very hurtful. I would feel lied to and betrayed.
I wouldn’t be happy either. At least now she’s showing traces of humanity.
She’s lost the “I’m married to Olympic Medal Winner Bruce Jenner” prestige. She knew, his ex wives knew, she thought she could keep him in the closet. Not surprised he wasn’t allowed to be a part of his older kids lives. Wonder what secrets his has on her that he was able to finally escape.
This. I can’t help but feel Kris is a control freak and a bit of bullying worked wonders keeping Bruce in the closet for years. When Kris was informed by Bruce he had gender identity issues, she ignored him. The other wives all took him seriously and went to therapy resulting in the end of their marriages.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: there were a lot of reasons why Bruce could have chosen not to transition that first time, and I think it’s absurd to blame Kris. It was the early 90s and would have meant the death of his career and would have likely made him a social outcast. He wasn’t really in the best place financially, and his choice to marry Kris ended up rehabbing his image and he of course made a ton of money as a motivational speaker (which wouldnt have happened had he transitioned). Obviously, Kris got the prestige of being married to Olympic Gold Medalist Bruce Jenner, but he benefited as well.
Actually – when the Kardashians (Robert Sr. & Kris) were divorcing the fight over money got very messy. Only when Bruce took on the ENTIRE financial burden of Kris and her 4 Kardashian children did Robert Sr. give up the fight. Kris got nothing in the divorce. Nothing!
The Jenner dynamic was somewhat codependent. Kris served as Bruce’s manager, and kept him busy booking speaking engagements, motivational tapes, and exercise videos, etc. Bruce was the breadwinner, but Kris was the “brains” behind the operation… Keeping him physically busy and perpetually occupied definitely could take his mind off internal gender identity struggles. Bruce himself stated that in his youth, he pushed himself so hard athletically to ignore what was going on inside his own mind.
Retirement makes many people contemplate the life they did not live and the things they wished they had done….
No shock there – Robert Sr was ticked that Kris had been cheating on him throughout their marriage. I’m not saying that Kris walked into her marriage with Bruce with money. Rather, it was his marriage to Kris and image as All American Guy that kept his speaking career afloat.
Kris was well aware of Bruce’s inner struggle from day one. She is a liar. (I like how Kathy Lee says that Kris is “still trying to be a good parent” as if she ever was one.)
She just hates that the spotlight is off of her or her girls and that the publicity is out of her usual control.
Right? I can’t imagine. She’s an awful Person, but this has to be traumatic. Even if she knew before after 20 years you’d have tucked it back thinking it wouldn’t come up again. I’m sure in time it will be better, but come on, back off the poor lady.
She might be very hurt but she is also greedy enough to feature it in her show and save te reactions to create expectations for her show. She is also so mournful that she has been shacking it up with her new much much younger man.
Sorry for her… Not Really.
Just like Kim being the one to dress him and saying he represents the family.They are just looking out for their brand.Awful woman in that family.
He had breasts when they met! She’s known for a long time, this isn’t new information. Her only issue with all of this is how it will effect her “BRAND”. The irony is that Kris probably thought it would ruin the Kardashian’s fame if he were still apart of it, but in reality his life is on the rise because he is finally honest and finally happy and people embrace him for that.
I think the extent of it is somewhat new to her. Yes she knew he was thinking about it, but maybe she thought she could change it. She did too for 25 years, although he seems like it wasn’t all that happy for him. I think they are both a little odd on this. Her for thinking it was okay to marry this guy who is thinking he wants to be a woman, and him for thinking they could still be together when obviously Kris is attracted to men.
As far as her Brand this event is a marketing coup. You end up in this new transgender frontier where Kanye and Kim get to look like the paternal heads of the family who are level headed, compassionate, and understanding. Definitely, not words you would ever use for Kanye. If I didn’t know any better I would think this was a planned event. Kris is still gross, and you know she is going to use this event to entrench her family brand even more.
During the time period they met, did people know much about these issues? Maybe she sort of knew something in terms of the breast stuff, but would the awareness have been the same as today (i.e you can’t really change the person if that’s how their brain or mind works vs. their body?)
I’d be really pissed off that this person essentially lied to me about who they really were for the entirety of our relationship. I know that coming to terms with being transgender is difficult due to societal stigma, but that doesn’t give you the right to drag people into your lie. She knew she was transgender for a while, way before she got with Kris or even his second wife. She should have been up front with them so they could choose whether or not they wanted to deal with her situation. So I don’t get why people are ragging on Kris for this. Who likes having someone they cared for, shared their life with, raised a family with turn around and reveal they were never who you thought they were in the first place. That’s the kind of thing that leaves a person with trust issues.
But he didn’t lie to Kris. He had breast, from taking hormones after leaving his second wife, when he got with Kris.
You’re assuming a lot, Toot. We dont know what explanation he gave Kris for his appearance back then (gynecomastia??) or how he may have downplayed his gender issues.
He himself has admitted he wasnt honest about the full extent of it. He basically back tracked on the transition and created the impression that he could live with just part time cross dressing. He basically fed her denial. Definitely dishonest.
A man takes hormones for four years, he has 36b breasts, he has had electrolysis to remove his body hair to appear more womanly. Huge, huge steps! Kris knew who he was, no matter what he said.
She’s known for an awful long time, and being the master media manipulator that she is, it’s surprising that she hasn’t said anything. And because of who she is and how she is, I’d say that her silence speaks volumes.
Well I would agree if it were anyone else. But this is Kris who is a known liar and rules her little kingdom with an iron fist. If anything this should open people’s eyes to just who she is and really who Bruce is. Bruce allowed Kris to keep him from his four children. I wonder if he walked Cassandra down the aisle when we know he has walked Kim down twice. How hurtful would that be to Cassandra. I don’t believe Kylie and Kendall even know their Jenner siblings let alone their grandmother and aunt. And that belongs squarely on Bruce Jenner’s shoulders for being so weak or maybe he just didn’t care. No I am not giving Kris anything here because I can’t believe that she didn’t know this and I believe she knew it their whole marriage.
@OriginalTessa – you’re absolutely right. But I think a lot of people have a problem with the fact that she has chosen to handle the situation by lying and pretending that she is OK with it, especially since it seems that she waited to even say anything until after seeing how well it was received by pretty much the entire country. Bruce’s eldest son posted on Twitter that he was having difficulty not calling “certain people” out for pretending they’ve been supportive this whole time when they haven’t been. It seems pretty obvious that it was aimed at Kris. Khloe has been honest about struggling with it, so has Kylie. People give Kris shit because she lies pathologically and everything she says and does is inauthentic and comes off as soulless.
Eh, I think you’re giving her too much credit. Her feelings don’t go that deep. She’s probably just worried about what people will think about The Brand right now. She’s already lying about how she was contacted by Diane Sawyer’s people to comment on his transition before the interview aired and refused to comment. She says they never contacted her lmao
I don’t think Kris is the kind of person that doesn’t bitch about an ex wife or ex gf and maybe she was responsible too for Bruce’s behaviour towards his older children.
