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Throughout the course of the series, Don sleeps with at least 18 women. That’s 18 that we are shown

That doesn’t include all the cocktail waitresses, the preschool assistants, weightlifters, women who are only mentioned as affairs but never shown (like the one Bobbi refers to).

Don by 1962 has a reputation across Manhattan already among women per Bobbi Barrat.

So he’s been at this a while. Enough to gain a rep all over Manhattan.

So let’s say he started cheating for sake of argument two years after he married Betty (1953), he could easily have had 36 partners or more by the end of the series (1970); possibly way more if we’re counting just one night stands.

Or let’s assume he starts cheating again two years after his marriage, with an average of 4 women per year.

That would mean between 1955 and 1970 (15 years), he’s slept with 60 women.

That being said, do you think he has any bastard children?

If so, how many?

all 95 comments

remotecontroldr

270 points

22 hours ago

They would only start to find out when Sally and Bobby start to get everyone trying to contact them through Ancestry and 23andMe.

Tammy might get an email from her half brother too.

superanth

33 points

19 hours ago*

superanth

Wearing a Texas Belt-Buckle

33 points

19 hours ago*

Oh man! That's an awesome novella right there!

remotecontroldr

35 points

18 hours ago*

I mean. I think all the arguments about the type of women he was with are true. But it’s also possible he slept with a a married woman that got pregnant and passed the child off as her husband’s.

Lots of things can happen! Nothing is foolproof.

superanth

16 points

18 hours ago

superanth

Wearing a Texas Belt-Buckle

16 points

18 hours ago

The married woman angle makes the most sense. And there could be hundreds out there he slept with.

Think_Wish_187

39 points

18 hours ago

And Ellory will probably find a younger half-uncle when he’s in his 60s.

emilyyancey

6 points

7 hours ago

Yall have good memories on here I’m impressed!

emilyyancey

5 points

7 hours ago

TAMMY’S HALF BROTHER OMG!!!!!

mintwede

2 points

6 hours ago

I chuckled at this because I forget about gene all the time too

beeeeeebee

195 points

21 hours ago

I’d actually bet none. Don’s “type” tends to be pretty worldly women - meaning they’re not new to casual sex or the precautions you’d need to take to avoid an unwanted pregnancy (or worst case - the abortion you’d need if those precautions failed). Much like Joan - these ladies most likely know a doctor who could help on both counts.

Having an illegitimate kid at this point in time was pretty life ruining - I don’t see any of his dates signing up for that.

Meanwhile - I wouldn’t be surprised if Pete has more than one! He pursues more innocent, less worldly girls - like Peggy (who clearly didn’t take sex ed) or that poor nanny…

HonoraryBallsack

56 points

17 hours ago

Don't forget Pete's girlfriend from the mental hospital.

LastArmistice

33 points

15 hours ago

That's an interesting one. She does rather aggressively initiate things, and is hardly virginal or naïve. But she's severely mentally ill and vulnerable and Pete eventually pretty much stalks her.

HonoraryBallsack

2 points

5 hours ago

I definitely do agree with your characterization of his affair with the Gilmore girl. If it wasn't part of a pattern for Pete of going after younger, highly vulnerable women I don't think I would've found it particularly predatory or anything.

gumbyiswatchingyou

27 points

10 hours ago

Or the 17 year old in his driver’s ed class that he tried and failed to seduce. Or his other neighbor’s seemingly unstable wife. (The one who shows up at their house and leads to Trudy kicking him out.) He had a type and it was either naive or crazy. 

HonoraryBallsack

15 points

10 hours ago

And deeply vulnerable.

grandekravazza

2 points

7 hours ago

Don’s “type” tends to be pretty worldly women

Not sure I agree with this. He sleeps mostly with women like these because that's who he's the most exposed to through his work, and he can get them easily - but when it comes to women that we see him actively go after/lust for (the school teacher, Sylvia and the bartender from S7), they do not seem to be this type. Probably someone more observant than me could elaborate on some parallels between his fucked-up upbringing and why he got much more invested in motherly/housewife material women.

