The Hatmakers are a case study on how a little momentary fame and a little momentary money wrecked a family and their faith.

Makes me sad to think of them as sweet humble Jesus lovers full of beautiful ideals to make the church more approachable and homey.
Now they both seem like caricatures pretending to be someone they think is cool but it’s not who they were ever really meant to be. They both preen and pose and come across as pretentious phonies.
Perhaps the loving pastor personas were just role they put on and then took off as well.
Curious what the trajectory is for their current acts? It’s all gonna look remarkably ridiculous as they age. It already does.

Celebrity and money changed this family so so much. Theres a study in psychology in their lives somewhere. It’s a whole thesis topic on how social media and a little fame and money change an entire family.

When I first met them, I think Jen drove an old Ford Expedition or Chevy Tahoe ( can’t remember exactly) and he drove an older Ford pick-up. They seemed like regular folk who lived in a nice run of the mill subdivision in a pretty nice house, but it wasn’t spectacular or anything. Then it became cool to trend retro - and the rickety old farm house right off the downtown area in Buda.

Brandon was much more “wimpy” talking and acting than he portrays now. I’m not saying he was wimpy at all - just his presence, through pictures at least, seems much more masculine—- toxic masculine. I’d say he has definitely left the pastoring life way behind. Secular world it is—for both of them.

Anonymous wrote:Well I’ve been one who kind of felt bad for Brandon being married to a narcissist for 20+ years but something shifted when I read our thread’s PI outlining a convincing story of his possible adultery. It may not even be true but it caused me to see him as more of a user. Like did he really need to post all the boobie photos of Tina? I get it’s been 2 years but come on man you’re 50 and your kids see this weird man child behavior out of you. Not to mention the endless liquor pictures. He seems about 21 emotionally, based on what puts a high emphasis upon. (Hot chick, booze, motorcycles, muscle cars, bars, concerts, sports events, expensive: hats/boots, vacations &gifts) surprisingly superficial stuff for a former pastor. Former ANCer’s was he always like this or did this escalate with his mid life crises?

When I went there 2008-ish. Back when they were at the Akins Highschool and through the time at Jackie’s on Manchaca, he sort of slowly morphed into what he is today. He was slight- tall and thin-ish. Wispy goatee with our the stache. Hair short and thinning. He wore normal jeans with Chuck Taylors most days and a untucked long sleeve button down with the sleeves rolled up. Maybe had a tat or two if I recall. After communion when the band was playing the final tunes, and everyone is in deep reflection swaying to and fro, he’d kneel down by the stage and strike a pose on one knee, but his head down and pray as tho he was praying has hard as he could. He’d talk in great platitudes about how weird it was to go to a new church and ANC was just a place to welcome everyone, ya know? That’s how he’s end sentences, “ya know?” Whatever, I didn’t care. Somewhere, after several months @ Jackie’s he started talking more about the bikers and riding with them…. He started changing. More tats. Full beard. Buzz cut. More hats with flat brim pull way down low like an idiot. Boots and jeans that no real cowboy would ever wear. I always thought he was channeling Jesse James. Now it’s motorcycle club stuff, rings, wallet chain, cute little motorcycle gang vest thing. And inked up like crazy. Looks like he’s taken some roids or human growth hormones—- much thicker and bulkier than he was 10 years ago.

Well I’ve been one who kind of felt bad for Brandon being married to a narcissist for 20+ years but something shifted when I read our thread’s PI outlining a convincing story of his possible adultery. It may not even be true but it caused me to see him as more of a user. Like did he really need to post all the boobie photos of Tina? I get it’s been 2 years but come on man you’re 50 and your kids see this weird man child behavior out of you. Not to mention the endless liquor pictures. He seems about 21 emotionally, based on what puts a high emphasis upon. (Hot chick, booze, motorcycles, muscle cars, bars, concerts, sports events, expensive: hats/boots, vacations &gifts) surprisingly superficial stuff for a former pastor. Former ANCer’s was he always like this or did this escalate with his mid life crises?

Anonymous wrote:

Jen looks like a walking JJill catalog from 2010. She’s about 10 years behind the trends. Tina looks like someone who likely worked at a tanning salon, shops at Forever 21, and thinks Olive Garden is fine dining. A little more fashionable- but puts in a lot more effort and is slightly skanky looking.

HEY! I resent this slander against JJill!

(I don't care if I'm on trend or not, you will pry my JJill and my Market & Spruce from my cold, dead hands. But also, I care about 0% for fashion. My look is solidly 'coastal grandmother' even though I am neither.)

