And so it finally was announced. In separate on-camera interviews tonight, Jon and Kate each said they were going to “separate.” (A screen message toward the end of the hour said that today they had filed for the “dissolution” of their marriage: divorce.)
“Jon has a lot of anger toward me… he won’t talk to me.”
“I don’t hate Kate, but, y’know…”
“Thank God we have the show, so we can tell what we want to tell,” said Jon.
These comments, scattered throughout a special one-hour edition of Jon & Kate Plus Eight, was wrenching and a relief — probably for Jon and Kate Gosselin, certainly for those of us watching. “I’m still on the show,” said Jon, confirming what we all pretty much assumed. The series will now be episodes of “me and the kids, her and the kids,” said Jon.
Kate remains Kate, blunt and articulate. “I’ve become very hard and very crass and very jaded,” she said. “I will not lie down and die… I will survive and [the kids] will survive.”
Jon remains Jon, somewhat inarticulate but stubborn and newly defiant. “I was too passive; I let her rule the roost.”
Whereas Kate’s eyes filled with tears and she said, “I don’t really want to be alone,” Jon said he was looking forward to “a new chapter in my life.”
The notoriety the show has brought the family seeped into the first half-hour, which was supposed to be a more typical, harmless Jon & Kate episode about the kids. They were getting some “crooked houses” — custom-made playhouses that were to be erected on the Gosselins’ property. Kate wanted the houses placed near their main house, but Jon wanted them further away, in the woods. “We have privacy issues,” he said, and noted that “the paparazzi” wouldn’t be able to take pictures if the houses were in a remote location. Kate was having none of it. “He wants them down there,” she said, asserting that the kids “would never play” from a location far from her sight in the Gosselin home.
As usual, Kate got her way. (For the record, I side with her on this one.) The kids, as always, were pretty much non-stop wonderful. They were totally in their own play-world that the houses inspired. Cara chose to have her house designed as a haunted house, complete with a “door shaped like a coffin.” (Uh-oh: future Goth Gosselin!) The tykes romped and giggled and dreamed up scenarios: “We’re having a wedding, ’cause this is my boy,” said one of the girls, playing “marriage” with her brother. As always, they provided the joy. Ironic joy, in this case, but joy.
And truth. “Daddy, be quiet, ’cause we’re doin’ the interviews!” one of the kids yelled as they sat for the cameras for the umpteenth time, with no end in sight.
Did you watch? What did you think? Will you keep watching after this?
For more on the Gosselins:
Jon and Kate file for divorce
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I predict next year the show will be renamed Single Kate and be about how a single mom wrangles eight kids without a husband. Jon obviously wants out of the show and I bet next year he will have his wish but Kate would rather sacrifice her marriage than lose 75,000 an ep. Way to go Kate! You’re rich and everyone thinks you’re a witch!
I’m really sad this happened. Those early episodes were great and they were a great normal couple. I hope for the best, but I hope they are ok.
I felt to sad for them, for kate, I think she gets an unfair treatment, people love to make jugdments about how others are in their personal lives but nobody really knows. I hope they both find happiness, my parents did after they divorced.
My oh my what a surprise, you get what you get paid for. You value things, well that’s what your left with in the end. It’s absolutely disgraceful that these two weak adults allowed greed to seep into their nest to this degree. Guess that should be expected from those who choose to create something in a lab rather than be truly loving and adopt.
To Nerwen Aldarion: Don’t speak for everyone–I don’t think Kate’s a witch.
I am so sad and heartbroken for them. All Kate’s demanding ways finally took a toll on Jon. It’s about time Jon stood for himself but I think he’s taking it to the extreme. Too bad they can’t meet in the middle. I wish they’d take marriage counseling and quit the show for the sake of their children and mariage.
Incredibly sad for all of them. It is excruciatingly painful to go through a divorce. I hope the kids will be okay.
It was very sad how neither Jon or Kate spoke once about getting help. Instead they spoke about the next chapter of their life. They both reflected on their happy memories which included many free trips, including the one to Hawaii. Did they renew their vows there a year ago in Hawaii b/c it was good PR or did they actually mean them? Personally, I think the two of them are hypocrites, and should be ashamed of their behavior over this past year. Furthermore, TLC hs totally enabled them all for the mighty $$.
Honestly, just sad. Just plain sad. Am thinking of divorce myself and it’s not tv fodder- it’s real life- painful and sad. The children will suffer……..the parents will too, No matter waht the jaded people think.
I think it is disgusting that people judge Kate for wanting to continue the show. 99% of you all would do a show in a heartbeat I know I would and I only have two kids to feed not EIGHT! You are all so transparent when you bash her decision to do the show. Plus do not forget it is Jon travelling all over with random chicks. WTH??? you are a husband and a FATHER! Does he realize why he is doing to those kids? I love his “I am only 32…” comment Well your youngest kids are only 5 they don;t deserve this. Jon you are too selfish to do what is right and I don’t blame Kate for biting your head off. You are a POS and don’t deserve your kids or Kate as your wife! You will look back when your kids are teens and realize you went off with tramps while they were little. You should have never had kids!
Sad. I hope they stop the show and move on with their lives.
I think it’s heartbreaking that she/he/they chose money rather than ditching their lives in a fishbowl to try and save their marriage and their family. I also think TLC should change their initials DGAS (Don’t Give a S_ _ _)
To Kal: REad the comments in the other threads, yeah most people do think Kate is a witch. She treats Jon like crap, yelling at him for mundane things (You didn’t use a coupon for a shower head when we just bought this gigantic house with acres of land and we make millions of dollars a year!)I’m not saying Kate is at fault for everything in their marriage, Jon’s infidelity is dispicable but I’m not surprised he eventually took that route since Kate is terrible to him all the time.
