Kitty Forman

Katherine Anne "Kitty" Forman (née Sigurdson) is a fictional character on the Fox Network's That '70s Show, portrayed by comic actress Debra Jo Rupp. Kitty is a nurse but sometimes takes a break from her career to make peace in the family. She also has a very recognizable laugh (an accident on Debra Jo Rupp's part) and a fondness for square dancing. Kitty is in very many ways a typical 1970s wife and mother, putting her family first and always trying to smooth over the many conflicts within her household, although her efforts often fail. She is an unofficial foster mother to the entire group and is a source of comfort and advice for them all.

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 virtually always treats those around her sweetly and kindly and shows far more respect for the teenagers than Red does. She tries to encourage group activity, sociability and teamwork in those around her (particularly Red or anyone showing reluctance to do so at the time), and normally is seen with a smile on her face. She also harbors a love of square-dancing and overflows with powerful maternal instinct, doting on her children and always on the search for something else to nurture, such as her beloved pet dachshund Schatzi. However, Kitty also possesses a darker side; when antagonized, she has been known to be provoked into using profanity strong enough to be censored out, albeit otherwise she seldom raises her voice to other people. She also 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. (This was because actress Debra Jo Rupp had tried to quit the habit in real life).

Relationship with the Kids

Unlike Red, Kitty enjoys having young people around her house. In regards to her children, she plays favorites with Laurie and Eric. She thinks of Laurie as a screw-up and says she loves her "because I have to". She often tries to get through to Laurie, but most of the time has no luck and gives up. To her, Eric is her baby and she fears losing him to Donna, so she often babies him and is overprotective. Upon hearing of Eric losing 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", which Red is not happy about. She only resolves not having a baby when Red reminded her of grandchildren, which he has also forgotten. She proceeds to ask both Laurie and Eric about having kids, and decides that she isn't excited for Laurie's children and can't wait for Eric's. 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.

Maybe even more than Eric, Kitty is fond of Hyde, whom they take in after his mother leaves, 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". Although Eric has occasionally expressed his jealousy of Hyde for the supposed better treatment Hyde receives from Kitty and Red, it has never been a major issue and Hyde and Eric behave more like brothers than friends throughout the series.

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 his immigration. 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 in season six. She is somewhat close to Donna, but as a competitor for Eric and as the daughter of her best friends. Kitty is astonished in how many times they "change partners" and is happy to have the people to care for, although she is not fond with the drama of having all of Eric's friends hang out at her house. Kitty seems to dislike anyone who questions her values, telling Jackie to "shut her dirty little mouth" when she references Kitty's drinking; and when Kelso asks if she'd ever smoked, she stared 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 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.

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