Back to the comment about her making friends in a diner. I think she enjoys winning people over. And that’s easy to do when you’re going to be somewhere for 20 minutes and never see them again. I’ve known several people like this. They love having this feeling of camaraderie with the waiter/grocery store clerk/guy working at the Delta counter. It makes them feel so giddy and energized. But it’s not about the other person. It’s about how they feel good about themselves when they walk away. And maybe also about how everyone who witnesses the interaction sees them.

Great point/observation. As a former waitress, I enjoyed some friendly banter with customers if it wasn't terribly busy.

Pre pandemic she and Bessey, Howerton, Wright, etc were having AMAs about their glorious friendship and I wonder how her local gang felt about it. And the photos of when all the husbands met up from the far-flung group- eek. I felt the husbands looked like they reallly didn't want to be there.

Then there was the story of when Jen flew up to be with Jamie after Jamie's son died, and Jamie later told a story of Jen starting some big game where she loudly started catching M&Ms in her mouth and how she was the best at it. Jamie must have had Stockholm syndrome because she framed it as Jen's special gift of caring for her during that horrible time. I can't even with them.

Anonymous wrote:Also…does Jen read social cues when she’s making all these new *friends*? More often than not they’re probably just going along with it and being polite, not wanting to be rude.

I remember her posting a time of when she saw a bride and groom somewhere she was traveling. She didn’t know them and interrupted them getting pictures or something because she just needed to gush on them and tell them how precious they were. She alluded that she does that often.

Yes! This was post divorce announcement on a trip with friends at the beach somewhere. She said walking up to random bride and grooms and telling them how great they look is her thing, and her friends give her a hard time about it. (Of course.) she even showed a screenshot of a text to one of her many besties where she told the woman “Guess what I ran into a bride and groom on the beach!” And the friend said something like that’s so Jen.

Back to the comment about her making friends in a diner. I think she enjoys winning people over. And that’s easy to do when you’re going to be somewhere for 20 minutes and never see them again. I’ve known several people like this. They love having this feeling of camaraderie with the waiter/grocery store clerk/guy working at the Delta counter. It makes them feel so giddy and energized. But it’s not about the other person. It’s about how they feel good about themselves when they walk away. And maybe also about how everyone who witnesses the interaction sees them.

Anonymous wrote:I'm not delusional enough to think that Tina or Brandon frequent this board, but damn, I will never understand the pro-Brandon tilt of this page. The evidence is pretty clear that Brandon has been stepping out for years on Jen. Like at least four years. And so many posters conveniently ignore that and instead assume that Brandon and Texas Barbie are just soul mates meant for each other, and that we are all happy that Brandon found love after Jen ignored his needs for years.

That's kind of messed up. I'm no Jen fan, but she should be allowed to have a career without a man baby throwing their marriage down the toilet behind her back.

Can you please share some of this clear evidence?!? I’m not saying I think this is necessarily untrue, but my feelings aren’t based in much fact or evidence, rather the old -middle age guys always cheat- thing, ya know? I’m just curious about clear evidence.

Also…does Jen read social cues when she’s making all these new *friends*? More often than not they’re probably just going along with it and being polite, not wanting to be rude.

I remember her posting a time of when she saw a bride and groom somewhere she was traveling. She didn’t know them and interrupted them getting pictures or something because she just needed to gush on them and tell them how precious they were. She alluded that she does that often.

Anonymous wrote:Something that bothered me in the Glennon (blech) podcast was how Tyler described Jen as "making friends wherever she goes. I show up at the diner and she is already friends with the wait staff!"
No, Tyler. They aren't her friends. She is friend-ly, maybe, but girlfriend has a very loose and mutable definition of friend and esp "bestie" of which she has legion, lol

Yet go back a few pages and lots of PP have arrested she is a really crappy friend in real life, and was long before she was “famous”

Anonymous wrote:I'm not delusional enough to think that Tina or Brandon frequent this board, but damn, I will never understand the pro-Brandon tilt of this page. The evidence is pretty clear that Brandon has been stepping out for years on Jen. Like at least four years. And so many posters conveniently ignore that and instead assume that Brandon and Texas Barbie are just soul mates meant for each other, and that we are all happy that Brandon found love after Jen ignored his needs for years.

That's kind of messed up. I'm no Jen fan, but she should be allowed to have a career without a man baby throwing their marriage down the toilet behind her back.

If it makes you feel better I dislike them both equally

Something that bothered me in the Glennon (blech) podcast was how Tyler described Jen as "making friends wherever she goes. I show up at the diner and she is already friends with the wait staff!"
No, Tyler. They aren't her friends. She is friend-ly, maybe, but girlfriend has a very loose and mutable definition of friend and esp "bestie" of which she has legion, lol

Good point! What passes for rehab in 2022 is basically summer camp. No more making your amends and doing the work, a la Hazelden and Betty Ford Center.