WHITTIER – When Octomom Nadya Suleman gave birth to the longest living octuplets in history, the 33-year-old single mother was supporting her other six young children on food stamps, student loans and disability payments.
The family was living in a three-bedroom, two-bath home in Whittier with Suleman’s mother, Angela. The house was in foreclosure, because of more than $20,000 in past-due mortgage payments.
Now, the mother of 14 might be able to cash in on the media frenzy surrounding her every move.
Her father, Ed Doud, bought a house in La Habra listed at $564,000. The deal closed and recorded last Monday, according to Mike Patel of Prudential California Realty.
Octomom’s appearances on the Dr. Phil show garnered free repairs and improvements to the new home.
The Dr. Phil Foundation is also collecting donations for a trust fund for the babies. Angels in Waiting, a charity that focuses on foster children with special medical needs, has volunteered to provide therapy and nursing care as long as donations continue to arrive.
Suleman herself said in a RadarOnline video interview that she had accepted some offers to pay for her new home and to cover her children’s expenses.
Suleman is now also a blogger, with regular, exclusive appearances on RadarOnline, and she may be looking to sell a video of the octuplets’ birth for upward of $1 million, according to TMZ, a celebrity gossip Web site.
“Any little opportunity there is, I take that opportunity to earn those resources for the kids,” Suleman said in a video posted online Thursday. As for the birth tape, it was recorded for “family memories,” Suleman has said.
There are other signs that Octomom has some spending cash.
She has been seen in public having her nails manicured and buying makeup and other personal hygiene items. She has also made trips to Target and been caught on camera buying baby supplies.
As for television, Suleman has denied that she is interested in a reality show, at least right now, but said she would consider one when the children get older.
Regardless of the windfall Suleman may receive, she’ll still have to give some back to Uncle Sam, tax experts said.
Accounting for the total amount Suleman has made since the birth of the octuplets on Jan. 26 has been tricky.
Suleman has used the services of three publicists. The first, Joann Killeen of the Killeen Furtney Group, offered her services for free until death threats to herself and other clients forced her to end the relationship.
According to Killeen few offers for large sums crossed her desk while she represented Octomom. Nonetheless there were plenty of opportunities on the table.
“There was a reality show,” Kileen said. “Discovery (Channel) was interested in talking to her. There were multiple Hollywood agents who were calling.”
The Killeen Furtney Group helped the family set up a Web site that allowed for donations. Killeen said she is holding those donations for the family until they provide a tax ID number.
The total is well less than six figures, Killeen said.
Even though Victor Mu oz stepped in as Octomom’s second publicist, the relationship soured almost immediately with Mu oz calling Suleman “nuts” and “greedy.”
Suleman is now represented by attorney Jeffery Czech of Santa Fe Springs, who did not return calls for comment.
The large sums of money and the accusations of greed likely stem from the sheer volume of supermarket tabloids and gossip Web sites that rely on Octomom coverage to drive traffic and spawn new readers.
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PHOTO GALLERY  Octomom readies for move to new home |
Tabloids and gossip sites have grown in recent years, developing a reputation for “checkbook journalism.”
“Money is becoming more and more prevalent,” said journalism professor Felix Gutierrez, of the Annenberg School for Communication at USC. “People do what it takes to get the story.”
Gutierrez said that while checkbook journalists don’t often threaten traditional media, their exclusive deals mean that sources won’t talk to mainstream reporters.
It can also mean that a story is dramatized by a source to get more money.
“You want to be very cautious when checkbook journalism is involved,” Gutierrez said. “There should be full disclosure. I think if an organization paid for a source or a photo or an interview, they should say so in the story. The more information you can give the reader, the better.”
Killeen confirmed Gutierrez’s suspicions.
Most of the interest in the births, Killeen said, came from the media.
“It was more competitive to get the story, to be the first one to tell their story.”
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