This is the stuff about Ethel that makes my blood boil-she was hailed as this great activist when she died 🙄, but she effectively stole from vendors and refused to pay her bills! Money may have been tighter after Bobby’s death, but she could have been more efficient and PAID HER BILLS. These were largely small businesses she screwed over. It’s disgraceful.
I've always believed the Kennedys as a whole in general were overrated. These books prove that money doesn't buy class, manners or even common decency.
I think the Kennedys had really good PR. It makes me grateful that I know nobody like these people, although they are still in the corridors of power, albeit not like in the 1960’s.
Totally agree. They were legends in their own minds. And some of the wealthiest people -sorry to say -are the most eccentric and self-serving. And have the most bizarre attitude towards money. Somehow, some way the Kennedys established themselves as the crème de la crème of culture. And we the public couldn’t get enough of the Peyton Place drama. Unfortunately many of them paid a high price for that notoriety.
Jackie was basically the same , Jackie just had enough sense to marry Ari ,I remember reading books where her friends were always listening to Jackie complain about having no money,her servants would take her castoff clothing/shoes to consignment stores,even though the shoes were special made because one of Jackie's legs was shorter.
@ taking the clothes to the consignment store makes sense. Taking a pile of worn dirty clothing back to the store to try to return it. It’s just piggish. Question: how does one leg being shorter than the other affect shoe size?
Ethel was, in fact, a real jerk and horrible mother. I feel sorry for all of her children. Thank you, Cheere Desnise, for doing these readings for us!😊
Her children were spoiled brats on a level most people cannot imagine. They were never told no, did whatever they chose to do and took delight in mistreating people for the fun of it. RFK Jr loved getting high and fried his brain before he turned eighteen years old. Ethel made sure her children knew they were American royalty that could do just as they pleased, and they did.
I worked in retail for many years, in a relatively high(er) end department store, and unfortunately this kind of behavior was not that out of the ordinary - and the worst offenders were quite often the people that presented as “high class”. It taught me at an early age that you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.
I think everyone should work in retail and the restaurant industry as a rite of passage into adulthood. I plan on making sure my kids have experience working in these areas as part of their high school "curriculum". Just working in customer service as a seasonal employee during the holidays is quite the education!!
I have a sister JUST LIKE THIS. She has her picture in every Neiman’s security across the country warning: DO NOT LET THOSE WOMAN RETURN ANYTHING. After burning out one Neiman’s she’d FLY to another state to return something. I had bought decorative artwork at Neimans’s & grew tired of it after a few years. She was shocked I wouldn’t just return it & eventually stole it off my wall & returned it herself. This woman is a millionaire. It’s pathological, it HAS to be…my mom was disgusted, her husband too…but no one could get her to stop.
Sounds like a woman, my daughter knew. Her husband owns quite a few new car dealerships in the area. This was at a home improvement center, she come come in complaining about the paint job on her deck. This went on for months. Finally, her husband intervened and put a stop to it. Your brother in law just needs to cut up her charge cards.
This fascinated me! I’m aging myself but I grew up in the McLean area and I worked part time at Bloomingdales Tysons Corner when I was in school during the 80’s. It’s hard to explain what a big deal Bloomies was back then. It was not unusual to have celebrities and diplomats stop by to go on a shopping spree. I don’t specifically remember Ethel Kennedy, but we had a few women who made a habit of buying expensive designer clothes wearing them, and then returning them. Everyone knew what was going on. I can’t imagine having the audacity to do that!
It’s a wealthy woman thing to do. I knew the wives of several wealthy men who would buy expensive dresses, wear them and then return them. They never cut off the tags. Rules are for the little people.
Jackie’s MO was to charge up designer clothing, have the bills sent to Onassis, and then consign the stuff out unworn, and then pocket the money. It was a classic case of laundering, money not the clothes. She was defrauding her husband
I was utterly DISGUSTED about the neglect of the horses!!!!! 🤬 IF Ethel had trimmed her insane luxury budget and kept the horses in the finest way, she wouldn't have had to face the axe. Absolutely NO EXCUSE to neglect and abuse the horses. They could have turned to the horses for therapy and solace. She was a piece of crap, mourning or no.
My sister was an intern for Senator Simpson of Wyoming in the 80s One of her tasks was to bring lunch to the senators She said Ted Kennedy would always have a Subway sandwich and a six pack of beer
Juicy tidbit. Imagine how drunk he was to land his car in the water, killing that beautiful Mary Jo. I think he did not turn himself in until his blood alcohol had gone back to the legal limit and his breath was okay. He would have had charges the night before.
A lot of people had horrible mothers but didn't have the access to education and travel and power, so while I have empathy for him, that doesn't give him a pass, IMO.
He made amens with her and was with her different a times in Hyannis Port. There is a Documentary of Ethel by her youngest Rory. They seemed to have bonded but while interviewing for the upcoming Docu she says to her mom you were almost perfect. I don’t know if they were harmed too badly.
@@suestephan3255 In all fairness, I think Rory sees her mother through rose colored glasses because she was just a baby when all of this stuff went down.
Maybe she believed paying is for commoners. And perhaps she felt it was insulting if she had to pay, because serving her, in her mind, was payment enough. Her entitlement is off the charts. What an awful person.
@@yankeecitygirl it took me a minute to figure out what you meant by WT. Haha. Rich trash, at that. It's so hard to comprehend such behavior, and the people who tolerated it got what they deserved, I guess.
For the life of me, I cannot begin to comprehend how anyone could (or why they would) live this way. I understand she lost her mainstay (RFK), however, she had eleven children, for whom she was responsible. Instead of stepping up, she turned their lives into a morass and did untold damage to all of them. How incredibly mortifying.