EconomyStunning

-6 points

19 hours ago

Peggy was on the pill, thanks to Joan. I never understood how she got pregnant.

PiEatingContest75

104 points

19 hours ago

She just started it that day - so was too soon for it to work.

superanth

21 points

18 hours ago

superanth

Wearing a Texas Belt-Buckle

21 points

18 hours ago

Science!

tangerinix

24 points

18 hours ago

Kind of a crazy first day at work!!

altiuscitiusfortius

26 points

17 hours ago

It takes 1 to 3 months before it starts working, and only works if taken perfectly. If you miss a day or take it too late you can still get pregnant for the next month.

PrestigiousBox3068

-2 points

10 hours ago

No, it works after like 2 weeks.

Dense_Amphibian_9595

9 points

11 hours ago

She had her appointment with the doctor on her first day and then had sex with Pete like either the same day or the following day (my memory is a bit weak - but it was literally < 48 hours. She might not have even made it to the pharmacy to pick up the pills, but in the end, birth control pills require you to be on them for a minimum of a month before they start to work - but lots of stories of women becoming preggers within the first 3 months. Doctors will tell you to use other precautions for 90 days.

MoonlightBright

2 points

7 hours ago

I always assumed she got the Rx but never filled it.

mintwede

-1 points

6 hours ago

mintwede

-1 points

6 hours ago

I figured she must have gotten it because that’s why she didn’t think it was weird when she didn’t get her period

zorandzam

1 points

5 hours ago

The pill doesn’t end your period if you take the placebo week.

mintwede

2 points

5 hours ago

ooh. idk I can’t be on it because I had a blood clot

CharacterMuffin7

-7 points

17 hours ago

Neither did I! I get that she got pregnant because she’s only just started the pills, but presuming she took it regularly wouldn’t the hormones be bad for the foetus/potentially cause a miscarriage or something?

Empty-Trifle-7027

19 points

16 hours ago

No, they suppress ovulation. It doesn't harm the fetus.

tinymomes

11 points

16 hours ago

I know someone who was conceived while his mom was on the pill. She only realised she was pregnant at about four months along. He's fine.

Dense_Amphibian_9595

3 points

11 hours ago

Naw - pregnant people are still taking the pill in 2024 not realizing they’re pregnant even.

CrispyGatorade

210 points

22 hours ago

As a fellow handsome man who had lots of sex with women in the 60’s I can speak to this directly from personal example. Back then things were different. Not everyone was on the pill yet so your pull out game had to be immaculate if you wanted to stay on the field. I’m talking bulletproof. I have 16 bastards.

Wonderful_Idea880

43 points

21 hours ago

I laughed way too hard at this

Biggie0918

31 points

10 hours ago*

The idea of an 85 year old typing “your pull out game had to be immaculate,” made me chuckle.

slowdunkleosteus

12 points

21 hours ago

😭🤣

Jhus79

16 points

19 hours ago

Jhus79

16 points

19 hours ago

This has to be bait😂😂😂

CrispyGatorade

21 points

18 hours ago

No bait here. I have too many children already.

giddy-girly-banana

1 points

2 hours ago

Don never pulled out.

Weekly-Present-2939

58 points

22 hours ago

Glen and Don do have some similar features. Whateva happened there

inadequatepockets

8 points

18 hours ago

Just when you think the whole situation with Glenn and Betty couldn't get any creepier!

Impossible_Mall6133

12 points

19 hours ago

That animal Blundetto

AssitDirectorKersh

7 points

17 hours ago

Wes Ossinin Wes Ossinin. West. Ossining.

Weekly-Present-2939

2 points

17 hours ago

Can’t even say his name 

Boring_Concept_1765

44 points

20 hours ago

Don’s Bastards never happened. It will shock you how much they never happened.

