Jacob Rees-Mogg slaps down Brexit claim on BBC Question Time
Former Conservative MP for North East Somerset, husband and father-of-six Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has made headlines since his show Meet the Rees-Moggs aired on Discovery Plus.
However, viewers who expected to get a closer insight into the daily life of the eccentric politician have been left thoroughly let down as they declared the Kardashian-style series to be "boring".
The Independent's Nick Hilton said the show entered "murkier ethical grounds" when it showed Rees-Mogg's sons, Anselm, 12, Alfred, 8, and Sixtus, 7, shouting 'Vote Conservative!' down a megaphone and dressing up in black tie to eat birthday cake.
He questioned if the children, "innocent of their privilege still", would come to "regret their part in propagandising for the silver spoon brigade" and said he felt it was "not fair" on them as "non-consenting participants".
Nick wrote his review: "Those expecting a hate-watch will be disappointed; those expecting a political hagiography will find it vapid."
Meanwhile, Rachel Cook from The New Statesman, who attended the press screening, said she and other journalists "found it hard to laugh" at parts that were clearly meant to be funny, while TV expert Scott Bryan branded the show "the worst show of 2024".
However, users on X shared their excitement over the new series and even praised Jacob for the close relationship he shares with his young children.
One wrote: "I urge you to watch ‘Meet the Rees-Moggs’. He has money, but he lives like a normal, real person in all the ways that matter (i.e., beyond the superficial) and spends much time with his children. I think that’s a lot more than can be said for many of the globalist humanoids."
A second replied: "Watching “Meet the Rees-Moggs” on the tele box. Quite a thing!"
A third commented: "I'm not particularly a big fan of JRM, but you bet I’ll be watching Meet the Rees-Moggs.
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Jacob married his wife Helena Anne Beatrix Wentworth Fitzwilliam de Chair in 2007 and last had a child in 2017, with the arrival of son Sixtus Dominic Boniface Christopher.
The other children's full names are Alfred Wulfric Leyson Pius, Thomas Wentworth Somerset Dunstan, Peter Theodore Alphege, Anselm Charles Fitzwilliam and Mary Anne Charlotte Emma Rees-Mogg.
With religion playing a big part in Jacob's life, many of his children's names are rooted in Christianity.
He says the family are "more Addams family than Keeping up with the Kardashians" and proceeds to sing the theme tune of the 1964 TV series: "They're creepy, and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky."
The lifestyle the Rees-Moggs lead is more kooky to the ordinary person - in the show, the family have black-tie dinners every Saturday, attend a birthday party at Boris Johnson's house, and there's Sunday Mass in a private chapel on the family's Somerset estate.
Sir Jacob says he was very aware of the risk of inviting cameras into his home.
"Reality programmes can be very unfavourable, so there was a risk involved in doing this, but Helena and I agreed it was a sensible risk.
"By virtue of being called Rees-Mogg, my children can't escape who they are, and this has always had an effect on their life - they've grown up with people telling them 'my parents don't like your daddy,' and we decided that this show wouldn't make that any better or worse."