Ethel seemingly had way more interest in breaking some sort of internal record of successful pregnancies than she ever had in being a successful Mother. But then again, she was a Skakel and was raised with little to no role models. I feel sorry for her children. They didn't know how to behave because they were never taught. Ethel sounds like an absolute nightmare of a person.
As a 71 year old woman who was a teenager during the Bobby Kennedy years I appreciate your videos. I worked for a large department store on long Island it was quite common for us to receive clothes in the same condition as Ethel returned hers used, dirty clothes returned with no tags we were usually instructed to accept the return and then there was the day the customer returned a pressure cooker with a chicken still inside unbeknownst to my coworker enjoy all of your videos you look gorgeous happy New Year
Thank you for introducing us to this book and the craziness of that whole family. It is not unusual that women would purchase an outfit for a wedding and return it the next week saying that it did not fit, regardless of the condition of the outfit. I heard about it decades ago and at first did not believe until a family friend, who was complimented on her outfit at a wedding, said that it would be going back to the store the following week. She said if she kept it, it would probably never be worn again and she didn't have the money to waste like that. I still shake my head regarding that.
Ethel's brood trashed an inn in Southampton. She put all her kids up at a place called the Village Latch for one of the Lawford girls weddings. The innkeeper had to pursue her for payment and damages
American Royalty a.k.a. the 1% look down upon the 99% and genuinely believe you should be grateful for being allowed in their presence. Ethel learned her selfish ways from her mother. Ethel was a narcissist who was emotionally vacant. Studies are now saying that narcissism is an inherited trait.
@@bjedwards5189 She would visit Paris shopping for couture clothing for months at a time. Hardly a good mother herself. I read Joe was more disciplinarian than Rose. But Rose talked a good game.
Oh my gosh, I'm appalled at her behavior. There is no way this should have happened. I feel for her kids. No guidance or love for them. Thank you for your trading and your input. You think like all of us listening. ❤❤
The hijinks continued in Jerry Oppenheimer’s book about Ethel’s son Bobby Jr. 📕 If you’re curious to hear more I’m reading that book on my channel right now 👇 ruclips.net/p/PLXBcSYiYQxlebdtfHSDFsl7QfM3b01lXv&si=6XHwizhWZ2U92iBB
I loved that one of the servants finally spoke up to the Kennedy widow,the insult about seeing which hand would fill the quickest has been one of the best for God known how long and a favorite of mine.
She had neither beauty nor a charming personality. Her intellectual capacity was at a level that might have embarrassed her husband. She seemed to be stuck in adolescence, like a tomboy who never quite outgrew that phase. Yet, she married into a legendary family and became the wife of its most loyal member, perhaps was the most loved woman of all in-laws. Her husband involved her in his work far more than was necessary. She was always by his side, following his every move, ever present despite contributing not much She spent money on a scale comparable to Queen Elizabeth, all while never holding a real job. Yet, she had an entire team of assistants and even a few press secretaries. I never understand why :) Despite all the positive media attention, she failed to leave a lasting impact on people, generate even a fraction of the interest Jackie Kennedy commanded. She had too much children but treated them like adorable cute dolls, discarding them once they grew older and lost their charm. Her sole achievement in life was being RFK’s wife. And yet, at her funeral, three U.S. presidents were in attendance, and she was celebrated as a champion of human rights(!!!) ( ridiculous :) ). Truly, one of history's greatest overachievers.
Oddly it was our family condo…. And yes uncle John did say never again but was actually very fond of Mrs Kennedy. Uncle John a sturdy midwestern was loyal to her for many years after. No the repairs were never paid for. But we always begged to ski down the stairs like the Kennedy kids.
This is great!! She is a product of her upbringing. So much money they couldn’t spend it all. Material possessions meant nothing. You are doing a great job. Please continue.
I can totally see that. When you aren’t taught to value what you have because you could have anything you wanted at any time….that breeds an attitude like she had. She could easily pay to have people clean up any mess left behind too. It just wasn’t on her mental, spiritual, or emotional radar to care about those things because she never had to work to earn them.
I worked in Chevy Chase in the mid 80’s-90’s. The sales clerks use to shuddered when she came in. The girls told me she would just take stuff, as if it were free. Didn’t know about bringing back nasty used stuff.
Heard something similar about Joe Biden. A Wilmington local recounted a story where Biden waltzed into a men's clothing store, saw a jacket liked, tried it on, then walked out of the store... without paying for it. When a salesman called out to him about payment, Biden shrugged, flashed his cockeyed smile and said, "Just consider it a campaign donation!" These entitled elites...🤬
Wow . . . my mouth is hanging open. I’ve never heard of such nonsense in my life! I just can’t believe that Ethel wasn’t embarrassed about what she was doing, that’s what I’ll never understand. Fitzgerald was right when he wrote, “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.” I’ll say!
That's bloody rude of Ethel returning goods That costs the business. Rich people should know better if they were running Business. But Ethel never worked a day in Her life.
I did not know about Ethel and her entitlement lifestyle, and it is hard to believe anyone could act the way she does!! Her attitudes actually go beyond entitled in my opinion.
She was doing what a rich, entitled, selfish woman does when keeping up appearances is everything. I am disturbed by how she treated the help the most…and she was lauded in her life for being a lifeline politically to the poor
I squealed when I saw the last one pop up...this time, i only clutched my pearls! I'm too old to be squealing lol Thank you, Cheere. I look forward to spending time with you. I love how you give the characters their own voices...LBJ is a fave along with Diana.
I remember when Jackie O pulled this stunt with a cheap t shirt she wanted. There is a very famous photo of her wearing it. She said”If I wear it, it is free advertising for you”. The Kennedy widders were shop a holics, Onassis quickly learned that Jackie had no stops and he wanted a divorce. Died before he could complete it. Ethel was a spoiled child her whole life. This is why it is so important for the curtain to be pulled back on this family. The public only saw them in one dimensional photos or film clips on their best behavior.
