NEWPORT, R.I. – Reality star Richard Hatch, who was freed this week from prison on a tax evasion sentence tied to his $1 million “Survivor” winnings, said Tuesday that he is hoping for a new reality show about his relationship with the children conceived from his sperm donations.
Hatch, 50, was released Monday from prison for violating the terms of his supervised release in the long-running case. Hatch maintains his innocence and says he does not owe money to the Internal Revenue Service.
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“Here I am, subjected to something that can only be described as institutionalized bullying,” said Hatch, who spent nine months in prisons in five states.
Hatch won the inaugural season of the show in 2000. He was convicted in 2006 of two counts of attempted tax evasion and one count of signing a false tax return. He was released from prison in 2009 but ordered to return after a federal judge ruled he failed to file amended income tax returns for 2000 and 2001.
Shortly before returning to prison in March, Hatch, who lives in Rhode Island, said he met a 22-year-old biological son who is living in New Jersey. Hatch said he met the man, whom he identified only as Devin, through the Sibling Donor Registry, which helps connect donors and children. A DNA test confirmed their genetic ties, he said.
Hatch said another biological child, whom he identified as Emily, a 22-year-old Maine woman, visited him in prison.
“It was additionally challenging to be wrongfully imprisoned knowing that these children were coming forward,” Hatch said.
“I told the court that beforehand. I explained this is a fascinating time in my life when I was at a place where I wanted to get to know these people who are my children who have come forward and want to get to know me.”
He also views the show as a way to help the public understand the relationships between offspring and donors.
“The offspring want connections with their biological donors because of all kinds of varying reasons from health to emotional to whatever they are,” he said.
Hatch said a production company was involved in plans for a TV series about his encounters with his children, but no plans have been finalized. He declined to name the company.
Hatch also has an adopted son, who attends the University of Rhode Island.
Hatch’s discovery is one of the most interesting encountered by Wendy Kramer, executive director of the Sibling Donor Registry. Kramer said she’s known Hatch for years and they have discussed working on a TV project.
Trump steps back from hosting presidential debate
NEW YORK – Donald Trump says he is pulling out of a Republican presidential debate he’d agreed to moderate in Iowa.
The real estate mogul announced Tuesday that he was stepping back in order to preserve the option of running for president in case he’s not satisfied that the eventual Republican nominee can defeat President Obama.
But the Dec. 27 debate has been in jeopardy ever since Mitt Romney signaled he wouldn’t participate. Other candidates bowed out. Only Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum agreed to take part.
Many Republican strategists warned that a presidential debate moderated by Trump, star of “Celebrity Apprentice,” would create a circus-like atmosphere.
Saints’ Brees plans ‘Sesame Street’ visit
NEW ORLEANS – Move over, Grover! One of the NFL’s top passers is heading to “Sesame Street.”
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is making a special appearance on Thursday’s episode of the educational children’s TV show. He visited the set a few months ago to record the segment, which co-stars the street’s furry red resident, Elmo.
The segment will air Thursday morning on PBS Kids.
Brees, who has two young sons, Baylen and Bowen, taped the segment before the start of this year’s regular football season.
Brees leads the NFL with 4,368 passing yards, putting him on pace to break Dan Marino’s single-season passing record of 5,084 yards, which has stood since 1984. Brees led the Saints to victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
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