Ted Kennedy
Did Ted Kennedy father a child out of wedlock back in 1983? That's what the National Enquirer reports this week. According to
the Enquirer's story, the mother is a Cape Cod woman named Caroline Bilodeau, and the son, Christopher, is now of legal age and wants his family status acknowledged. Teddy was still married to his wife Joan at the time, but filed for divorce several months later.
Teddy is denying the story—his spokeswoman, Melissa Wagoner, called it "irresponsible fiction"—but the Enquirer stands by it.
Who to believe? Well, it's hard to imagine that if Teddy really were the boy's father, he'd outright deny it; that'd be pretty low. On the other hand, the Enquirer doesn't usually make claims this dramatic unless it's really got them nailed down. (Of course, Teddy's not likely to sue, as the discovery process would be a gauntlet for him.)
Interestingly, the Boston Herald has run with the story—in its gossip column—while the Boston Globe, as far as I can tell, hasn't printed a word about it. Admirable restraint, or protecting the Kennedys? What a small town Boston really is. If Hillary Clinton had allegedly had a love child (or even Chuck Schumer), it'd be on the front page of both tabloids... I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, but the differences between the cities are dramatic.