Loved Jackie but she was worst than Princess Diana for shopping for expensive Clothes. She had a budget for $30000 Per month which is a fortune in today's Money.
Ethel’s retail therapy after RFK’s murder looks like she’s trying to maintain normalcy in the face of life ruins all around her. Women of privilege were not expected to suffer economically when widowed. Families pitch in, particularly with 11 children. People of means generally do the right thing and help. But Kennedys were/are Mass. Yankee cheap. Saving and sponging and gouging without remorse and never letting your wallet see the light of day is a virtue to the old families. It’s tedious and mean. Ethel was the old lady who lived in a shoe. Can you imagine?? 11 kids. Yes Ethel acted like a spoiled teenager, but where was the Skakel $$?
Her son Bobby Jr continues the family tradition of letting others pay his way through life. The hijinks continued in Jerry Oppenheimer’s book about Ethel’s son Bobby Jr. 📕 If you’re curious to hear more I’m reading that book on my channel right now 👇 ruclips.net/p/PLXBcSYiYQxlebdtfHSDFsl7QfM3b01lXv&si=6XHwizhWZ2U92iBB
I worked in retail in the late 80's. People would wear and try to return stuff all the time. They would try to return altered stuff. You can not return altered clothing. People are disgustingly cheap. You would be amazed!
You know look at her upbringing. Her mother was just the same. How could she ever even know how to budget, parent, be civil. Plus she probably had PTSD from all the tragedies
Yay! Happy New Year, Dear Cheers Denise! Thank you for your content, especially your spectacularly witty commentary! We all love and appreciate your content!
This is utterly disgusting. Had she no shame? No respect for her fellow human beings? It’s horrific. Imagine if she had been the First Lady!!!!! I actually feel sorry for Bobby. If he had lived those children would have had some stability , a role model, love and structure in their lives. No amount of tragedy justifies Ethel’s abhorrent behaviour.
I think they all need mental help right down to the Grandparents. No one seemed to know how to raise the children and give them love, affection, their respect and everything a child needs to become a decent person. They have all been left to raise and figure out how to live life on their own. It's no wonder every generation is so screwed up.
Then Oppenheimer’s next book was about Ethel’s son Bobby Jr. The hijinks continued in Jerry Oppenheimer’s book about Ethel’s son Bobby Jr. 📕 If you’re curious to hear more I’m reading that book on my channel right now 👇 ruclips.net/p/PLXBcSYiYQxlebdtfHSDFsl7QfM3b01lXv&si=6XHwizhWZ2U92iBB
Ethel grew up in a very wealthy and entitled family. She was never taught the value of money. As a young woman, she married into a powerful and entitled family. A sad trainwreck.
Tbh, this is old family legend…The Kndy’s infamously ripped off EVERY local Hyannisport merchant precisely this disgraceful way and NEVER paid or made restitution! Even self-employed widows with 5 hungry mouths like my great-grandmother! But back in the day, even as recently as 20yrs ago, nobody, and I mean no one, believed these stories (we were actually called liars!).
I am flabbergasted by the ludicrous behavior of Ethel!!! I cannot believe any store would do business with her! I'm surprised she had any friends!!! Those poor animals!! Thanks Cheere Denise for these readings!!!
Thank you, Cheere Denise, i could listen to you read for days. I recently saw your video on where you grew up, and your families being in the mission fields of Papua New Guinea, it touched my soul. I grew up Missionary Baptist, in a church that i watched my grandfather build. The mission fields are very near my heart to this day. How happy i was to know that you are my sister in Christ. I hope this new year will be the best yet for you and your family. Lord bless & keep you ❤🙏
I didn't know anything about her before this book review so thank you :). As you have progressed, I have wondered if she would have married RFK if he wasn't a wealthy Kennedy who could continue to furnish her with an extravagant lifestyle. Ethel seems like a case study in childhood entitlement and lack of self- discipline. She seems also to have lacked the capacity for delayed gratification. We learn all these things as children if we are raised with boundaries. These situations as described go a long way to explaining some of the decisions her children have made.
Earlier in the book when Bobby was alive wasn’t there reference to a certain maid that kept things running smoothly at HH ?? AND my sister lived in suburban DC back in the early 80’s and Ethel rumors were rampant just as book maintains !! SHE NEVER should have pushed Bobby to run for President / and he also should have realized how much he was needed at home to raise those kids !!
To be honest , Bobby Kennedy was too good to simply sit at hpme and babysit . He was such a talented political leader. Recently, I read some oral histories at JFK Library that such a big family became a political liability for him because it was too time consuming and he wasn't spending at least a few weekends for political activities in New York. I believe after assasination of his brother, he was so depressed and left without fighting spirits. His wife became the central figure in his life, and, in some ways, it seems he lost control over their relationship dynamics.
I don't think the presidency of the United States was worth dying for.Ethel and her children should have been Bobby's first priority,not a temporary,high status job like president of the United States.A job is temporary, but family is supposed to be forever. No job is worth dying for.
This chapter is bazaaro world. It puts a terrible look on her not to mention uncouth and being a thief. Despicable. Wonder what Ethel thought of this account?
I always thought that Ethel and Any Williams were an item. Ethel was a classic malignant narc. She was so angry that her world fell apart....she was going to make everyone as unhappy as she was.
Way back when Joe humiliated her about her out of control spending, he should have hired a money manager right then and there. Any one who responds "l still have checks left" hasn't a clue about handling money
I knew nothing of all these Ethel shenanigans. Unbelievable.She appears to have been the epitome of entitlement. It's astonishing that anyone could get away with this behavior, I don't care what your last name is. Hickory Hill should have been re-named Hickory Hell.Those poor children were just another accessory to be discarded when she tired of them too.Egregious.