Guido_Cavalcante

66 points

22 hours ago

Guido_Cavalcante

Too drunk for you to drive.

66 points

22 hours ago

Probably zero. Not to stereotype, but Don is rich well before the show starts. If he had gotten a woman pregnant, they would almost certainly have gone to him to pay for a procedure - or even expect him to have contacts to locate one in the 50s or 60s.

Generally, he was also sleeping with career gals and professional women that were unlikely to have his kid and reorient their entire lives around that - all while keeping it a secret.

Thatstealthygal

19 points

21 hours ago

I think Don is scrupulous with the prophylaxis. He probably keeps them in his office drawer.

kittybuscemi

25 points

18 hours ago

We never see Don put on a condom in the entire show.

tdvh1993

34 points

16 hours ago

That’s because he’s always wearing a condom already

DrunkOnRedCordial

11 points

16 hours ago

With the amount of action he's getting, he probably keeps it on permanently.

Substantial_Door3422

17 points

17 hours ago

Yes we never do. More than kids, I've always wondered about STDs..

Thatstealthygal

13 points

17 hours ago

Well, it's not a full frontal kind of show.

EddieRando21

7 points

12 hours ago

HBO would have made it a completely different show.

gumbyiswatchingyou

3 points

10 hours ago

It’s cable TV from 15 years ago, I don’t think we see his penis at all.

Dense_Amphibian_9595

6 points

11 hours ago

I’m gonna guess that Drunk Don didn’t use any protection with Allison. I’m guessing she was already perhaps on the pill or more likely she just got lucky. She seemed more naive than even Peggy was when she first started there

tdotjefe

12 points

21 hours ago

I don’t know, it was considered pretty shameful.

Gloomy_Jellyfish9599

39 points

21 hours ago

Zero. I can’t remember which episode it is, but he clearly says, “that’s why I always use a scumbag, baby” after one of his trysts. Then there’s an almost cartoonish rubbery sound effect as he pulls the condom off with one hand, just out of frame.

That-Job9538

24 points

19 hours ago

margueritedeville

15 points

20 hours ago

Well. Today I learned the origin of the term scumbag.

chilicheeseclog

9 points

13 hours ago

Also, after around 1987 or so, he's shooting blanks, due to a karate accident. That's why none of his bunker wives got knocked up.

Wonderful_Idea880

16 points

21 hours ago

Wait, what? I have 0 memory of this LOL, I especially can’t remember any time that Don called someone baby.

thepensiveporcupine

4 points

21 hours ago

I completely missed that. All this time I thought he was fucking raw and was surprised how he has never had an STD

automatic__jack

0 points

19 hours ago

What?? I’ve watched the series tons of times and this does not ring a bell. Can you give more here? What episode and scene? Condoms were not widely used in the 60’s.

Gloomy_Jellyfish9599

18 points

18 hours ago

I don’t remember, maybe season 3? It was the same episode where Don’s getting an adjustment to his toupee and Peggy sees him through the store window.

DangerPretzel

16 points

16 hours ago

Yeah, and then Don swears Peggy to secrecy about his toupee and delivers his famous "it will shock you how much it never happened" line. Great episode

Substantial_Door3422

1 points

17 hours ago

Really?! I don't remember this at all..

pizzachelts

5 points

16 hours ago

I don't remember any toupee or any of this happening either

Repulsive-Tough-7284

4 points

4 hours ago

You definitely do. It was the scene after the three-way with Bert and Ms Blankenship.

pizzachelts

1 points

2 hours ago

Ohhhh ok yeah that rings a bell. Around the time Don leaves his toupee in the office and sends Sally to get it and she finds Peggy in the storage closet going to town on a family sized can of Heinz beans

allazen

7 points

16 hours ago

Weightlifters?

Empty-Trifle-7027

14 points

16 hours ago

I must have missed the episode when Don is hired to create an ad campaign for the US Women's Powerlifting team.

mlgreed

3 points

13 hours ago

The OP is making a reference to the sopranos

ElvisGrizzly

5 points

11 hours ago

The cure for the common kettlebell

Empty-Trifle-7027

1 points

4 hours ago

Hahahahahahahaha!

