He has had to put up with the disrespect for years. The constant berating of his talent and comparison against his younger brothers (including Frankie, which frankly should be against the law), and all for what? To be “edgy” and “hip”? Did you know that his real first name was Paul? Do you think those sweet guitar licks just simply appear within the hits upon hits that the Jonas Brothers put out? Kevin Jonas has not received the attention and care that his brothers have and that needs to change. Kevin Jonas deserves better.
I hesitate to say that Kevin is simply misunderstood, as I don’t believe that’s the case. The dynamic between the Jonas Brothers has been skewed somewhat due to the roles in which each member was forced into. In 2007, the band appeared in an episode of Hannah Montana called “Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas,” and each member getting an assigned character trait from Hannah. Kevin is assigned as the “cute romantic one.” This may indicate that Kevin is in the clear, but since the band is always shown as a unit with similar personalities, there is no room to explore the individual. This leads to people filling in their assumptions later when shows that dived into each person started to come out. The episode was released in August of 2007, and the first iPhone had only been released a few months earlier in June of that year. There were little resources to explore the people behind the characters portrayed on the screens, so it was that much easier for viewers to be swayed by what they saw through television.
Let’s look into exactly how Kevin is portrayed in various roles. There is a misconception that Joe is the “funny one” within the group, but I would dare to say that Kevin, too, is marketed within the group as being the “funny one.” This trope was cemented through the group’s 2009-2010 television show, Jonas (known as Jonas L.A. for the second season), in which Kevin is portrayed as a “dumb” stereotype, often providing simple comic relief, even with Joe providing such as well. Joe’s remarks are clever and well-timed, making him the “off the wall” brand of comedy. Because of their sharing of being the “funny one,” both Kevin and Joe are often paired together against Nick. There has to be something to differentiate Kevin from Joe, which is why Kevin is portrayed as being of slightly lower intelligence than Joe.
A similar trope can be seen within the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock in which the 3 brothers play “Connect 3”. What differentiates these characters from the Jonas TV show, however, is that Joe plays the moody, entitled, and somewhat mean spirited Shane Gray, while Kevin continues to be the goofy comedic relief with the character of Jason Gray. The disrespect for Kevin has been growing for years, almost subconsciously drilled into our brains by Disney Channel.
My personal love for the Jonas Brothers can, understandably, cause my opinion to be a bit biased. In order to upkeep my obviously intact journalistic integrity, I reached out to some students at Tulane to get their opinions on the matter. Lily Kanigher, a freshman, expressed her theory as to why some may not appreciate Kevin as much as his younger counterparts.
“When I was 8, he was already married and that didn’t make sense to my brain. He’s like the father of the group.” This did put audiences who had gotten into the Jonas Brothers towards the end of—dare I say it—the golden era of Jonas at somewhat of a disadvantage. I will admit, I was a Nick girl myself because it was easier to be interested in the members such as himself and Joe who were marketed as bachelors. This is what I like to call the “John Lennon Approach.” When John Lennon of the Beatles had married Cynthia Powell in 1962, Brian Epstein, the band’s manager was convinced that fans may be discouraged by one of the members being married, so the union was kept a secret. This was not the case with Kevin and his wife Danielle, as no one should feel like they need to hide their love, but after his marriage, their fanbase at the time was no longer able to see Kevin as “available.” This has obvious unhealthy implications, but that was the reality.
While there is an obvious disconnect between public opinion and Kevin’s musical talent, he has expanded into other industries, including (but not limited to), starting the real estate development and construction company JonasWerner as well as being the co-CEO of The Blu Market company, which deals with the logistics behind social media influencers. According to PureWow.com, Kevin is allegedly worth $25 million, so I think he’s doing alright. That isn’t even accounting for his two beautiful children, loving wife, and his brothers, whom I assume all support him in his daily life.
With the recent (and deeply needed) reunion of the Jonas Brothers, I can only hope that the next generation of Jonas Brothers fans give Kevin the love he deserves. I pass the baton onto those who may come after me. Don’t listen to the haters, Kevin, and long live the Jonas Brothers.
Cover Photo: Instagram @DudewithSign, made by Mercedes Ohlen
About Mercedes Ohlen
Mercedes was The Crescent’s Editor-in-Chief from 2022-2023. She graduated from Tulane with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. She enjoys going to the movies, fashion, and writing about the great city of New Orleans. She will be pursuing a career lifestyle journalism, publishing, or a job within comedy upon her graduation from Tulane. No topic is too obscure, and no story too niche. Roll Wave!
Mercedes was The Crescent’s Editor-in-Chief from 2022-2023. She graduated from Tulane with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. She enjoys going to the movies, fashion, and writing about the great city of New Orleans. She will be pursuing a career lifestyle journalism, publishing, or a job within comedy upon her graduation from Tulane. No topic is too obscure, and no story too niche. Roll Wave!