I'm a catholic who was was born in, and have lived in, Northern Ireland all my life. I grew up in the late 70's and 80's and went to convent schools until i was 18. The nuns always had pictures of the Kennedys on the walls of the schools as if they were to be venerated as some kind of saints. I cannot understand why these awful people are held in such high esteem?
The nuns had no idea all this crazy behavior was going on. No one did. I do not like the Kennedys any more. I think they are like the bad family that lives down the block. You know the one that the police is always be called to visit.
I’m mean COME ON! Family Of 6 here, if I had one person to cook my dinners each night, and a house cleaner once a week I’d be stylin. WTF was this woman doing that she couldn’t maintain an orderly household. Sure give her a full time nanny as well, 11 kids. It seems like there was a circus of people running around employed by her. She obviously checked out from reality and had no desire to check back in. Wow. I can’t stop laughing over the clothes. We’ve heard of those people who try to return the dress but imagining her sending off at least 12 outfits. All worn Pitt stained and smelly makes me laugh and not in a good way.
I enjoy your channel. Explain Ethel okay. Ethel was raised by servants her mother shopped and traveled. Ethel grew up in a house where toilets overflowed. Ethel's brothers shot guns irresponsibly. Her siblings drove irresponsibly. Ethel didn't learn to live any better. She chose not to live better. That's my opinion. And I'm a reformed slob.
Oh Cheere I love your commentaries and your take on the books you read. I find them interesting and so look forward to them. This book is in my top three.
Ethel needed therapy. She was a pretty wretched person without her Guiding Light, Bobby. She seems pretty shallow and unsuited to be mother to all those kids. I've met people who loved being pregnant & having babies but had zero interest in raising the kids. Ethel fits that bill.
This is the stuff about Ethel that makes my blood boil-she was hailed as this great activist when she died 🙄, but she effectively stole from vendors and refused to pay her bills! Money may have been tighter after Bobby’s death, but she could have been more efficient and PAID HER BILLS. These were largely small businesses she screwed over. It’s disgraceful.
I've always believed the Kennedys as a whole in general were overrated. These books prove that money doesn't buy class, manners or even common decency.
I think the Kennedys had really good PR.
It makes me grateful that I know nobody like these people, although they are still in the corridors of power, albeit not like in the 1960’s.
Totally agree. They were legends in their own minds. And some of the wealthiest people -sorry to say -are the most eccentric and self-serving. And have the most bizarre attitude towards money. Somehow, some way the Kennedys established themselves as the crème de la crème of culture. And we the public couldn’t get enough of the Peyton Place drama. Unfortunately many of them paid a high price for that notoriety.
@@infinityinfinity2253 Their PR was the lapdog media.
It all comes down to PR
Never understood the whole Kennedy fascination. And Ethel certainly shows that class cannot be easily learned.
What a nightmare that woman was. No self-awareness, no self control, not a shred of common sense. What chaos those children grew up in!
Jackie was basically the same , Jackie just had enough sense to marry Ari ,I remember reading books where her friends were always listening to Jackie complain about having no money,her servants would take her castoff clothing/shoes to consignment stores,even though the shoes were special made because one of Jackie's legs was shorter.
@ taking the clothes to the consignment store makes sense. Taking a pile of worn dirty clothing back to the store to try to return it. It’s just piggish. Question: how does one leg being shorter than the other affect shoe size?
As we say in Australia - Ethel had more front than Myers (one of our largest department stores) 😊
@@CyndeClarkeThey probably had a lifted sole built into the shoe.
@@CyndeClarke one heel is longer than the other.
Ethel was, in fact, a real jerk and horrible mother. I feel sorry for all of her children. Thank you, Cheere Desnise, for doing these readings for us!😊
Her children were spoiled brats on a level most people cannot imagine. They were never told no, did whatever they chose to do and took delight in mistreating people for the fun of it. RFK Jr loved getting high and fried his brain before he turned eighteen years old.
Ethel made sure her children knew they were American royalty that could do just as they pleased, and they did.
Agreed. Horrible trash!
Agree, I'll never understand how she or any of them are so revered. The epitome of entitled crappy privilege
I never liked Ethel, but l had NO IDEA she was that disgustingly entitled!! I mean it is absolutely mind boggling 😱
I liked her maybe because I liked RFK so much. This has certainly given me pause. Omgosh!
Ethel Kennedy: the ultimate Karen!
I thought I’d name my second child Karen if I had one. I did neither
I worked in retail for many years, in a relatively high(er) end department store, and unfortunately this kind of behavior was not that out of the ordinary - and the worst offenders were quite often the people that presented as “high class”. It taught me at an early age that you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.
I think everyone should work in retail and the restaurant industry as a rite of passage into adulthood. I plan on making sure my kids have experience working in these areas as part of their high school "curriculum". Just working in customer service as a seasonal employee during the holidays is quite the education!!
@@oneofmany7051 I think it's a brilliant concept!
I agree. This is not unusual behavior for the DC political or LA celebrity people.
How can anyone be as irresponsible as Ethel Kennedy?
Oh boy, two days in a row! Thank you, Cheere Denise!
Agree!!!
I have a sister JUST LIKE THIS. She has her picture in every Neiman’s security across the country warning: DO NOT LET THOSE WOMAN RETURN ANYTHING. After burning out one Neiman’s she’d FLY to another state to return something. I had bought decorative artwork at Neimans’s & grew tired of it after a few years. She was shocked I wouldn’t just return it & eventually stole it off my wall & returned it herself. This woman is a millionaire. It’s pathological, it HAS to be…my mom was disgusted, her husband too…but no one could get her to stop.