I do ‘respect’ her somehow more than Kim or her sisters though. I can’t blane her for not fully embracing Bruce’s decision. I wouldn’t be happy either but at least Kris didn’t release a statement and she didn’t make the story about her. Maybe she’ll come up with something in the future but at the moment the crap Kim was dishing out ‘We are all fully supportive of Bruce’ sounds so fake coming out of her mouth.
I read it as ‘WE’re all very supportive with each other but if you’re fat… EWWWW! You’re on your own dude!’
fake. fake. fake.
Nope. You and you alone are responsible for how you treat your offspring. This is hardly parent of the year we are talking about. His youngest daughter is pretty much losing the plot as we speak and where is he?
I could picture Kris making a suggestion to abandon his other family, but couldn’t he have stood up to her? Ultimately, I think he’s responsible for his own behaviour.
I wonder if Kris has been blackmailing Bruce all along. She knew his secret and maybe threatened to tell the world. This might explain why he acted like a prisoner in his marriage. In one episode he even said he got an “allowance” and could only spend a certain amount of money. Kris had power over HIS finances and he couldn’t do anything without her permission. I always wondered why he put up with that.
Lol. Surely blackmail only works where you DONT want the information to get out. Bruce wasnt hiding it until he fell in love with Kris and presumably only hid to keep from losing her.
On one hand, he must be a really good person because everyone is so loving, understanding and supportive of him. But what kind of person completely turns their back on their children, no matter what they are going through? I’m confused.
GNAT – I was wondering if he was going to get a pass for his horrible parenting. He has left Kendall and Kylie completely up to their own devices and ignored the other children he had. I’ve never had gender issues, but no matter what kind of day/week/year/decade I’m having, I try to be present for my son. I think no one wants to say anything because they don’t want to sound like a bigot about him being transgender, but this is a huge character flaw in my mind.
His children are loving and supportive of him because they had loving and compassionate mothers. (Happy Mother’s Day!)
Bruce is responsible for being absent from their lives growing up, although you can see that he would have been encouraged in this by Kris who didn’t like the competition for funds or attention.
I cannot get past the absentee parenting. People who are seriously ill, work long hours, etc., do not just ignore their children. Linda mentioned he did not even bother to check on them after a major earthquake. There is no excuse, IMO.
Yeah I mean, I get it that the gender issues are hard, BUT I personally don’t feel that it excuses his absentee parenting at all. Oh I understand and I forgive you! Good for them, but that wouldn’t be my reaction. And we’re not even talking about he ONLY got them every other weekend and no extra kind of deal. He freaking disappeared and started a new family. Sadly, I’ve seen this happen in real life a lot. I don’t want this family, but I’ll take that one. They went years of living in the same area, with zero contact. Who does that??
I can’t imagine turning my back on my kids in any circumstances, but my husband’s mom did it to him. I try to find reasons/excuses, like she’s battled severe depression her whole life, but even more so I think she’s just incredibly self absorbed and really has no idea how hurtful her actions (or lack thereof) are. She just doesn’t have the capacity to understand what someone other than herself might be going through.
I’m not saying Bruce is the same way. But like you said it’s hard to fathom how someone could just detach from their kids like that, no matter how painful or confusing their own issues might be.
In all honesty Kylie seems the one that is suffering the most. Her vapid existence and her obsessione with shallow things really makes me wonder if it’s just a scream for help. Kendall seems more adjusted and with a proper job that dictates her schedule.
I can’t imagine being 17 and having to deal with a father through gender reassignment.
I don’t think i could cope knowing that my dad’s face is on every tv programme and on every magazine’s cover all around the world.
She is also the baby out of all of the siblings combined and now going through this? It explains a lot to a point.
I agree. Kylie seems like a lost soul. I actually pity her.
So, I was thinking about it, and I wonder if it’s a combination of not knowing how (or wanting) to be a male role model for your sons (no wonder the men in that whole family have so many problems) because you feel like a fraud and maybe feeling envious/humiliated/ashamed that one’s daughter has what one wants/feels? And also being unable to be a male role model to one’s daughters and just abandoning them tool? Trying to put one’s guilt in the past? Starting over and over again from scratch to see if you can do it all over and finally be successful (and truthful with oneself), but never succeeding? This man was supposed to America’s hero and a hero to one’s kids and felt like a fraud in both respects?
Maybe I’m giving him too much credit and offering too much compassion. Maybe he’s just a crappy person at heart, deadbeat daddying all around town. I don’t know. But I’m trying to understand.
I see where you’re coming from, Pinky. I ask myself the same things.
I think it’s being used as a crutch at this point. He was there with Kris and the kids. He was for some years parenting them and giving a crap about them for a few years. So what kept him from calling his other kids, sending a birthday card? He’s just an absentee father type and this is now the convenient excuse.
Exactly. Bruce wasn’t interested in being there for his previous children so he wasn’t. Full stop. Put the gender change to the side and you have the typical absentee father who moves on with his new family and pretends his old family doesn’t exist.
I don’t think it necessarily means that “he must be a really good person because everyone is so loving, understanding and supportive of him.” Kids and wives can be better than the father/husband without the latter being a “really good person.” They’re all separate entities. People with bad parents and spouses can still be good people regardless.
In this case, since Bruce disappeared from his older children’s lives during their formative years as he admits, it means that the children’s mothers raised those children as single parents and instilled their own good values into them. It doesn’t mean that he was there to teach them to be tolerant and understanding. It means their mothers taught them that and included the value of forgiveness too.
“Kids and wives can be better than the father/husband without the latter being a “really good person.”
Exactly. My grandfather abandoned his wife and all 7 of his kids. As adults though, they found out that he was dying of cancer and they came to his aid. They stuck with him until the end. At the hospital every day, holding his hand and then taking care of funeral arrangements.
The fact that Bruce’s kids are understanding and forgiving does not make him a good person, just as my grandfather was not a good person because of the forgiveness of his children. Children almost always want a bond with their parents, even when the parent has shown no regard for them.
You both make excellent points. I guess I was thinking that he must have some redeeming qualities that make them want him back in their lives, but perhaps they are just generous, forgiving people.
GoodNames: Thank you for having such a kind heart. I love how you always see the best in people 😊
Thank you, AlmondJoy. I try to, but I fail a lot, unfortunately. But thank you for seeing the best in me.
As a kid who had a parent like Bruce (absentee), you feel like it’s you. You wonder what you did wrong. An excuse like this coming up is something to grab onto, to relieve yourself of that terrible thought that you are to blame. It very well may be the case that right now they’re hopeful. They’re hopeful that this was the reason, they’re putting all their stock into it, so they’re relieved, forgiving , and hoping they’re going to get a parent back. I think his daughter even said that in the interview: that he was never around but that maybe he will be a better parent now.
GoodNamesAllTaken, maybe it’s a little bit of both. He may not be a saint, nor a demon. know what I mean? He might be nice and not nice and they might be nice and not nice, and forgiving too. That pretty much sums up the human condition for 95% or higher.
I’ve wondered that too. My biological father did a slow fade to no contact. Then called out of the blue 30 years later. He didn’t seem entirely mentally stable but it was an emotionally charged conversation. My sense is when people are trying to reinvent themselves, kids can be the casualty. I wonder if he supported them financially.