I’m 23, unmarried, with no children and even I know that they should end the show and work on what’s IMPORTANT; their marriage and their children. They need counseling on communication to get to the bottom of all their issues with each other. They have anger towards each other because nobody is talking about anything. It’s awful to watch this display on national tv and my heart goes out to their struggling family. I hope they are able to resolve everything and I hope for that happy ending. If not that then I hope the best for Jon, Kate, and all of their children. Such a tragedy to see the american family torn apart by society’s greed.
You would be a witch too if your immature husband was out screwing other women and drinking in random bars while you were working or taking care of the kids. He should not have had kids if he did not want the responsibility of being a father. No one said life is easy and rainsing kids is not skipping throuh the park everyday it is WORK but I guess it is easier for Jon to hook up with a skank who is 13 years older than his older daughters and what 10 years younger than he is? PLEASE
Allie… you couldn’t sum it up better about TLC!!
Stephanie, if you are really that incapable of seeing the extreme damage that these two horribly selfish people are doing to their children then I really feel sorry for you. How dare they force their poor children to go through this ON CAMERA! This is their lives, and thair parents simply want to exploit everything and anything for $$$$. No matter how much pain it causes their children. sickening.
This is just too sad. I feel bad for Kate. Everyone is saying how mean she is but he is just as bad- maybe even worse. He is totally passive aggressive. His ego is bruised and instead of trying to fix the situation, he ran. After all the bad that has come out of her mouth, I think he is much worse. His selfishness stuns me.
This is very sad. I realize that Kate could be “nagging” towards Jon, but I feel she had to be to keep order. Otherwise, everything would have been chaotic. As I see it, Jon feels he is too “young” to have this much responsibility. He has been having way too much fun with girls who are 10 or so years younger than he is. If he had kept his pants zipped, they probably wouldn’t be in this situation. I can only imagine how Kate felt seeing his trysts shown nationwide.
Its Kates fault. She made this all happen. She always gets her way. She cheated first with the body guard. Jon just retaliated by cheating also because she broke her marriage vows.
It is certainly sad to see any marriage fall apart. What I don’t understand is this sudden concern for the well-being of the kids. Where was her brother last year or the year before? Oh, I forgot he was in front of the camera. Where were all the others that are now coming out of the woodwork. Up until they had these marriage problems no was was concerned about life in front of the cameras. And by the way – the kids seem very happy and well adjusted. That is what is so disgusting about this country. We love to build people up so we can tear them down. They are not the only family with children on TV. There are families of 18 and 12 and 8 – all kinds of reality families, but everyone is beating up on them cause they are having real life problems. If it was wrong for the kids now, it was wrong before. Either watch or don’t watch but leave them alone.
I know a lot of people are upset that the Gosselin’s aired their dirty laundry on TV, but I still feel badly for both of them. It’s a shame their children will have to suffer and I hope they can at some point resolve their anger issues. Divorce is never an easy decision, but sometimes it is the right one.
Sara if you had 8 kids to feed on even a great job say $150K a year it is impossible! She explained her intention of starting the show to have enough money for their future and to capture their memories on film. Now 5 years in their marriage is being dissolved…What does she do now??? How could she afford to raise 8 kids by herself? someone explain a non TV solution in this economy… Anyone would do it TLC just has not knocked on your doors!
The whole situation is sad. I feel so sorry for Kate and the Children. If kate gave up the show, I think her and jon life would be better
When my ex cheated on me he acted just like Jon… The anger was a way to justify his actions to himself. I think Jon cheated.
I wonder how many takes the film crew had to do to get Kate’s interview. And even so, she still came across in the footage as very manipulative.
Her soft voice didn’t hide how she was “blame-storming” Jon for everything. She so wants to paint herself as the victim.
And, I can see family court ordering counselling for JK to learn how to communicate and co-parent. Their whole process is going to be under scrutiny so it will be reasonable that the judge order this.
The children should have two court appointed lawyers one for the twins and the other for the little kids to ensure that their individual interests as well as their collective well being is protected.
Unfortunately, until Kate owns up to her responsibilities and her part in this, she won’t be able to go forward.
I was so hoping that Kate would go to rehab for alcohol abuse and for anger management. (Most doctors tell their patients that alcohol abuse is drinking an entire bottle of wine in an evening, repeatedly).
I don’t understand why a lot of people are blaming Kate or the show for this. I for one think she is doing a great job. Without the show, they could never give their kids the opportunities to experience all the wonderful things. i.e. the trips, etc. In fact, they would probably in debt with him working as an IT analyst and her as a part-time nurse. With that kind of high stress financial burden, the marriage might not even survive 10 years. Plus, with the money they made, at least they can put away some collage funds for the kids. Also, I don’t think Kate is that controlling towards the kids at all. It takes a lot of organization to raise 8 children at the same time and I really admire her control. Otherwise, without structure, they could all turn out to be little brats. And this is not the case here. So for all you Kate-haters, doing the show certainly was the right decision and Kate has the discipline to make it work. As for John, he needed to suck it up for his kids.
I hope Jon is going back to school to get a degree/vacation so he can support those kids. The show will end. Kate may or may not be able to sell books at some level of success, but in the end they will have to start living a normal lives when there is no more demand for this show. The public is very fickle and the show will end eventually. Ironic that this sudden flury of interest may acyually lead to a quicker end to the show. Kat ekeep that nursing license up to date!
I feel so sorry for this family. As an outsider, it is easy to make judgements on the very small parts, we, as an audience, see of this family. In any divorce, there is always plenty of fault on both sides. My prayers are with them all.
I guess if you’re doing a show strictly for “the kids” you wouldn’t need a nanny, a personal trainer, a stylist, and a manicurist. Give me a break!!