<p id=”par-1_40″>Before she was a <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/tlc/”>TLC</a> star, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kathy-smothered-mystery-illness.html/”>Kathy Crispino from <em>sMothered</em></a><em> </em>was an unhappy football widow. The big-haired mom from Chicago vented about her husband’s obsession with sports during an appearance on <em>The Oprah Winfrey Show </em>more than two decades ago<em>. </em></p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-kathy-crispino-from-smothered-felt-shut-out-by-her-husband-joe-s-sports-obsession”>Kathy Crispino from ‘sMothered’ felt ‘shut out’ by her husband Joe’s sports obsession</h2>
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<p id=”par-2_83″>Kathy and her husband Joe Crispino were guests on a 1993 <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/oprah-winfrey-show-moments.html/”>episode of<em> Oprah</em></a><em>, </em>where they discussed Joe’s fervent football fandom. The appearance was actually their second on the show. In 1990, the couple invited the talk show’s cameras into their home, where Kathy – sporting a denim jumpsuit with a white belt – showed off Joe’s state-of-the-art sports-watching setup. It included one large and three smaller TVs, as well as an at-home sports ticker that displayed the latest scores every five minutes. </p>
<p id=”par-3_10″>A few years later, Joe’s mancave was even more elaborate. </p>
<p id=”par-4_7″>“The TVs got bigger,” Kathy told Oprah. </p>
<p id=”par-5_16″>The future reality star was frustrated by how much time her husband devoted to watching sports. </p>
<p id=”par-6_20″>“I feel shut out,” Kathy explained. “I’m just really disgusted with it. I’m just so sick of it. It’s ridiculous.” </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-tlc-star-s-husband-said-following-sports-was-like-watching-a-soap-opera”>The TLC star’s husband said following sports was like ‘watching a soap opera’</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high” width=”1200″ height=”742″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Kathy and Cristina from ‘sMothered’ on a pink backround” class=”wp-image-3592649″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg?w=640&h=396 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg?w=768&h=475 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg?w=1024&h=633 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg?w=566&h=350 566w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg?w=273&h=169 273w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg?w=200&h=124 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg?w=820&h=507 820w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sMothered-Kathy-Cristina.jpg?w=97&h=60 97w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>[L-R] ‘sMothered’ star Kathy Crispino and her daughter Cristina | TLC </figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-7_21″>Kathy had a sympathetic ear in Oprah, who struggled to understand why Joe was so fascinated with football and other sports. </p>
<p id=”par-8_21″>For Joe, the appeal of sports was simple: It was entertaining, and no game was ever the same as the last. </p>
<p id=”par-9_36″>“If you like sports, each sport, each time you turn on a game, and it’s a new game, it’s a new drama,” he explained when <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/oprah-winfrey/”>Oprah</a> asked him if all the games tended to “run together.” </p>
<p id=”par-10_21″>“It’s the same thing you get from watching a soap opera,” he said, adding that each game is a “different story.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-kathy-s-husband-joe-died-in-2019″>Kathy’s husband Joe died in 2019 </h2>
<p id=”par-11_27″><em>sMothered </em>fans may be wondering why Joe doesn’t appear on the show. Unfortunately, Kathy’s husband died in September 2019, shortly after <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/smothered-season-1-cast-now.html/”><em>sMothered</em>’s first season</a> debuted on TLC. </p>
<p id=”par-12_13″>Kathy posted a loving tribute to her husband on <a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/B2QF57OD3tg/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Instagram</a> after his death. </p>
<p id=”par-13_62″>“This is the way I met you and the way I will always remember you,” she captioned a photo of her husband as a younger man. “Young Strong and handsome. You gave me a wonderful life and wonderful children I will be forever grateful and you will be always be in my heart. Thank you Joe for everything! Until we meet again!”</p>
<p id=”par-14_22″>The <em>sMothered </em>Season 5 finale airs Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on TLC. Episodes also stream on Max and discovery+.</p>
<p id=”par-15_16″><em>For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to </em><a href=”https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWmTM34h0-P7FcCwuA6h6sw/videos” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel</em></a><em>.</em></p>