Kitty Forman
Katherine "Kitty" Forman (née Sigurdson) is a fictional character on the Fox Network's That '70s Show, portrayed by comic actress Debra Jo Rupp. A nurse, she has taken breaks from her career when it was economically practical, to nurture her family.
| Kitty Forman | |
|---|---|
| That '70s Show character | |
| First appearance | "That '70s Pilot" (episode 1.01) |
| Last appearance | "That '70s Finale" (episode 8.22) |
| Created by | Mark Brazill |
| Portrayed by | Debra Jo Rupp Ashley Peldon (Teenage Kitty) |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Katherine Forman |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Nurse |
| Family | Burt Sigurdson (father; deceased) Bea Sigurdson (mother) Paula Sigurdson (sister) Mr. Sigurdson (brother) |
| Spouse | Red Forman |
| Children | Laurie Forman (daughter; with Red) Eric Forman (son; with Red) Steven Hyde (foster son; with Red) |
| Relatives | Albert Forman (father-in-law; deceased) Bernice Forman (mother-in-law; deceased) Marty Forman (brother-in-law) Jerry Forman (brother-in-law) Fez (ex-son-in-law) Pearl (maternal aunt) Mrs. Sigurdson (sister-in-law) Penny Sigurdson (maternal niece) |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth name | Katherine Anne Sigurdson |
Nurturing but enabling, she has a very recognizable laugh whenever she is nervous about anything (which is often), a fondness for square dancing, and an even greater fondness for liquor of almost all kinds (wine, kahlua, bourbon, mai tais, margaritas, etc.) She puts her family first and tries to smooth over the many conflicts within her household, although her efforts often fail. She is also an unofficial foster mother to the entire group.
About Kitty Forman
Kitty is Eric and Laurie Forman's mother and the wife of Red Forman: a cheerful, sunny, sweet-natured typical housewife with a much happier, gentler personality as opposed to that displayed by her ill-tempered, wisecracking husband, Red. She almost always treats those around her sweetly and kindly and shows far more respect for the teenagers than Red does. She cooks a great deal and often uses food to encourage and cheer people up.
She has occasionally been provoked into using profanity strong enough to be censored out, albeit otherwise she seldom raises her voice to other people. She smoked frequently for a period of time before deciding to quit the habit, although when stressed she has been shown to relapse, even taking a cigarette from one of the teenagers when desperate, due to an unexpected visit from her mother-in-law, who treats her shabbily. When she went into menopause in Season 5, she gets temperamental behavior and mood swings which causes her to become very mad and agitated.
Her parents
Kitty's parents generally generate stress for both Kitty and Red, particularly her rather cold, unaffectionate, hypercritical mother, Bea (played by Betty White). Kitty's genial but rather hapless father, Burt (played by Tom Poston), evokes more affection. Burt makes a terrible financial investment in an ostrich farm (located next to a coyote farm) which costs the Sigurdsons their home, leaving them dependent on the Formans. He collapses outside the house and dies soon afterward, the only occasion on which Bea shows emotion, albeit privately until Kitty finds her.
Relationship with the kids
Unlike Red, Kitty enjoys having young people around her house. In regards to her children, she clearly favors Eric. She sees Laurie's true colors (unlike Red, who favors Laurie and browbeats Eric) and once said she loves her daughter "because I have to". She sometimes tries to get through to Laurie, almost always without success.
Upon learning Eric has lost his virginity (episode "The Parents Find Out") she stays in bed, depressed and angry at Donna, only leaving bed when Eric reminds her that he needs Kitty to protect him from Red. For a time, she is sad that her children are growing up and expresses a desire for another baby, episode "Baby Fever", a feeling her husband does not share.
Kitty resolves her sadness over not being able to have another child when Red reminded her of grandchildren. When Eric and Donna announce that they are moving to Madison at the end of season five, Kitty suffers a nervous breakdown, exacerbated by Red's support of the plan. Later, when Eric plans to go to Africa in season seven, Kitty tries to sabotage his efforts by withholding food and information on immunizations. After he leaves at the start of season eight, Kitty briefly tries marijuana.
Kitty is fond of Hyde, whom they take in after his mother abandons him, leaving him nowhere to go. In the episode "Kitty's Birthday (Is That Today!?)", Hyde is the only one who remembers her birthday, and in the episode "Jackie Bags Hyde", Kitty is the one who helps Hyde realize he likes Jackie. Kitty treats Hyde as a second son even after he moves out of the Forman basement. In the series finale, she referred to him as "my second son".
Kitty treats Eric's other friends Kelso, Fez and Jackie as her own children as well; she looks out for them and helps them out on numerous occasions throughout the series. For example, she taught the prenatal class Kelso and Brooke take before Betsy's birth, she attempts to teach Jackie how to bake on two occasions, and she behaves as a mother to Fez, who hasn't seen his real parents since emigrating to the United States.
Being a nurse and a maternal figure, she is the one who treats the teenagers whenever they get physically injured (which happens quite often), especially Kelso. Kitty plays an active role in all the group's private lives; for example, she is the one who orchestrated the talk between Jackie and her mother Pam (played by Brooke Shields) in season six. Kitty seems to dislike anyone who questions her values, telling Jackie to "shut your dirty little mouth" when she references Kitty's frequent drinking; and when Kelso asks if she'd ever smoked, she stares at him and Red makes him leave.
Despite being a motherly figure to all of the teens, Kelso and Fez seem to have some sexual attraction towards her. Fez admits this to Charlie Richardson after he sees Kitty naked accidentally, asking what she looked like and saying, "And I'm only asking this because I find Miss Kitty attractive in a sexual way." Also, after Kelso has a break up with Hyde's sister, Angie, he tells Eric, "I need a hug from your mom." Eric concludes his conversation with Hyde, leaving to "go pull Kelso off my mother". Also, Hyde, before his (technically not legal) adoption made him Kitty's son, demonstrated some attraction to Kitty, such as when she was teaching him dancing, he greatly enjoyed placing his hand in the small of her back, almost sexually. As part of the plot of that episode, Bob sees them and assumes they are having an affair.
In season eight, with Eric gone, she seemingly replaces him with Fez. Fez begins dating a friend of hers (who is a cougar) and when she finds out, she snaps and demands he break it off, to which he replies, "You can't tell me what to do. You're not my mother."[1] Kitty takes great offense to this and storms off and makes herself a blender full of alcohol. Donna and Jackie help Fez realize that Kitty has been the closest thing he has to a mother and she thinks of Fez as her own son. Fez makes up with Kitty afterward.
References
- "Good Company". That '70s Show. Season 8. Episode 8. January 12, 2006. Event occurs at 12:22. Fox.