Edit-I don’t mean to paint myself as a casualty–my dad taking off is not the great tragedy of my life nor does it seem to be for Bruce’s kids. Having one loving parent can be a great childhood, especially as the stigma of single parenthood fades. It’s the absent parent’s loss, usually.
I cannot believe how Bruce is now held as the second coming even though he has been soooo selfish nearly all his life in regard to how he treated his kids and wives. All the kids have said how devastated they have by Bruce’s abandonment. I have two girls and I would have to be physically incapacited not to care for them. Not checking in for YEARS? Unimaginable. And if he wanted to parent his older kids NO influence from PMK would stop that. Bruce has ALWAYS been about Bruce from the get go, the hell with everyone else.
This. Bruce always got a pass for all the Kardashian shenanigans because he was so ‘sweet’ and brow beaten when the truth is he took a backseat in all his families and never tried to guide or help his children. He sounds like a jerk and I’ve met too many dead-beat dads to be impressed by him.
yep… this.
@GoodNamesAllTaken – “On one hand, he must be a really good person because everyone is so loving, understanding and supportive of him”
I think the fact that his four elder children are all so loving and forgiving speaks volumes about their MOMS who raised them without Bruce’s help once Kris Jenner came along. Chrystie and Linda seem like amazing women. I was really impressed with the fact that these 2 women became close friends and raised their children very closely together so that they could have close bonds and normal, healthy sibling relationships. I watch the show and Kris is always complaining about how unfairly she is treated by her step-kids and how they paint her as an evil stepmother but it sure seems like she fits the bill!
Yes, having thought about it and reading the comments above, I tend to agree. Both women have huge, generous hearts. I admire the way they raised their children.
While I have great respect for anyone dealing with such a complex issue, I can find no excuse for his abject failure as a parent towards his four eldest children. The explanation that he was dealing with this problem doesn’t hold water – he had no trouble raising two brand new kids with Kris plus his step children. (Also, the way the two young Jenner girls are turning out…. Not much parenting done there either but at least he was present.)
Kudos to both his ex- wives and his eldest kids for being living and accepting and kind. Not sure I would be embracing him like this if I were in their position.
And, as I mentioned before on a previous Bruce thread…. Him and Kris are/ were a great match. She totally knew about his gender issues, and obviously he gave up on his transformation after his second divorce, for the sake of money… Not saying he did not love Kris but the way they went on to create a financial empire and the way he continues to do a reality series by himself tells me all I need to know about his motivation.p and character.
Honestly, how much money is going to be enough for these two?? How many cars and mansions does one person need? You can’t take it with you Bruce…. How about trying to focus on being a parent for once? How about using your platform to create awareness and increase acceptance for the transgender community, and using some of your wealth to help others?
Vauvert – Agree. And I apologize for “jacking” your comment inadvertently. I didn’t stop to scroll down before responding above.
He’s not going to do anything to help other people, it always has to be about himself. He doesn’t even care about his own family, he’s selfish and arrogant, just like Kris.
Exactly!
Kylie has been running around with a grown man since she was at least 16, but her “parents” seem to have no problem with it.
I’ve wondered if Kris is ok with Kylie’s relationship because she said she was 17 when she met Robert Kardashian and he was 11 years older than her. (Not offering this as an excuse! Just thinking this is how she rationalizes Kylie’s relationship.)
@betsyh Really that is what Kris said? I’ve always heard that Kris was a stewardess that hung out at golf clubs looking for a rich husband and that is when she met Kardashian. And she was at least 21 years of age. See this is why people call her a liar so much. Always changing the story to fit the issue of the day.
Dawn, yes, she said she met him at 17. But she did not say whether their relationship actually began at that point. Who knows what to believe though.
He is a lot like Kris, except he has that boyish ‘aw shucks’ demeanor that seems to distract people.
I completely agree about his wealth and questionable priorities. I was slammed the other day for mentioning it, but I knew once the dust settles, people will have a more balanced view instead of handing him an instant halo.
Exactly.
This also is a great point.
Lots of great points here today.
+1000
I think it makes it worse as an excuse for Bruce to use his gender identity issues as the reason why he emotionally abandoned his older children than just to admit that he decided to be an absentee father. Because how do these two separate issues conflict against each other? He’s proven that it didn’t stop him from being more attentive to his younger children, including four stepchildren. I think it’s dirty that he’s making it sound like it wasn’t his own fault. Come on now.
He seems like a shitty person overall. The trail of ex-wives, being an absent father, not caring about his current children (not in school and dating older men), the general thirst for fame and money at any cost despite being wealthy already.
Just like people said that the Kardashians ‘changed’ Kanye, I feel like most people entering this Klan are really just as horrible/greedy/selfish as they are. No excuses.
I’m not going to trash talk his identity issues, good for him that he can become who he wants to be. That’s the ultimate freedom. But damn, what a douche for using it as an excuse for not giving a damn about so many of his children! Nah bro, you were and still are a shit dad and you are blessed that your ex-wives were half saints because raising children on your own with his shitty genetics must have been hard and they turned out seemingly great. Like, why procreate even more when you can’t even bother to do a simple check up on your others kids? Not even a card!
If Bruce decides to do this docu series under E!s Wing he will have cheapened his coming out story. Nothing coming from E is ever pure hearted. And side note: one of my friends that was actually pictured in the special as a North Carolina teen he was trans and committed suicide. It’s hard not to cry as I read about Bruce’s story because I wish my friend would have been able to deal with his identity. I’m a long time lerker and second time poster but I know u guys always give supportive words. And I really need some about now.
Tiara my heart goes out to you and your friend and his family. I’m so sorry to hear that. The special really opened my eyes about the suicide statistics among trans people, it must have been so hard to lose your friend. We are thinking of you.
I’m sorry about your friend. Instead of Bruce Jenner, think of Laverne Cox. She’s a much better role model, IMO. I wish your friend was around to see how things are changing. No words can really comfort a loss like this, but you do have friends here.
Thanks everyone it means so much to me. You guys have me over here crying.
Tiara – So sorry about your friend, as well. People truly need to be more accepting. If someone isn’t hurting you in any way, what do you gain from being hateful and unaccepting toward them? I’m sending you healing thoughts.
I can’t even imagine what people like your friend go/have gone through. No one could ever know unless you deal with the same issues. It must be so heartbreaking and frustrating to not be able to live with the body that nature gave you.
My heart goes out to you and your friend’s family and friends. No one deserves that.
Tiara I’m so sorry to hear about your friend, thoughts to you and everyone that knew him x
Oh, no — I’m so sorry about your friend.
@ Tiara
I’m sorry to hear about your friend and my condolences to you, his family, and the rest of his friends. I hope that in the not too distant future we will have more and wider acceptance of personal decisions over transgender transformation.
Tiara, how heartbreaking. It’s so incredibly hard to stand by helplessly as someone struggles with terrible pain. I am so sorry for your loss.
Tiara, if your friend was pictured as an example of society’s awful treatment of transgender people, maybe you can find a silver lining in it. Your friend is now part of the push for progress. His story won’t disappear, and his life will always have value, because we need to hear about the people who suffered so deeply.
