14 DAY TRIAL // In mid-January, a series of photos of Nadya Suleman in various models of two-piece swimsuits and striking what seemed to be glamour poses leaked online. Few knew for certain what the pics were, but many believed they would be part of an upcoming photospread, which turned out to be true, as they ran in Star magazine within days. In her Oprah interview, OctoMom explains the whys and the hows behind that photoshoot.
As some of you must certainly remember, the spread was meant to show that Suleman had lost almost half her weight since pregnant with Octuplets and that, despite rumors to the contrary, she’d gotten herself in an excellent shape without any plastic surgery whatsoever. The photos got plenty of media and were almost instantly showered with criticism, coming mostly from those whose idea of “hot” did not exactly have anything to do with a mother of 14 who shed her clothes to make a quick buck.
Yet it was that last part that convinced her to do the spread in the first place, Suleman tells Oprah. Basically, Star magazine paid her $100,000 for the photos, money she gladly accepted as she’d long promised herself she’d do anything in her power to make money to provide for her huge family. She has no regrets about doing the photoshoot, OctoMom clarifies in the interview conducted via satellite – except perhaps the fact that she’s already spent the money.
“Right. Right. I need to tell you why: 14 hungry mouths. Then a 15th here. And it is my responsibility. I own full responsibility for providing for my children. A parent must provide for their kids, not the other way around. I will never – from the beginning I’ve always been consistent with this – I would never do a reality show. That has been a lie from the very beginning. And I must provide for my children. Deep down, I was ashamed of [the bikini shot]. That is not my character. I am shy. I always have shied away from cameras. But I feel as though I needed to do something. And in doing so, I was able to provide for my kids. We have some of that money still left until I figure another way to make ends meet. Yes. I did [make $100,000 from that],” Suleman tells Oprah.
“Thus far, the media has depicted a completely false picture of who I am. The trial I’ve been put through has forced me to see my true self – something I have avoided most of my life. I have been compelled to dig deep inside and pull out strengths I never knew I possessed in order to protect my family. I am not a victim. I do not blame anyone for the circumstances of my life,” OctoMom also says in the same interview, calling out the media for making her into the villain that she’s not.
For the written version of the interview Nadya Suleman did with Oprah, please visit Oprah’s official webpage here.