Few reality TV families burned as brightly or collapsed as publicly as this one, and what one of the children just announced is about to reopen every wound.
Jon and Kate Gosselin first invited cameras into their Pennsylvania home in 2007, building a devoted audience around the chaos and charm of raising twins and sextuplets under one roof. But behind the scenes, a storm was building that the show never fully captured, and one of their sons is now putting it all in writing.
Netizens have shown absolute support for Collin Gosselin after he announced his memoir, but what will the book say? | Source: Instagram/collingosselin1
From TLC Darlings to Tabloid Headlines
“Jon & Kate Plus 8” launched on TLC in 2007 and quickly became one of the network’s biggest hits, turning the Gosselin household into a ratings phenomenon.
Following their rapid rise to fame, the family became one of the most watched in the country. On this occasion, John and Kate Gosselin attended the Discovery Upfront Presentation at the Frederick P. Rose Hall on April 23, 2008, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
The success translated into books, media tours, and public speaking engagements, making Kate and Jon recognizable faces across the country. It was the kind of fame that looked like a dream from the outside.
Although wholesome on air, things were a bit different behind the scenes. In this photo, Kate I. Gosselin and Angie S. Crawl got Kate’s sextuplet sons and daughters ready to eat lunch at Kate’s house in Wyomissing on April 19, 2005, in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. | Source: Getty Images
Then 2009 arrived. Jon and Kate filed for divorce after ten years of marriage, with rumors of infidelity swirling around both of them in the press.
The family eventually broke. On this occasion, they talked about their twin daughters and sextuplets on “Today” at NBC Studios on October 2, 2007, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
The show was rebranded as “Kate Plus 8” and continued airing until 2017, with Kate at the helm, who also went on to compete on “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Celebrity Apprentice.” Jon, meanwhile, largely stepped back from the public eye.
Kate continued the show alone. On this occasion, she and her children, along with President and CEO of TLC Angela Shapiro, spoke at the Discovery Upfront event at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2008, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
The children continued to adapt to their evolving lives in the public eye. On this occasion, they posed for “Celebrity Wife Swap” on October 14, 2012. | Source: Getty Images
In the years that followed, the custody situation became its own drawn-out chapter. Kate received primary custody of the children, though two of the sextuplets, Collin and Hannah, eventually moved in with Jon full-time.
Kate and Jon had five girls and three boys. On this occasion, Collin, Joel, and Aaden posed for “Celebrity Wife Swap” on October 14, 2012. | Source: Getty Images
The sextuplets were hugely popular. For this appearance, Joel, Collin, Aaden, Leah, Alexis, and Hannah posed for “Celebrity Wife Swap” on October 14, 2012. | Source: Getty Images
The reasons behind that shift, particularly in Collin’s case, would later become the subject of serious and disturbing allegations.
It could not have been easy for the children to grow up in the public eye. This was another appearance for the sextuplets on “Celebrity Wife Swap” on October 14, 2012. | Source: Getty Images
The children eventually faced complex family dynamics as two of the sextuplets chose to move away from their mother. On this occasion, Kate posed next to her kids for “Celebrity Wife Swap” on October 14, 2012. | Source: Getty Images
The children eventually grew up and moved on to the next chapters of their lives, but their mom’s social media still features tons of their childhood images. In this photo, they posed in Christmas pajamas on December 19, 2017. | Source: Instagram/kateplusmy8
Jon Confronts the Past and Calls Out Kate by Name
Jon finally broke his silence in a 2019 appearance on “Dr. Oz,” where he addressed the personality dynamics that tore the marriage apart. When Dr. Oz pressed him on what the core personality issue was, Jon did not hold back.
Jon and Kate’s marriage fell apart, leading to a highly publicized custody dispute. As seen in this photo, the three boys played with trucks while dressed as cowboys on December 14, 2017. | Source: Instagram/kateplusmy8
Kate has never stopped posting photos of her children online. On this occasion, they wore costumes for Halloween on October 31, 2017. | Source: Instagram/kateplusmy8
“Well, I think it’s both of us, but I think she has a narcissistic personality disorder,” Jon said. He elaborated:
“I think she tends to think more on her level, selfishly instead of for others. I think I tend to think sometimes more for others than for myself, so I tend to not worry what’s going on with me when I should sometimes.”
Despite the problems with their parents, the children’s childhood often seemed normal. In this photo, three of the kids, including Collin, smiled together at a restaurant on July 23, 2017. | Source: Instagram/kateplusmy8
Kate continued the show with some of the children. On this occasion, they celebrated a birthday on July 9, 2017. | Source: Instagram/kateplusmy8
The show’s carefully produced episodes never allowed this kind of admission, so his words reframed years of televised tension in a very different light. The full interview made clear that for Jon, the decade of cameras had come at a real personal cost.
Despite everything, the children still seemed happy for the most part. | Source: Instagram/kateplusmy8
Their father eventually moved on to a new chapter in his life. In this photo, two of the girls posed together as teenagers on December 3, 2017. | Source: Instagram/kateplusmy8
He told me he was leaving for a two-year assignment in Zurich.
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