What a horrible loss Tiara – just heartbreaking. I hope your friend’s suicide will at least shine a light on how badly transgender people have been treated and that they have hearts, souls, brains and emotions just like any other human being and should be treated with all due respect.
Tiara, you are entirely correct that nothing from E is ever pure. But since you know to expect that, please don’t let it hurt you. My wish and hope for you is all things good, and that you heal from your hurt.
I’m so sorry for your loss. From what I’ve read the transgender community were pleased with the special and think the docuseries is a great idea if done right, to give further understanding to the process and ups and downs emotionally of it and destigmatize transgendered people. It is being said Bruce is having GLAAD involved on consulting. So if done right, I think the people that count, the transgender community seem very happy about the docuseries being done .
Bruce when he emerges as a woman is going to be hounded by the paps and turned into a freak show with photos of him as a woman. This, to me, is Bruce’s way to still control how he emerges as a woman and to show the human side to it and, hopefully, people adjusting to it and rooting for him, instead of paps being the ones to bombard everyone with the first images and all the jokes.
I still say, IF DONE RIGHT, this eight-part series can be a good thing and possibly help families dealing with this or people in hiding feeling alone or going through it and it will be Bruce in control of emerging as a woman, which no matter how much you empathized on the interview, seeing him suddenly as a woman is going to be shocking.
Tiara, I am so sorry for your loss. My heart, thoughts and condolences to you and the rest of his family and friends.
I’m so sorry for your loss Tiara.
I’m so sorry for your loss! It’s hard to lose a friend like that. I live in the South too, and the Intolerance to others is still present and must be like salt on your wounds.
I’m sure your friend would have felt they were lucky to have you in their life. And while your friend is gone, you can hold your head high and be an example of love, peace, and tolerance to others. The world needs more people like you anyways.
Best wishes to you, Tiara.
Tiara, I’m so sorry about the loss of your friend. If it’s any tiny solace, perhaps Bruce doing this will have some effect and help others like your friend.
I agree that E is The Cheap Channel and I also worry that the series could be edited to turn Bruce’s journey into more of a “side show” spectacle. That said, as we’ve seen with the Kardashians, apparently there are lots of people out there who watch E! So maybe, hopefully, enough of the non-cheap will get through to a large audience.
I also wonder if Bruce’s decision to do the series has to do with him feeling the need to share some of his journey, but maybe through an ill-advised channel, It’s obviously the most easily accessible to him so I understand that part. I also think he’s been connected to E for so long, and his vision might not be clear enough right now given what he’s going through, so make the best judgment calls. So, I think if it does turn into a cheap spectacle, that’s on E and not Bruce.
While I think Bruce Jenner is very brave for going public like this, I’m calling total BS on his absentee parenting being due to his inner turmoil. It didn’t stop him from being an active stepdad to the Kardashian kids. He just comes across to me as a very selfish person who doesn’t really know how to be a good parent.
I second this. I think he moved on to new wives and new families and new career opportunities and didn’t know how to balance everything. I have had a similar relationship with my own father. After he divorced my mom, he has remarried several times, has other children, and has had several career changes that has moved him all over the country. I have a fine relationship with my dad, but I don’t expect anything from him. We can go years without speaking to each other and then see each other and have a really nice time together. I think Bruce knows that he needs support and is reaching out to them. And since they are obviously functional, unselfish people they can be there for their dad.
And funny thing that he chose Kim as the most supportive one. It’s really convenient to him as her name means money.
This whole coming-out has been planned and calculated by the K-Klan.
There is absolutely nothing brave about him. Everyone has known about him for years so this interview was just to confirm it and make more money. It’s not brave to come out when you have a very comfortable life and you don’t have to be worried about what’s going to happen tomorrow.
It’s brave to come out in an everyday life and face it without the help of $$$…
I hardly ever comment here but all this praise for him makes my stomach turn.
I have not commented on any of these stories because I also believe this is all being done for the money. If he truly wanted to tell his story he would have done a documentary for a station like PBS. Instead he is doing one for E!. Just look at all the stories leading up to the interview and now all the stories afterward. Kim being the spokesperson for her family is all kinds of wrong. I’m not sure an interview with any of the Kardashians was warranted. They showed support the night of the interview and that should have sufficed.
We are on the same page. You were wise to wait before making these points. I tried repeatedly to make a point about how his resources make a difference, and how the timing is questionable. However, the afterglow of his teary interview was too strong. I dared to question how easily the words ‘brave’ and ‘hero’ were used.
Some were on here saying money didn’t matter. Oh yes, it does. He is a wealthy senior citizen who has no worries of how he will need to earn a living. He’s in a completely different league, and he can and will make money off this.
I wouldn’t call him “brave” either. He has NOTHING to lose. He does, however, have A LOT to gain. The world is acting as if Bruce is the first transgendered person on earth. Give me a break. He didn’t want to wear a dress during the Diane Sawyer interview because E producers want to keep that for his show. They are all probably salivating at the thought of how high the ratings will be !
I thought that the whole ” Kanye showed Kim the way” seemed the most contrived part of his interview. Then low and behold Kim is interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today show.
I do think it’s still brave of him, but I agree that the Kim/Kanye aspect was *very* suspect. The minute he gave that story about how Kanye turned Kim’s opinion around, I smelled PMK. Also, to my ears, the bit about what Kanye said about “being himself” raised some suspicions:
1. Doubt Kanye really said that
2. Probably scripted by PMK
3. If Kanye did say it, possible he relates to Bruce in some way, given the speculation about his own sexuality.
I haven’t seen the special so maybe what I’m about to say was covered, but I think her saying that she wasn’t present in her kids life because she was dealing with these issues is kind of a cop out. Like how hard is it to send a birthday card? A simple acknowledgement of your child’s existence. It seems to me that even if she was born in the right body that she’d would have been one of those parents that lose interest in their kids once they break up with their partner and just move on to the next family without looking back. I don’t see how her gender had anything to do with her being an ain’t sh*t parent.
Her kids are better than me because I could not be their supporting my parent through all of this when they have pretty much abandoned me my whole life. Good on them.
While I sympathize with his struggle with his gender issues, there’s no excuse for how Bruce treated his older children, pretty much abandoning them for years at a time. He left a trail of pain and he should not be given a free pass for that kind of selfishness.
I completely agree!!!!!!!
Side note, I’d never seen Cassandra before….she is so beautiful
I could understand that if a person is depressed or has personal issues they feel like they don’t have much to offer, but it doesn’t sound like he ever got his issues sorted because he’s still an absent father to all of his kids, including the two youngest girls.
Also, from what was said yesterday he had a very nice life with the second wife; traveling, doing sports, having parties, and he didn’t have the time to send a birthday card?
He’s using his gender identity issue to excuse his poor behaviour as a human being.
Yes, I thought of the same thing, how his ex talked about their wonderful, sporty life together. If he could go through the motions of enjoying that how could he not at least attempt some superficial connections with his kids? It’s horrible and he is really lucky they are all so forgiving — maybe they were better off without him after all — I’m not sure I would be.
This is why I’m not a fan of Bruce.
