For over a decade, Kate and Jon Gosselin have been in the news.
The sextuplets Alexis, Collin, Joel, Hannah, Leah, and Aaden were born to the previous couple, who wed in 1999, and they later presented their family to the world.
Following appearances on two Discovery Health specials in 2005 and 2006, the family of 10—Jon and Kate are also parents to twins Mady and Cara—got their own reality series, Jon & Kate Plus 8, in 2007. Before the series moved to TLC, the first two seasons of the show ran on Discovery Health.
The couple’s disagreement about how to raise their eight children was evident on the show, despite their Hawaii vow renewal ceremony in August 2008. Us Weekly reported that Jon had allegedly been unfaithful in May 2009, and one month later, Kate filed for divorce.
In a May 2009 episode of their reality show, the mother of eight said that parents of multiples had triple the average divorce rate. “I believed that we would defeat that. I’m not sure if I can still say that.
Alleged Relationship
In May 2009, Us Weekly reported that Jon was supposedly having an affair with Deanna Hummel, a third-grade teacher. “This isn’t good for her,” I said. I’m here trying to help her personally because she won’t help herself. At the time, Jason, Deanna’s brother, said to us, “I hope this clears the air. Jon acknowledged his “bad judgment,” but he denied having an affair.
Filing For Divorce
In the midst of the scandal, Kate filed for divorce in June 2009. On a May 2009 episode of their TLC series, an emotional Kate noted, “Parents of multiples have a quadruple the divorce rate.” I believed that we would defeat that. I’m not sure if I can still say that.
In October 2009, while the couple was going through a divorce, Jon informed CNN’s Larry King that he had “an epiphany” and decided he no longer wanted his kids to appear in the Kate Plus 8 reality series. Jon filed a countersuit in October 2009 after the network sued him for breach of contract, claiming that TLC had broken Pennsylvania’s laws banning child labor. In February 2010, Jon and the network reached an agreement.
The couple’s separation became final in December 2009. Kate was given full legal custody of the children while the ex-spouses were given joint physical custody. Kate “will continue to dwell with all eight of her children in the former marital home,” according to her attorney, who spoke to us at the time.
In December 2009, their divorce was legally formalized. Jon claimed in January 2016 that he hadn’t seen all eight of his children in three years, despite the fact that the couple shared physical care of the kids after Kate was granted full legal custody. Later that year, when Kate disclosed that Collin, one of the sextuplets, was receiving residential treatment for behavioral concerns, the couple’s custody disputes gained new attention.
“The court has ordered that neither of us goes in-depth about the upbringing and custody of our kids. “I’ve known where [Collin] is all along, but the rest of the world doesn’t, so I’ll leave it at that,” Kate said at the time on Good Morning America.
But according to a statement from Jon’s attorneys to Us, his ex-wife wasn’t telling the “full picture” to everyone. Jon is bound by the court’s ruling. In November 2016, his attorney, Kristen Doleva-Lecher, said, “It goes without saying that certain comments and statements that are being made are very upsetting to Jon, but given his obligation to the court order, there is not much he can do right now. Jon is also very upset by certain statements made to the press and feels that “the whole story is not being told.”
Two years later, Jon disclosed that Hannah, one of the sextuplets, was residing with him in Pennsylvania full-time as opposed to her mother in North Carolina. Collin moved in with his sister and father in Pennsylvania after the teen’s sole physical and legal custody was granted to the father in December 2018.
“I wish my kids would all just get along, hang out, and visit the mall. In May 2020, Jon said to Entertainment Tonight, “Just chill out together.” Kate and I don’t live that far apart, but I feel like there’s an invisible barrier between us. It ought to be simple for [the kids] to get together. I don’t have any issues with it. Go ahead and meet if that’s what they want to do. I believe it to be more on the opposite side.
A New Beginning
After a lot of allegations and controversies, In May 2022, Jon revealed where the former couple stand on their sextuplets’ milestone 18th birthday.
The former reality star also noted that divorce was “inevitable” for them, adding, “I thought in the fourth season that I was moving towards divorce, because I thought I wanted to leave the show, and she wanted to continue on the show, and that is what happened anyway.”