Wow, just wow.
Sounds like a woman, my daughter knew. Her husband owns quite a few new car dealerships in the area. This was at a home improvement center, she come come in complaining about the paint job on her deck. This went on for months. Finally, her husband intervened and put a stop to it. Your brother in law just needs to cut up her charge cards.
This fascinated me! I’m aging myself but I grew up in the McLean area and I worked part time at Bloomingdales Tysons Corner when I was in school during the 80’s. It’s hard to explain what a big deal Bloomies was back then. It was not unusual to have celebrities and diplomats stop by to go on a shopping spree. I don’t specifically remember Ethel Kennedy, but we had a few women who made a habit of buying expensive designer clothes wearing them, and then returning them. Everyone knew what was going on. I can’t imagine having the audacity to do that!
It’s a wealthy woman thing to do. I knew the wives of several wealthy men who would buy expensive dresses, wear them and then return them. They never cut off the tags. Rules are for the little people.
Bloomies was a big deal
Jackie’s MO was to charge up designer clothing, have the bills sent to Onassis, and then consign the stuff out unworn, and then pocket the money. It was a classic case of laundering, money not the clothes. She was defrauding her husband
And this was after he already gave her a generous allowance
If I was a tradesman I would insist cash up front & all past bills paid in full before anything was done .
Absolutely!
I was utterly DISGUSTED about the neglect of the horses!!!!! 🤬 IF Ethel had trimmed her insane luxury budget and kept the horses in the finest way, she wouldn't have had to face the axe. Absolutely NO EXCUSE to neglect and abuse the horses. They could have turned to the horses for therapy and solace. She was a piece of crap, mourning or no.
When I had to put my horse down I was a mess for months.
As someone who works in retail, I can testify that this type of nonsense happens all the time.
Yeah but it's normally from feral,
You expect better of people of standing.
You’d be surprised. Entitled folks come from every strata of society. All hissy fits are about the same!
Yes I worked retail also, it does happen all the time.
My sister was an intern for Senator Simpson of Wyoming in the 80s
One of her tasks was to bring lunch to the senators
She said Ted Kennedy would always have a Subway sandwich and a six pack of beer
Classy!
Juicy tidbit. Imagine how drunk he was to land his car in the water, killing that beautiful Mary Jo. I think he did not turn himself in until his blood alcohol had gone back to the legal limit and his breath was okay. He would have had charges the night before.
@@DS-mw9gm he was gross
😂😂😂
@@CyndeClarke They are gross!
All I can say is “unblieveable”…what nerve! Ethel Kennedy was a disaster as a mother and a person of integrity.
The real Ethel is a horrible mother.
Enjoying this book. I have no words for Ethel or Teddy.
Oh ! I have words, so
many, many words...
🤐
Teddy is much worse. Ethel didn't leave a woman dying underwater and Ethel didn't sa anyone.
Wow. She was a piece of work.
I like what the maid told her, more people
Should have stood up to her.
Ethel was a horrible person. A horrible mother. Those poor children!
It's kinda sad to see Bobby Jr today and know he had such a horrible mother.
.
A lot of people had horrible mothers but didn't have the access to education and travel and power, so while I have empathy for him, that doesn't give him a pass, IMO.
He made amens with her and was with her different a times in Hyannis Port. There is a Documentary of Ethel by her youngest Rory. They seemed to have bonded but while interviewing for the upcoming Docu she says to her mom you were almost perfect. I don’t know if they were harmed too badly.
@@suestephan3255 I think the older boys got the worst of it.
@@suestephan3255 In all fairness, I think Rory sees her mother through rose colored glasses because she was just a baby when all of this stuff went down.
I believe he is trying for redemption and a better life now.
Maybe she believed paying is for commoners. And perhaps she felt it was insulting if she had to pay, because serving her, in her mind, was payment enough. Her entitlement is off the charts. What an awful person.
Maybe she was just elevated WT
@@yankeecitygirl it took me a minute to figure out what you meant by WT. Haha. Rich trash, at that. It's so hard to comprehend such behavior, and the people who tolerated it got what they deserved, I guess.
Yeah the attitude is mind blowing.
For the life of me, I cannot begin to comprehend how anyone could (or why they would) live this way. I understand she lost her mainstay (RFK), however, she had eleven children, for whom she was responsible. Instead of stepping up, she turned their lives into a morass and did untold damage to all of them. How incredibly mortifying.
There are some people whose reputation makes you grateful you never met them.
All best wishes for 2025, Cheere!
Ethel seemingly had way more interest in breaking some sort of internal record of successful pregnancies than she ever had in being a successful Mother. But then again, she was a Skakel and was raised with little to no role models. I feel sorry for her children. They didn't know how to behave because they were never taught. Ethel sounds like an absolute nightmare of a person.
As a 71 year old woman who was a teenager during the Bobby Kennedy years I appreciate your videos. I worked for a large department store on long Island it was quite common for us to receive clothes in the same condition as Ethel returned hers used, dirty clothes returned with no tags we were usually instructed to accept the return and then there was the day the customer returned a pressure cooker with a chicken still inside unbeknownst to my coworker enjoy all of your videos you look gorgeous happy New Year
Thats funny
Ew!!
Thank you for introducing us to this book and the craziness of that whole family. It is not unusual that women would purchase an outfit for a wedding and return it the next week saying that it did not fit, regardless of the condition of the outfit. I heard about it decades ago and at first did not believe until a family friend, who was complimented on her outfit at a wedding, said that it would be going back to the store the following week. She said if she kept it, it would probably never be worn again and she didn't have the money to waste like that. I still shake my head regarding that.
Her sense of entitlement is such a common thing with wealthy people. Look at what’s happening in America today!