He was so far up Kris and her kids butt, that he ignored his kids completely. Bruce can blame his gender issues, but that’s bull. He’s just a very selfish person.
He obviously had two very understanding and forgiving wives who passed along those qualities to the children.
Kim, Brody and Brandon sound like the voice of reason regarding that new show. And Kathie Lee needs to keep quiet and maybe help guide her god daughters.
I’m impressed that the x-wife didn’t try to sell this story years ago. I think it says a lot about her character. 😊
As far as Kris, she knew she just can’t stand the attention Bruce is getting and hasn’t figured out how to spin it to be all about her. Yet. She will, it’s coming. 😐
Linda could write one heck of a book. She was with Elvis and tried to help him during his decline (she’s talked about erratic behavior, having to save his life, etc.), and now this bombshell of her seemingly idyllic marriage imploding and the aftermath.
No disrespect to Linda, she seems like the type of person who puts herself on the back burner to help(save) others.
‘“The big formative years for them, I was really struggling with these issues.”
What an arsehole – trying to excuse his patently AWFUL parenting on his identity issues. Knowing he will get a pass because in the current cultural mood he is considered a hero.
He is highly manipulative and narcissistic.
No pass from me.
Give me a break ,I have seen many people being given a pass for being an awful parent because they were dealing with substance abuse issues,like RDJ.Why are they given a pass?
I don’t give them a pass at all. Don’t become a parent if you’re not ready. easy enough to throw on a condom or get a vasectomy for a guy. Bruce just kept on having children and abandoning them.
I agree no passes from me. I would crawl over glass for my children. I despise people who abandon their children as if they were pets ;heck I get mad when people give up their pets for no good reason)
I’m sorry for your loss Tiara. Sending hugs your way …..
Given what Kylie is up to that’s obvious.
I’m all for transgendered people being positively portrayed in the media and for equal rights. Lord knows that issue needs more light, love, and clarity.
But, Bruce Jenner is a selfish ass who knew he had gender dysmorphia when he married his first wife but he still had two children with her. Then, he leaves her when she isn’t down with being married to a woman (and that is her right…she married a man) and he married another unsuspecting woman and has two more children with her. He pulls the same game on her. Shocking no one, she doesn’t want to be married to a woman either. Then he married Kris Kardashian and becomes a surrogate father to her four kids and has two more kids yet completely ignores his first four children. Then he has the audacity to parade his relationship with his four step children and two new kids with his third wife all over television and his step kids are assholes to his first four children.
So no, Bruce is a self absorbed jerk that happens to be transgendered. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
exactly
Kris had Bruce break it to their family on the Kardashian TV show. They filmed it in February. Kris milks everything for ratings. If she was so brokenhearted she wouldn’t be doing Bruce telling his family on TV for ratings. Bruce told his older children one by one on his own privately. What kind of grieving wife and wonderful mother worried about her two younger ones the effect it would have has the big news from Bruce filmed for ratings?.
Do I feel for Kris? A little, not much. Their marriage looked like roommates for years because she just wasn’t around with all of her businesses and he and the two little ones fended for themselves. I think she was okay with the split. I don’t think she was okay with him becoming a woman and was shocked he went that far, but knew of his gender issues their whole marriage. I think him becoming a woman is very hard for her. I just also think she’s calculating.
. It can’t be an easy time as a family unit dealing with this. I get that for all of them. BUT they filmed months ago him telling them. She’s been out and about for months all happy go lucky, wearing micro minis, with her boy toy, and then this airs and Kris goes quiet and is hiding her head in her car while driving. When has she ever done that? I don’t buy it. I’m waiting for the big interview she’s angling for right now by keeping quiet, to drive up a bidding war.
More than anything, if Bruce had let her get the interview for him and get that ten percent and if Bruce was letting her produce and also get the 10 percent manager’s fee for his docu-series, I think Kris would be having a much easier time because she would be in control. She’s lost control of Bruce.
You talk about Bruce like he is a toddler who had no control over anything. I think Bruce benefited greatly from being married to PMK which is why they were together for 25 years. Bruce admitted that he is greatful that he has all these resources available to him to be able to come out comfortably, and kris was credited with making all these deals for him and reviving his career. I don’t think kris was as bad for him as you think, heck he even said they would still be married if it was up to him.
It was a good marriage FINANCIALLY. Other than that, he seemed to hate being married to Kris and seemed miserable.
Jayna, I hadn’t thought about Kris keeping quiet to drive up a bidding war. You’re probably right.
I watched the show weekly and Bruce never came out and told the K’s on TV. Stop making things up. Also Bruce said he would still be w/ Kris if it was up to him. Get your facts straight.
I, nor most of the world know what it’s like to go through Bruces confusion. He’s nearly been as bad fathers we hear about all the time. I’m glad to see all his children have forgiven and understand why they didn’t see him
I’ll reserve judgement on the E! Special series. Though it sounds like he is cheapening his struggle, you never know if it would be helpful to others or gather more empathy for what others are going through. If it helps to prevent suicidal tendencies for example, I’m fine. It could be shot in a way to show normalcy and the frailty of Bruce’s struggles.
However, I am disappointed with the absentee parenting. I think he needs to shed more light behind this because I have never been in his shoes. I wonder if he was trying to make them and his youngest kids hate him.
Elephant in the room, Bruce not being around is because of Kris not b/c of his gender struggles.
Exactly, but he let it happen.
Exactly. I’m no fan of Kris, I’m sure she didn’t encourage he maintain relationships with the older kids or embrace them. But he is the father, he is 1000% responsibility for himself, and it is all on him.
Funny–my husband worships his father but his father is human and has definitely stumbled throughout his life and been less than ideal in several ways. But hubby has a tendency to demonize the women in his father’s life (his own mom, his step mom) as being the ones that are the cause….they are the ones that influenced dad’s ‘less than’ behaviors. It totally irritates me. While “the moms” aren’t saints either, and what hubby says is likely true, I just grate at the implication that dad should somehow be cut slack as a result.
We all must own our own choices.
yes that is true
Yeah how can he blame his “gender struggles” on being an absent father to his biological kids when he was present for the step-kids. I mean, he didn’t even care about his children’s bdays for God’s sake. That just proves Kris was also a horrible step-mother. No wonder Brody can’t stand her ! I mean, Bruce has said time and time again how he “stepped” in when Robert Kardashian Sr. died. He couldn’t be a real father to his biological kids but had no issue “stepping in” as a step-dad? This makes no sense.
The kids were grown when Robert Kardashian died. Khloe 19, Kim 23, and Kourtney 25. Whatever stepping in means after Robert died, the girls weren’t kids. Rob was the only one still in school. He was 17 when his dad died.
bruce is an adult and responsible for his own parenting,
I’m just here for Brody….
Hahaha. Take a number.
Love it!!!! He’s a handsome mf! He and Kendall look alot alike.
One thing that wasn’t touched on in the Diane Sawyer interview was the death of Bruce’s younger brother in a car accident at age 18, about 3 months after the 1976 Olympics. I think he was driving Bruce’s car at the time. I know Bruce named his first born after his brother. I can’t help but wonder if he struggled with coming out to his parents and sister earlier with his gender dysmorphia because he didn’t want to put them through the pain of “loosing” the only son / brother they had left.
