Mob Wives: Karen Gravano on Good Day Chicago

Karen Gravano visited Good Day Chicago this morning for a quick interview. The first thing they discuss is all the criticism that Mob Wives Chicago is getting, as reported in the Sun-Times. They bring up the fact that Italians are riled up because the show popularizes stereotypes such as portraying Italians as "Big haired, bimbos, dim-witted guidos and vicious mobsters." Karen says that Italian stereotypes have been around a long time. In the show they are not portraying "Italians," they are portraying themselves. They aren't representing a city or a nationality, they are just representing themselves. Karen says there was a lot of criticism even in Staten Island in the beginning, when the show first aired, but things have calmed down a lot since then. It's basically entertainment. She adds when they have nice relaxing episodes and everyone gets along, they are criticized for being boring. Karen is asked why anyone would want to be a reality tv star when every time you hear about someone from a reality show it's always negative. Karen says she is just learning about all of that, how editing can make a situation seem like something it wasn't. She explains Jennifer's vision of doing a series that shows the aftermath of what families go through when the men go to prison. Karen says after thinking about it it was something she wanted to participate in. This is why she feels her book is so important because it really gets into that too. She feels viewers don't want to hear about these issues, but prefer to watch when they are acting crazy. Karen discusses a little about her father and how she had a difficult time with his turning informant. She had to deal with everyone turning on her at the time. Karen says she is doing the show and has written the book to shed light on the dark side of the lifestyle. Great interview! Check it out.

Go see Karen at her book signing at Anderson's Bookstore tonight in Naperville @ 7 PM. Karen will also be appearing at the Funky Buddha Lounge @ 10 PM 728 West Grand Avenue, Chicago Illinois! Jennifer Graziano may also be in the house!

Video Credit: Good Day Chicago