Ethel's brood trashed an inn in Southampton. She put all her kids up at a place called the Village Latch for one of the Lawford girls weddings. The innkeeper had to pursue her for payment and damages
I'm so excited about this episode! Ethel was a horrible, entitled person, and these chapters of the book really show it!
American Royalty a.k.a. the 1% look down upon the 99% and genuinely believe you should be grateful for being allowed in their presence. Ethel learned her selfish ways from her mother. Ethel was a narcissist who was emotionally vacant. Studies are now saying that narcissism is an inherited trait.
Bobby married mummy.
@@elizabethcurrie4920 Spot on! 🎯
@elizabethcurrie4920 38:32 Not so Rose was disciplined and kept her home in orderly fashion.
@@bjedwards5189Rose was always wandering all over the world. She ignored her kids.
@@bjedwards5189 She would visit Paris shopping for couture clothing for months at a time. Hardly a good mother herself. I read Joe was more disciplinarian than Rose. But Rose talked a good game.
Oh my gosh, I'm appalled at her behavior. There is no way this should have happened. I feel for her kids. No guidance or love for them. Thank you for your trading and your input. You think like all of us listening. ❤❤
Wow! Has there EVER been a stable Kennedy living a "normal" life??? If so, please tell me.
The hijinks continued in Jerry Oppenheimer’s book about Ethel’s son Bobby Jr. 📕
If you’re curious to hear more I’m reading that book on my channel right now 👇
ruclips.net/p/PLXBcSYiYQxlebdtfHSDFsl7QfM3b01lXv&si=6XHwizhWZ2U92iBB
I loved that one of the servants finally spoke up to the Kennedy widow,the insult about seeing which hand would fill the quickest has been one of the best for God known how long and a favorite of mine.
One of my late father-in-laws favorite sayings, I could see him saying this with both hands extended. Thank you for the smile.
Yeah, obviously the hand containing poo would fill up faster.
Loved it, and making note! 😊
Would have paid money to see her face.
Hilarious!!!
My mother used to say this but she substituted “spit” for the more common term.
She had neither beauty nor a charming personality. Her intellectual capacity was at a level that might have embarrassed her husband. She seemed to be stuck in adolescence, like a tomboy who never quite outgrew that phase. Yet, she married into a legendary family and became the wife of its most loyal member, perhaps was the most loved woman of all in-laws. Her husband involved her in his work far more than was necessary. She was always by his side, following his every move, ever present despite contributing not much
She spent money on a scale comparable to Queen Elizabeth, all while never holding a real job. Yet, she had an entire team of assistants and even a few press secretaries. I never understand why :)
Despite all the positive media attention, she failed to leave a lasting impact on people, generate even a fraction of the interest Jackie Kennedy commanded. She had too much children but treated them like adorable cute dolls, discarding them once they grew older and lost their charm.
Her sole achievement in life was being RFK’s wife. And yet, at her funeral, three U.S. presidents were in attendance, and she was celebrated as a champion of human rights(!!!) ( ridiculous :) ). Truly, one of history's greatest overachievers.
Very insightful comment. Perhaps it was loyalty that was the Kennedy family catnip.
Oddly it was our family condo…. And yes uncle John did say never again but was actually very fond of Mrs Kennedy. Uncle John a sturdy midwestern was loyal to her for many years after. No the repairs were never paid for. But we always begged to ski down the stairs like the Kennedy kids.
This is great!! She is a product of her upbringing. So much money they couldn’t spend it all. Material possessions meant nothing. You are doing a great job. Please continue.
I can totally see that. When you aren’t taught to value what you have because you could have anything you wanted at any time….that breeds an attitude like she had. She could easily pay to have people clean up any mess left behind too. It just wasn’t on her mental, spiritual, or emotional radar to care about those things because she never had to work to earn them.
Um…”purchasing” items/food you have no intention paying for is called stealing. How did she reconcile that one with her strict faith 🤦🏻♀️
Hypocrites
And why did no one call the police on her and have her arrested as she should have been for stealing so much?
@@lornarettig3215 Everyone enabled this behavior -sadly. She never learned a thing
I worked in Chevy Chase in the mid 80’s-90’s. The sales clerks use to shuddered when she came in. The girls told me she would just take stuff, as if it were free. Didn’t know about bringing back nasty used stuff.
Heard something similar about Joe Biden. A Wilmington local recounted a story where Biden waltzed into a men's clothing store, saw a jacket liked, tried it on, then walked out of the store... without paying for it. When a salesman called out to him about payment, Biden shrugged, flashed his cockeyed smile and said, "Just consider it a campaign donation!"
These entitled elites...🤬
Wow . . . my mouth is hanging open. I’ve never heard of such nonsense in my life! I just can’t believe that Ethel wasn’t embarrassed about what she was doing, that’s what I’ll never understand. Fitzgerald was right when he wrote, “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.” I’ll say!
That's bloody rude of Ethel returning goods
That costs the business. Rich people should know better if they were running
Business. But Ethel never worked a day in
Her life.
Absolutely have NO respect for the Kennedy family.
I never did.
Ethel - another crafted myth by the Kennedy machine. She was basically a garden variety loon with few capabilities for a woman of her means.
Lol
I did not know about Ethel and her entitlement lifestyle, and it is hard to believe anyone could act the way she does!! Her attitudes actually go beyond entitled in my opinion.
These shopkeepers enabled her. At some point, when does the behavior become THEIR fault? Ethel was a terrible person
What a crazy mixed up way of dealing with things. Spending is an addiction just like gambling and alcoholism. She needed help.
Good point
That insult was my mom's FAVORITE. I heard it my entire 30 yrs until she died 35 yrs ago 😂. We STILL use it.