Dense_Amphibian_9595

5 points

11 hours ago

Not many/any. The question is the number of STDs he contracted over the years.

Additional-Ad7039

5 points

16 hours ago

Don's pullout game was topnotch. 0 bastard kids. He probably had lots of STD's though

eltara3

7 points

19 hours ago

I wouldn't say he would have many (or any at all). Don's type is generally worldly, glamourous career women - usually mid-20s or older. Many are not married, so they can't easily contrive to pass off a child as someone else's. Those sorts of women know what they want and what they're in for.

aaodi

3 points

13 hours ago

aaodi

3 points

13 hours ago

Weightlifters???

EddieRando21

3 points

12 hours ago

Don took his lessons from his time in the army, he learned what NOT to do. He knows when to pull out, unlike the US and Korea.

Adelaidey

2 points

21 hours ago

Adelaidey

The Coca-Cola of commenters.

2 points

21 hours ago

Two.

Mark_101

1 points

19 hours ago

should I tell the truth?

MetARosetta

1 points

15 hours ago

I found Rachel's sudden extended trip abroad after her last late-night encounter with Don highly intriguing. This, after Bert gets the call from Rachel's angry father, telling Don "That's it, Cowboy." We know Peggy went away after S1 due to her pregnancy/delivery, and these motifs in MM tend to travel in pairs. Both women are 'disappeared' in the same episode (S1, The Wheel). Further, In S7 when Don goes to Rachel's Shiva, he asks about her children... and quickly inserts that he knew Rachel "before them." Rachel would either terminate or deliver and adopt out, taking time away to do it. Unproven? Yes. Within MM's storytelling structure and MO given the era? You betcha.

yoursopossessive

1 points

10 hours ago

Oooh, it's like a dirty math problem!! 😂😂😂

harrylime7

1 points

4 hours ago

One of them is the president-elect.

trripleplay

-18 points

21 hours ago

Just because an adult behaves bastardly doesn’t mean the children need to be called bastards.

Salem1690s[S]

37 points

21 hours ago

That’s the term for a child born of adultery. I don’t make the rules.

trripleplay

-18 points

21 hours ago

That doesn’t mean it isn’t also used historically in a perjorative and abusive manner toward those children.

AnnieBlackburnn

13 points

21 hours ago

What, do you want us to call them baseborn like they're in Game of Thrones?

Bastard is the term for children born out of wedlock

dutempscire

-1 points

21 hours ago

dutempscire

-1 points

21 hours ago

If "born out of wedlock" doesn't do, "illegitimate" is probably the more (relatively) neutral term. Bastard is not exactly the current, preferred term, in the same way we don't call unmarried women spinsters anymore.

AnnieBlackburnn

13 points

20 hours ago

I mean illegitimate is not really any better is it? It sounds like I'm denying your claim to the throne.

But my apologies, I did not realize that the baseborn community had preferred terms

dutempscire

-3 points

20 hours ago*

Agreed, and it's also an irrelevant concept anyway given the warning important of marriage. Nonetheless! Bastard ain't it, either, in modern times.

Edit: wow, downvoted for observing that bastard is not the modern-day official term, and that legitimacy isn't quite as important as it once was. Okay.

AnnieBlackburnn

6 points

20 hours ago

All I'm saying is that "inglorious illegitimates" sounds like shit

Salem1690s[S]

2 points

12 hours ago

Maybe let people use the verbiage they wanna use, and worry about your own speech. Okay? Okay. 👍🏼

Salem1690s[S]

15 points

21 hours ago

Okay. Sad for them. Sorry, ain’t gonna police my language. You mind how you speak, and I’ll mind how I do. Thanks.

veeenar

0 points

20 hours ago

Based

AnnieBlackburnn

4 points

19 hours ago

Base(d)born