Exclusive: Truth expert analyzes Jon and Kate Gosselin

May 2024 · 5 minute read

Kate Gosselin runs some errands
I’m a big fan of the blog Eyes for Lies. It’s run by a woman who is as skilled at spotting lies as the crime expert portrayed in the Fox series “Lie To Me.” She doesn’t work in the field of law enforcement, but she has consulted on cases and has a natural talent and interest. Eyes was certified as a “Truth Wizard” in a scientific study co-designed by Dr. Paul Ekman, the man whose work “Lie to Me” is roughly based on. She was also profiled in a piece in the Chicago Sun Times earlier this year.

Eyes for Lies, who does not reveal her identity due to threats from criminals, has a very logical and compelling take on the latest crime cases. She can tell you based on small “microexpressions,” tone of voice, hesitations and word choices if a person is likely to be telling the truth. If you follow shows like 48 Hours and/or pay attention to high profile cases like Madeline McCann’s disappearance, you will love her site.

I took a chance and e-mailed Eyes for her take on a much more trivial story than she usually covers – the Jon & Kate Plus 8 premiere. I wanted to know if she thought that Jon was lying about cheating or if Kate was hiding something. She got back to me with an insightful response that supports a lot of what we’ve heard from Kate’s family about the state of her relationship. Eyes thought that Jon might be telling the truth that he didn’t cheat on Kate – but he was telling the truth as far as he was concerned, not an absolute truth. It all got a little iffy when he talked about the impact his actions would have on his kids in the future, though, which suggests he did get up to something that he regrets.

(She is analyzing the couple based on the clip of the premiere we posted yesterday, which is no longer available.)

Jon looks “disgusted,” but he may believe he didn’t “cheat”

When I watch Jon speak in the segment you linked to, its interesting when Jon says with a disgusted look on his face, “I never cheated on Kate, and you know, that’s the way it is.” When he says that, he does not give off any indications of deceit, however, I don’t feel this is an adequate response upon which to draw a conclusion by itself.

When Jon says this, first and foremost, it is (a) not a high stake lie (he doesn’t stand to gain or lose anything by saying this, which reduces the clues to deception); (b) no one has defined the word “cheating” so what you or I may consider to be cheating may not be cheating to Jon, hence he may truly believe he did not cheat (which is how it appears); and (c) he appears to be extraordinarily relaxed and it sounds like he is slurring his words in this clip, which makes me wonder if he is under the influence of something, which could be affecting his responses, expressions and emotions.

However, Jon does say a lot more in the next several minutes that do make me question him. He says:

  • I guess my fear would be that my kids wouldn’t believe me because there is so much media out there…
  • One day my kids are going to Google me, and I’m going to have to explain myself…
  • I’d like to apologize to my family for my actions…um..like I said, I was the wrong place at the wrong time, but I understand the ramifications and how it will greatly affect everything, um…I should have thought more about what I did and where I was going and stuff like that and everyone knows what I am talking about so I don’t have to explain it.

    A man who did not cheat would not think these things, let alone say them.

  • Kate is angry, Jon is playing the victim and will not take responsibility

    Kate is obviously very angry in this episode for a variety of reasons, and she tells us at one point she feels like the world is on her shoulders, and I believe it is. Jon seems to be complaining that he doesn’t like where he has ended up, but he doesn’t seem to be offering the family any solutions on how to change course and how he as a father will take responsibility financially to pull his family out of this and find a more suitable solution for the family (without the media). When I see Jon, I see a person who wants to claim he is a victim, but doesn’t want to take any responsibility for how he got where he is, or where he is going.

    [From Eyes for Lies received via e-mail]

    I like Eyes’ take because she focuses on the sort of dead weight role that Jon serves in the relationship and how he’s kind of giving up. Everyone has been talking about Kate’s role in badgering Jon into his bad behavior, but clearly these are two people who have each contributed to lousy situation they’re in. It’s likely that Eyes doesn’t follow celebrity gossip like we do and has no idea about the supposed separation contract Kate had Jon sign six months ago that allowed both of them to see other people as long as he showed up for tapings of their show. That would explain why he may not feel like he’s technically cheating, but still has mixed feelings about the effect his actions may have – Kate already gave him a pass.

    Jon and Kate’s tabloid marital strife has predictably led to huge ratings for their show. US Weekly reports that 9.8 million people watched the premiere on Monday night compared to 9.2 million who tuned in to the final episode of “Lost.” These two both love money and considering how they bring in the ratings you can bet that TLC and other networks will be more than happy to keep the cameras rolling.

    Jon Gosselin talks on his cell in Reading, PA

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