I posted yesterday on another thread about Bruce’s parenting of the four older kids–I have little sympathy for his actions because he WAS there for the Kardashian kids during that period. So to claim his struggles/depression over his gender identity caused him to withdraw isn’t viable on any level (not that it would have been an acceptable excuse or rationale any way). SO I’ll leave it at that here.
Kris …..sigh. Kris knew from the beginning he had issues, so any suggestion this is all new to her is ludicrous. SHe just doesn’t really know how to play this …..admit she knew? She cant or won’t do that. Try and pull off that this was all new news to her? Well too much evidence to the contrary. SHe looks foolish saying that too. She’s doing all she can do……standing back, issuing bland messages of support, but for once in her lifetime, not seizing the spotlight opportunity because the glare of that light really wont have any of her responses stand up as accurate under questioning.
While I applaud Bruce’s coming forward….and respect the courage that took….if what I read above about this show is accurate, then I’ll return to my disgust of milking this for reasons that aren’t either educational or informative. I’m already highly irritated its an E! network gig vs something with just a tad more gravitas. “THe hilarity of playing golf with breasts”? C’mon. That just pissed me off. If this proves accurate, my admiration for his honesty will be completely replaced with disgust for his gig.
I agree he seemed to be there for the Kardashians but how do explain Kylie and Kendall? Both of them dropped out of school. Kylie is dating an older man with a child. Maybe it’s just his bio children he doesn’t care about.
Bruce seems to be there the way I have a broom in my house, it’s there leaning quietly against spmething but it has made no appearances or done much recently. I seriously think the Manet his family spiral in whatever direction it was going as long as he could collect a check and mope around.
What he should do with the money from his new show is donate it to help other transgender people with their transitions instead of lining his already rich pockets!
A lot of transgender people can’t afford hormones, surgeries or even therapy to help them cope!
Very unselfish suggestion which is why he won’t think to do it.
I don’t know what to say. Things are complicated. I actually do not mind E covering this as long as it is not tabloidy style. On a shallow note, Bruce spawned very good-looking children.
I’m having a hard time forming an opinion on it since I did not watch the interviews. I’ve read about it and I feel for him and I’m happy he’s doing what his heart wants, go ahead and do you Bruce!
BUT
I watched episodes of KUWTK and I never liked him. He whines a lot about himself and never pays attention to anyone really. I think he’s a horrible parent like so many I have known, who ditch their kids for the new wife’s kids, and no matter what he says he’s always been with the KK. In several episodes that I’ve seen him arguing with Brody, when he was complaining that he was never around, he was never really apologetic to them about it. It was selfish of him. Parents go through all sorts of challenges in their parenting years but that should never get in the way of their relationship to their children.
And no not all parents go through the same as he did but to me it doesn’t serve as an excuse. Only if he was REALLY absent from ALL his kids lives but not even. If you choose some over the others you are FAILING.
In what regards Lucifer’s homegirl… I cannot fault her for not wanting to react. Even if later she uses that as a storyline… even if she saw him with breasts when they met, when we love someone (or whatever she felt when they got married, but let’s assume she loved him), you downplay a lot of things, you ship them to Denial land and pretend everything smells like roses. He probably convinced her it was something completely different, well I can imagine 20 something years ago being a Transgender was probably something completely crazy and the last thing someone would think of doing… I mean, it’s already difficult to understand now, imagine then? It must have been really hard to get to that conclusion honestly. And I doubt that when they met he was like “Kris I’m a woman inside, so I’m taking hormones”. He probably told her something somewhat convincing and she believed it for the sake of the marriage.
And now he wants her to be with him while he becomes a woman? I’m sorry I will have to side with PMK here. None of his ex wives stayed when they learned the truth, nor should she if she doesn’t feel comfortable. If it is not her preference, I do not see why people expect her to be all happy and supportive like his past wives who had decades to digest this and take the high road PUBLICLY, in 2015. We don’t know what the heck they said to him back then despite their beautiful interviews now… it will take time for her to really deal with that. And It’s completely fine. Even though it was a beautiful interview and heartbreaking story he told us, no one should be forced to accept something we would probably take a long time to. If it happened to me, it would be incredibly hard for me… and if my father was as absent and disinterested as he is… I would have a really hard time forgiving that.
That being said… I applaud him, but I think just the fact that they are making this documentary thing for money irks me. The interview’s are fine, for the awareness and everything but the play of a storyline and everything just stinks to me.
… Rant finished.
I totally agree with you. It’s not a easy to deal with your husband wanting to be a woman.
I’ll watch Bruces show, it might be interesting. I know nobody who has been through this. Hope it goes well. Maybe Brody will come over and watch it with me.
I think it’s extremely sad that Bruce chose one family over another and basically abandoned his first set of kids. I can’t help but wonder if Kris demanded it out of jealousy and insecurity. Seems highly likely. He’s lucky his children have forgiven him.
he is still an adult and responsible for his own parenting
Absolutely. I’m not trying to excuse him in any way. Just wondering if the new wife Kris demanded he cut his old life off. A lot of women do just that.
But did Bruce keep any relationship with Burt and his daughter when he married his second wife and had Brandon and Brody? Just wondering when he decided to become an “absent father”.
@me, yes he did. Linda Thompson said she loved Burt and Cassandra and they had them over all the time, and also said that having stepchildren helped prepare her to be a mother once she got pregnant. When they divorced, he still saw all of his kids while he was transitioning for those five years. I don’t know how often but they were in his life. And when he first met Kris, they seemed to all be included in the beginning but that just kind of went by the wayside and then the periods of estrangement happened.
@mziz I agree, my dad was with a woman for over a decade who demanded he cut his original family out of the picture in favour of hers. The funny thing is the youngest child out of all of them was me at 19, so it’s not like the kids needed him for the school run or anything. So yes, women can certainly make that demand but my dad was stupid enough to go along with it and that’s on him. I forgave him eventually though and if anything it was an interesting lesson in humanising one’s parents.
“The other wives… had a long time to get used to this. This was new to Kris. She’s trying to get her act together. She’s trying to be a good friend to him. Trying to still be a good parent. It’s complicated in ways that we cannot even comprehend.”
What a crock of shit. The fact that Kathie Lee Gifford is even friends with Kris Jenner at all automatically makes her questionable by association. Yes, Kris Jenner has a right to be having a hard time accepting or adjusting to the fact that her husband is going to become a woman, and yes, the other women had a lot more time to digest this and come to terms with it. Kris didn’t need to fake it and straight up lie about how Bruce is her hero and how proud she is and lie about being asked to comment. Kris also doesn’t try to be a good parent and all of her daughters are walking, talking examples of her failure as a parent-Kylie takes the cake though. Maybe if Kris didn’t find it necessary to get a boyfriend younger than half her daughters she could actually be a mom and focus on her 17 year old dating a 25-year-old father and husband.
