The OctoMom reality show is actually happening

Jul 27, 2009 14:09 GMT  ·  By
Nadya Suleman’s children will appear in documentary series, will get paid for it
   Nadya Suleman’s children will appear in documentary series, will get paid for it

After becoming a happy mother to surviving octuplets at the beginning of the year, Nadya Suleman instantly turned into a persona non-grata in the media, and especially for Californian taxpayers, when word got out she already had another six minor children at home. In April, rumor had it Suleman was thinking about doing a reality show: and that she is, and her kids will get about $250 for each day of shooting, Us Weekly says.

Suleman filed the necessary legal documents over the weekend, the magazine says. While approval from a judge is still pending, it seems that, indeed, OctoMom is really thinking about launching a career in television to provide financially for the children, as she stated from the start. As you may remember, the biggest worry – mostly from taxpayers – was that Suleman would pocket the money she made and spend it on unnecessary stuff for herself, instead of taking care of the 14 children properly.

“Suleman signed agreements for each of her 14 children to earn $250 a day to star in a reality show, according to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Friday. The contracts – which still require a judge’s approval – guarantee the kids will collectively earn nearly $250,000 over the next three years. They’ll receive $125,000 for 36 days of shooting in the first year, $75,000 for 21 days in the second year and $50,000 for 14 days in the third year. Eyeworks will produce the show, according to court documents. The company is also behind Breaking Bonaduce and The Biggest Loser.” the aforementioned magazine writes.

Speculation about a reality show began shortly after Suleman gave birth, prompting intense debate on how she would ruin the children’s life by exposing them to the spotlight from such an early age. At the same time, other voices were saying OctoMom did not really care about the safety of the children or had interest in providing for their future, since all she wanted was for the spotlight to be on herself and, thus, to make as much money for herself as possible.

Still, the upcoming series will not be a reality show per se, as Suleman’s attorney also said a while back. “[Nadya and the producers] are hoping to have an arrangement whereby several events in the children’s lives would be filmed in a documentary series. One of the events in the children’s lives might be their first birthday. They might be several shows aired during a year. There are all kinds of possibilities. It really depends on what the networks want. Her television program will not be like the Jon and Kate Plus 8 show. [Nadya] is looking forward to providing her side of the story.” Suleman’s lawyer explained a while back.