Reporting from New York and Los Angeles —Even by reality television standards, the showdown in the Season 1 finale of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" was epic: A furious Teresa Giudice screamed at fellow cast member Danielle Staub that she was a "prostitution whore," then yanked a table into the air, sending dishes crashing to the ground.
Watching the drama were Staub's noticeably alarmed daughters, then 11 and 15, whose mother had kept them in the room for the exchange.
New Jersey prohibits minors from appearing in entertainment productions dangerous to their "life, limb, health or morals." But the state could not say whether the "Housewives" series was subject to its child labor laws.
A public records investigation by The Times found that dozens of kids are appearing on reality programs without legal safeguards because of widespread uncertainty about how to classify the shows. In its examination of some of the most visible series featuring children under 16, The Times found that a majority had not obtained work permits to employ minors — including TLC's "19 Kids and Counting," WE tv's "Raising Sextuplets" and the entire "Real Housewives" franchise on Bravo.
Although I'm kind of shocked that no one's come out to get Danielle Staub's kids now that she has a porno out, I think that kids appearances on TV should be left up to the discretion of the parents.