I have learned so much about the Kennedys by listening to you. Thank you for each episode you do! I thoroughly enjoy your channel.
She was doing what a rich, entitled, selfish woman does when keeping up appearances is everything. I am disturbed by how she treated the help the most…and she was lauded in her life for being a lifeline politically to the poor
Sounds like Ethel was a lot like her Mom, "Big Ann".
They both sounded like they thought the absolute world of themselves, for no obvious reason.
Basically it's theft
I squealed when I saw the last one pop up...this time, i only clutched my pearls! I'm too old to be squealing lol
Thank you, Cheere. I look forward to spending time with you. I love how you give the characters their own voices...LBJ is a fave along with Diana.
With a name like Ethel, you ain’t got a chance.
Good for the boutique in Chevy Chase MD. Finally someone said NO.
I remember when Jackie O pulled this stunt with a cheap t shirt she wanted. There is a very famous photo of her wearing it. She said”If I wear it, it is free advertising for you”. The Kennedy widders were shop a holics, Onassis quickly learned that Jackie had no stops and he wanted a divorce. Died before he could complete it. Ethel was a spoiled child her whole life. This is why it is so important for the curtain to be pulled back on this family. The public only saw them in one dimensional photos or film clips on their best behavior.
Loved Jackie but she was worst than
Princess Diana for shopping for expensive
Clothes. She had a budget for $30000
Per month which is a fortune in today's
Money.
Ethel’s retail therapy after RFK’s murder looks like she’s trying to maintain normalcy in the face of life ruins all around her. Women of privilege were not expected to suffer economically when widowed. Families pitch in, particularly with 11 children. People of means generally do the right thing and help. But Kennedys were/are Mass. Yankee cheap. Saving and sponging and gouging without remorse and never letting your wallet see the light of day is a virtue to the old families. It’s tedious and mean. Ethel was the old lady who lived in a shoe. Can you imagine?? 11 kids. Yes Ethel acted like a spoiled teenager, but where was the Skakel $$?
Her son Bobby Jr continues the family tradition of letting others pay his way through life.
The hijinks continued in Jerry Oppenheimer’s book about Ethel’s son Bobby Jr. 📕
If you’re curious to hear more I’m reading that book on my channel right now 👇
ruclips.net/p/PLXBcSYiYQxlebdtfHSDFsl7QfM3b01lXv&si=6XHwizhWZ2U92iBB
I worked in retail in the late 80's. People would wear and try to return stuff all the time. They would try to return altered stuff. You can not return altered clothing. People are disgustingly cheap. You would be amazed!
You know look at her upbringing. Her mother was just the same. How could she ever even know how to budget, parent, be civil. Plus she probably had PTSD from all the tragedies
Yay! Happy New Year, Dear Cheers Denise! Thank you for your content, especially your spectacularly witty commentary! We all love and appreciate your content!
This is how she was raised. Shameful.
What a horrible person. I would never think of doing the awful things she did!
You reading and commentary is such a treat! I would have never picked up the book but love listening! Thank you!
This is utterly disgusting. Had she no shame? No respect for her fellow human beings? It’s horrific. Imagine if she had been the First Lady!!!!! I actually feel sorry for Bobby. If he had lived those children would have had some stability , a role model, love and structure in their lives. No amount of tragedy justifies Ethel’s abhorrent behaviour.
The White House would have been trashed and the Chef and housekeepers would have quit, but they could have made money on their books years later.
This was such a great reading! OMG I can't believe Ethel did all that! So embarrassing!
I think they all need mental help right down to the Grandparents. No one seemed to know how to raise the children and give them love, affection, their respect and everything a child needs to become a decent person. They have all been left to raise and figure out how to live life on their own. It's no wonder every generation is so screwed up.
Fascinating book. Love your commentary so much. Wondering what the impact of this book had on the Kennedy children
Then Oppenheimer’s next book was about Ethel’s son Bobby Jr.
The hijinks continued in Jerry Oppenheimer’s book about Ethel’s son Bobby Jr. 📕
If you’re curious to hear more I’m reading that book on my channel right now 👇
ruclips.net/p/PLXBcSYiYQxlebdtfHSDFsl7QfM3b01lXv&si=6XHwizhWZ2U92iBB
Omg !!!!!! I can't wait for next one Ethel and Andy .Been wait for this one. Can't wait
Ethel grew up in a very wealthy and entitled family. She was never taught the value of money. As a young woman, she married into a powerful and entitled family. A sad trainwreck.
CHEERE....thank you. I can't wait to listen to this, it's 1:24am, but I'm so ready for this. Let's go!
Tbh, this is old family legend…The Kndy’s infamously ripped off EVERY local Hyannisport merchant precisely this disgraceful way and NEVER paid or made restitution! Even self-employed widows with 5 hungry mouths like my great-grandmother! But back in the day, even as recently as 20yrs ago, nobody, and I mean no one, believed these stories (we were actually called liars!).
Do tell....
I’ve read plenty of them….finally,the mask is off!
They didn’t have credit cards in those days. Just as well. She’d have been in a WHOLE lot of trouble dealing with big banks.
I am flabbergasted by the ludicrous behavior of Ethel!!! I cannot believe any store would do business with her! I'm surprised she had any friends!!! Those poor animals!! Thanks Cheere Denise for these readings!!!
My eyes are like this 😳 and I'm only a couple mins in! Wow, the complete unwillingness to deal with reality, must be nice
Thank you, Cheere Denise, i could listen to you read for days. I recently saw your video on where you grew up, and your families being in the mission fields of Papua New Guinea, it touched my soul. I grew up Missionary Baptist, in a church that i watched my grandfather build. The mission fields are very near my heart to this day. How happy i was to know that you are my sister in Christ.