As far as Bruce not seeing his children during his marriage to Kris, while it is unfair to place all of the blame on her, Bruce’s eldest son Burt and Brody have both been very open and honest about the fact that Kris never made it much of a secret that she wasn’t crazy about Bruce’s other children coming around and that they often felt unwelcomed and unliked by her. They STILL have issues with this woman today and whenever they’re on her show, she only seems to include Brandon and his wife Leah and complains about how Bruce’s other children try to make her out to be a bad guy and treat her unfairly. Also – Bruce’s other ex-wives Chrystie and Linda became good friends and raised their children very closely so that they could have strong bonds with their siblings. I’m just saying, I think it is very telling that everyone seemed to be able to get along and coexist over the years except for when Kris got involved.
Bruce and Kris are too sides of the same coin and no I can’t blame her for not being supportive/happy. I’m a firm believer people treat you how you want to be treated. Even if she knew about Bruce’s gender frustration and encouraged him to stop guess what? HE (emphasis on person not gender) did. He stopped. She had visions of her relationship and clearly didn’t want them to involve someone she wasn’t physically attracted to. We often are comfortable knowing the homosexual individual will never be straight, well the opposite is true as well.
To be frank he seems like a jerk I’ve met many times. The lazy back-seat parent who moves from one family to the next and always seems to forget his children from the previous marriage exist. Now to actively use his gender as an excuse for why he failed those children is appalling. Furthermore if that was the issue wouldn’t he be the biggest Rob champion since he also seems to be struggling with depression? But no.
He let Kris run the show and never stopped or stepped in to protect his children. These girls all have TWO parents but meanwhile his youngest daughters are hanging out with every douche with a large bank account and a little bit of fame. Now that he’s moving on relationship-wise what’s to say he won’t become even less of a Father to them except of course he stills needs E-Network to fund him and keep those Kardashians close.
Furthermore it seems things went awfully quiet on the story of the woman who died as a result of vehicular negligence, but no I’m sure his cash grab from E is only for the most noble reasons. The truth is if Bruce opens any doors for this issue it’ll be to become the face of his personal struggle. The young trans individual facing depression and suicide. The trans person of color with the high risk of death? NOTHING will change there and that’s what pisses me off the most about this whole side-show.
In the end Bruce will engineer sympathy for Bruce and the real people suffering with this issue will get nothing.
It’s interesting to live in a time where this gender issue is coming out to the public. Hopefully what comes out of all of this is a deeper and wider understanding about gender identity confusion and it’s implication for society generally.
I think that it’s clear that Bruce has been suffering from not only from gender dysphoria, but likely deep depression, stress, social anxiety and fear that has taken a toll on his mental health and his relationships. I’m not excusing it. I’m just observing that there is a long history of problems here, which most of us really don’t understand.
Kudos to his family for being open to mending fences and I do think that it says something about Bruce’s sincerity that they are giving this a chance.
I also wouldn’t confuse the reality of this family’s live with what on TV and social media.
Totally agree Original G. Some forget about all the depression, stress, fear, and many different problems that come with this mental disorder. This must’ve been so stressful for all these years, and it’s excellent that the family is forgiving. The tabloids will only tell us bad stories, but Bruce and his older kids have been close for years before this
I have so much admiration for his older children. Bruce made a choice to father these kids even though he was struggling with his identity. Sorry, but he doesn’t really deserve the support he is getting from his first family. I only hope that his kids benefit from the relationship they are trying to rebuild.
I agree I have a lot of respect for the older children that are supporting him in spite of the fact he was an absent father. Maybe they aren’t just doing it for him, but because they are better people who have compassion and strength of character. When you think about it, they were probably all better off being raised away from the Jenner/Kardashian circus.
Well transgender people are just people. No better or worse than anyone else.
He failed his kids, no excuses. How many other people fail their kids because of alcohol, drugs, mental issues, PTSD, etc.
Do they get a pass?
No.
Because your kids come first, and they should be more important to you than yourself.
But not many people think like that.
I just have to say it must have been extra tough for Bruce living in a house full of beautiful, self-obsessed women whilst feeling like a woman trapped in the wrong body. I can’t even imagine. However he did have lots of awesome clothes to borrow. I’m not even being facetious right now.
In the interview he hinted at Kim giving him fashion advice. For the love of God let’s hope he doesn’t take any fashion advice from her…or Kanye.
Amen
And of course Kim took it straight to “fine, whatever, but LOOK GOOD.” I mean, I might have found that funny/endearing/supportive coming from a regular daughter of a regular father going through this, but not so much with her.
Kim will have planned shopping trips with Bruce and the paps on speed dial to capture it all !
Kathie is probably foaming at the mouth to interview her buddy Kris. Did anyone else realize Kathie is supposedly the younger girls’ godmother?
Actually, a friendship between these women is not entirely surprising. To younger audiences, Kathie is the wine sipping co-host of a morning TV show. They may not recall her own fame-seeking days when she constantly portrayed her marriage and family as perfect. Then her long ago athlete husband got caught in a scandal, and the facade cracked.
This may be her ticket back to the mainstream.
His whole self-absorbed life is pathetic. “Oh, poor me! I don’t have boobs and a vagina. Oh, what am I to do without them? Oh my I can’t go on living.” His poor children.
How about get your focus off yourself Bruce and donate your time to those much less fortunate than yourself? That might actually change you for the better – from the INSIDE because that’s apparently what’s needed to change all along.
And souls don’t come in genders, Bruce. Take my skin color away, my genitals, my sexual choices, and so forth, and I’m STILL ME.
X10000000000000000000
I dunno angee. It must absorb a lot of energy to deal with being in the wrong body, playing the wrong role in life, having to live in secret. Also, I’m pretty sure that Bruce has been/is involved with many charitable activities.
As for being fortunate, (and we’ll leave the transgender issues aside) HE’s the one that made himself that. He wasn’t born an elite athlete or a successful business man. He’s obviously not perfect but I think self-absorbed and pathetic is quite an oversimplification.
That’s your opinion.
I disagree after reading Soul of a Black Woman.Whether you take away my genitals,whether you remove the melanin in my skin I still have the soul of a Black woman.
Collette, I believe you and Anger are saying the same thing.
If I can say I have a soul of a Black woman,not the soul of a human but specifically of a Black woman, then why can’t Bruce say he feels in his soul,in his brain,he is a woman?
Yeah, he’s never had his monthly period complemented with painful cramps and other complications. If he had he might’ve changed his mind.
He’s probably also never been called a slut, whore, been sexually molested, afraid to walk alone, or afraid of being raped.
He’s also probably never been disrespected or degraded for being a poor silly dumb chick.
He’s never been denied anything because he had boobs, he’s never had to cover up his body because it attracted the wrong kind of attention, he was never vilified for his body or told it was his own fault he got unwanted attention. Wonder if he’s been yelled at in the street, or groped or debased for his appearance?
He sure missed out a lot on what it’s like to be a woman.
and he’s going to deal with a heck of a lot for being a transgender woman, it’s not a competition.
They’re far more forgiving and loving than he deserves. He was capable of playing daddy to his step kids despite his gender issues so I don’t believe that was the reason he abandoned his own. Were he not transgender he would have abandoned them once Kris came along anyway. They weren’t part of the script Kris wanted and he didn’t care.
It is easier to be a great parent to kids you have no history with because you have a clean slate.Bruce started his transition in 1984 so for five years he isolated and was cut off emotionally from everyone.He abandoned his kids.He didn’t get with Kris until the end of the decade.Like many people he decided he had damaged his relationship with his kids to such a degree that he would take the easy path by starting fresh with the step kids.My grandfather did the same thing with his second set of kids.He pretty much wrote off my father and my father’s sister.It’s easier to start fresh than to repair damaged relationships.Fortunately Bruce’s kids have forgiven him.
Not everyone realizes what went on back when Bruce started his change like you explained. It’s easier for most to assume he’s awful and people say the worst. It would have been hard if I had a father going through this as a little kid. Great that they’ve forgiven and are by his side
We know what kind of people his step kids turned out to be, so actually the older kids were fortunate he was an absent father. Having one good parent can make all the difference in how a kid grows up. Imagine if they were parented by Kris. Those kids, now adults, dodged a bullet by her keeping them out of the Kardashian life.
Ok. I’m not one to subscribe to conspiracy theories but something is off here. After watching the interview – it dawned on me. What if….Bruce and Kris are actually still friends and she helped him get the documentary. But rather than take a risk with the Kardashian brand and his transitioning – they’ve made it look like she’s the horrible wife, etc. . Something just seems off here like we’re being spoon fed the “truth”. Either way – i’m happy for him but he’s still a shitty parent , horrible driver, etc.
The E News show starts in July .By that time people will have moved on from Bruce.Even today there is more news about Baltimore unrest.The Attention span for stories like these are very short.Most people will be over this story by the end of the week IMO.
Wow, how many kids does he have?
He has six bio kids, two from each marriage.He has four step kids from third marriage to Kris.
Can we just call Bruce an a-hole now completely separate from the recent announcement? Being openly trans from his extremely privileged position does not erase his past behavior.
Sure, as long as we call every parent who neglected,ignored or abandoned their kids an a-hole.
I’m pretty sure we do use that term for every parent who walks out on their kids.
There are parents who abandon forever. His kids weren’t starving, abused, or living with drunks and drug addicts in poverty. Those kinds of parents are assholes, not one with a mental illness whom they have forgiven
He couldn’t even ask an assistant to pick out and mail birthday cards? He is transgender not insane or incapAble. He has no excuse for being such a deadbeat dad….he has all the resources in the world!!! Can you imagine a parent going off and starting a new family and never contacting you? How painful, how self esteem destroying
sorry but he was spending all the holidays with the kkk, he couldnt get an assistant to pop a card in the mail?
ita betty, he’s a jerk who happens to be transitioning and will be a jerk when he is done
he and kris are a match made in hades
With all the attention and praise Bruce is getting, I wouldn’t be surprised if PMK is hatching a plan to get back together with him !
It’s all witchcraft and trickery in this J + K family. I don’t like Bruce. He’s a horrible father and gets not a pass from me because he was ‘so brave’. So Brave would have been him coming forward YEARS ago and not brought a storm of broken children with him. His real desire is to compete with Crisco Kimmy. Nope, Bruce. No passes from me.
Bruce Jenner surely fathers beautiful children, doesn’t he?
So true!
Bruce himself was gorgeous back during the Olympics.
Gorgeous Jenner children
I only watched about half of the interview and didn’t realize Bruce had this E series until today. So, yeah, after learning that, and given that he still seems to operate, at least to some degree, as PMK’s puppet (along with her others), I totally believe that not giving the name, showing the full new look, etc, was done to ensure ratings for the E series and/or to coincide with KUWTK shows to bump their ratings. I wouldn’t be surprised if PMK had him sign a contract on that shiz.
Also, like many others, I had no idea Bruce had those other kids. Not knowing anything really about them, I give them props for not involving themselves with the KUWTK nonsense, which they probably easily could have done (if PMK thought she could make money of them, and why not?) and only showing up in public when serious support is called for.
I wonder what Bruce’s non-fame-seeking kids *really* think of Kris and the K Girls.
PMK probably can’t wrap her warped mind around Casey being Casey and not Kasey.
Kris is Bruce’s manager…so….
Also, it’s best Casey grew up far away from the Kardashians. She is the one daughter Bruce has that is self-respecting.
Mind you, Bruce has a thing with the letter “B” as well. All his sons have names that start with “B”. I’m shocked Casey’s name isn’t Basey.
So let me make sure I’m following: he believes that he was born into the wrong body and is actually female, so he marries three times and fathers how many children? And his conflict about himself is what keeps him from his children so that he isn’t a part of their lives, but we’re supposed to gloss it all over that he was an absent parent because of that?
There are many transgender people out there who don’t destroy three marriages, and who don’t abandon their children while working it out within themselves.
I’m glad that he’s now being true to himself – even though I truly don’t understand why he doesn’t insist we call him “her” now that he’s gone public – but he really should be held to task for being an absent father at least!
Everything that you’ve said.
I see him as a selfish individual. He married three times, he was absent for some of his children and now it’s ‘poor me, I suffered all this time’ [implying that he was only play acting in those marriages as a spouse and parent].
I have no personal experience of this condition but I cant fathom how someone who believed they were in the wrong body and shouldve been a woman would get married three times and have six children? if I was his 2 nd wife I would be outraged that the marriage ended because he wanted to become a woman – then he goes on to marry another woman, and not only takes on all her kids, ignores his own kids and goes on to have another two kids with her and is with her for 25 years? Shes a better woman than me. And hes very very lucky that his kids are forgiving and supporting him.
Yeah that’s what bugs me. He’s 65 years old for gods sake. How long did it take for him to realize he had the wrong body?? And why didn’t he fess up sooner? He had the money.
Did he have to lie and ruin relationships and children in the process? If he had always known, why the FCK wasn’t he honest?
Being born in the wrong body is not his fault. But lying his whole life is.
Exactly – well put.
This!
Yes! All of this. Wish I had read your comment before writing one up. You hit the nail right on the head.
Totally agree. I don’t know anyone personally with this transgender thing, but my confusion is how someone who knows this is who they are marry second and third wives and have two kids with each? That just seems weird to me. He IS lucky his ex-wives and all six children are so supportive, because clearly this man was not being true to himself. That said, hopefully he will be happy now that the bubble has burst.
I know he’s a celebrity and can’t avoid the publicity, but doing a video about all this in the future just doesn’t seem necessary. It’s sort of like that Kardashian show just gives out TOO MUCH INFORMATION. We don’t need to know the details. Retreat and live your life privately to the extent you can.
He’s signed on for a reality show during this process???
He seems selfish to me. If he was having such a struggle, why bring more kids into it? Why keep getting married and adding more people into the mix? Figure yourself out first. It’s sad that there are people who would rather live a lie than to be be alone until they get themselves together.
I thought during his interview he said Kris was aware of him liking to wear women’s clothing. I missed the part where he said had to explain his breast to her. Wow.
I don’t like that he’s using his struggle as an excuse for why he wasn’t there for his older children. That’s weak and makes him come across as an a$$hole to me. As another person previously stated, that’s no excuse, especially when he continued to have more kids and be there for other children who are not biologically his.
It appears to me that he wanted to be a famous wealthy athlete more than he wanted to be a woman or a good parent…