I hope this new year will be the best yet for you and your family. Lord bless & keep you ❤🙏
Brilliant as normal ! Who would want the Kennedy's as customers ?
I didn't know anything about her before this book review so thank you :). As you have progressed, I have wondered if she would have married RFK if he wasn't a wealthy Kennedy who could continue to furnish her with an extravagant lifestyle. Ethel seems like a case study in childhood entitlement and lack of self- discipline. She seems also to have lacked the capacity for delayed gratification. We learn all these things as children if we are raised with boundaries. These situations as described go a long way to explaining some of the decisions her children have made.
Conceited, entitled, immoral and shameless, just to name a few. Ethan was an absolute nightmare. Absolutely no class.
I think you mean Ethel not Ethan.
@@bjedwards5189 😂It was 2am, way past my bedtime.
Another great chapter. Thank you Cheere. X
Earlier in the book when Bobby was alive wasn’t there reference to a certain maid that kept things running smoothly at HH ?? AND my sister lived in suburban DC back in the early 80’s and Ethel rumors were rampant just as book maintains !! SHE NEVER should have pushed Bobby to run for President / and he also should have realized how much he was needed at home to raise those kids !!
To be honest , Bobby Kennedy was too good to simply sit at hpme and babysit . He was such a talented political leader. Recently, I read some oral histories at JFK Library that such a big family became a political liability for him because it was too time consuming and he wasn't spending at least a few weekends for political activities in New York. I believe after assasination of his brother, he was so depressed and left without fighting spirits. His wife became the central figure in his life, and, in some ways, it seems he lost control over their relationship dynamics.
I don't think the presidency of the United States was worth dying for.Ethel and her children should have been Bobby's first priority,not a temporary,high status job like president of the United States.A job is temporary, but family is supposed to be forever. No job is worth dying for.
Okay there Ms Cliff Hanger! I'll be here. And the Claudine Longet story gets wild in '76. Interesting people, the whole bunch.
This chapter is bazaaro world. It puts a terrible look on her not to mention uncouth and being a thief. Despicable. Wonder what Ethel thought of this account?
While you were away I’ve rewatched SPARE and Review. I was really into them and was like wait …cheere is back on!
Missed you !
A great series! That book was ridiculous but so fun to read. I pray Harry writes another memoir!
Thank you Cheere! Love from California. ❤❤❤
I absolutely love your channel and look forward to every episode!! This is typical Kennedy. They are above all, so they think.
I always thought that Ethel and Any Williams were an item. Ethel was a classic malignant narc. She was so angry that her world fell apart....she was going to make everyone as unhappy as she was.
Astonishing! 😊
Way back when Joe humiliated her about her out of control spending, he should have hired a money manager right then and there. Any one who responds "l still have checks left" hasn't a clue about handling money
I knew nothing of all these Ethel shenanigans. Unbelievable.She appears to have been the epitome of entitlement. It's astonishing that anyone could get away with this behavior, I don't care what your last name is. Hickory Hill should have been re-named Hickory Hell.Those poor children were just another accessory to be discarded when she tired of them too.Egregious.
I'm a catholic who was was born in, and have lived in, Northern Ireland all my life. I grew up in the late 70's and 80's and went to convent schools until i was 18. The nuns always had pictures of the Kennedys on the walls of the schools as if they were to be venerated as some kind of saints. I cannot understand why these awful people are held in such high esteem?
My mother had Jesus and JFK on our wall side by side. Catholic as well.
The nuns had no idea all this other crazy stuff was going on. No one did. Now, I hate the Kennedys. I do not hold them in high esteem.
The nuns had no idea all this crazy behavior was going on. No one did. I do not like the Kennedys any more. I think they are like the bad family that lives down the block. You know the one that the police is always be called to visit.
Agree!
I definitely have compassion for all her children now. Even though I don’t agree with some, they went through a lot.
I’m mean COME ON! Family
Of 6 here, if I had one person to cook my dinners each night, and a house cleaner once a week I’d be stylin. WTF was this woman doing that she couldn’t maintain an orderly household. Sure give her a full time nanny as well, 11 kids. It seems like there was a circus of people running around employed by her. She obviously checked out from reality and had no desire to check back in. Wow.
I can’t stop laughing over the clothes. We’ve heard of those people who try to return the dress but imagining her sending off at least 12 outfits. All worn Pitt stained and smelly makes me laugh and not in a good way.
Everybody was without boundaries. The money always eventually showed up so why change?
I have never known all this before.
Love the broadcast!!
I enjoy your channel.
Explain Ethel okay. Ethel was raised by servants her mother shopped and traveled. Ethel grew up in a house where toilets overflowed.
Ethel's brothers shot guns irresponsibly. Her siblings drove irresponsibly.
Ethel didn't learn to live any better. She chose not to live better.
That's my opinion. And I'm a reformed slob.
Oh Cheere I love your commentaries and your take on the books you read. I find them interesting and so look forward to them. This book is in my top three.
Ethel needed therapy. She was a pretty wretched person without her Guiding Light, Bobby. She seems pretty shallow and unsuited to be mother to all those kids. I've met people who loved being pregnant & having babies but had zero interest in raising the kids. Ethel fits that bill.
Happy New Year to you and your family Cheere!
Thanks for bringing us lots of actual joy!! (Unlike someone else we know 😉)
You are wonderful x
Beloved most wonderful Cheere
Thanks for this incredible book and conversations about it. You've been my no1 youtuber for years!! Love you❤
Happy New Year, great episode! Thank you for including the details and the great commentary.
Honestly, I can't even believe the Kennedys are thought of as our "royalty". They're about as classy and interesting as the Kardashians. 😕
@ZoeGirl_hey84 We can thank the lapdog media for that. They even now have to mention "our royal family" whenever they come up in the news.
👍🏻