Jon & Kate Plus 8 debuted in 2007, featuring a family of toddler sextuplets,
and their older twin sisters. Over a decade later - and after a bitter divorce - the family
appears to be thriving amidst the drama. So what's up with Collin, Joel, Aaden, Hannah,
Alexis, Leah, Cara and Mady now? Here's what we know about the Gosselin gang!
Before TLC cameras started rolling in the Gosselin house, capturing
every tantrum and marital spat, Jon and Kate Gosselin only recorded special occasions like
their wedding day in 1999. Kate told Good Housekeeping in 2008,
"Life was a lot more simple back then, that's for sure! But not as fulfilling as our lives today!"
The couple met at a corporate picnic at a hotel where Jon was working.
Kate had agreed to go with a friend, recalling,
"There was this guy walking across the grass […] he caught my attention.
I was like, 'I'm not leaving here today until I meet him.' […] We
were the couple that people always said, like, we were sickening sweet."
"Are you recording? Yes, Kate, look at the red light.”
But as fans know, the couple would later succumb to the stress of
starring on a reality show with 8 young children.
"Kate and I have decided to separate."
"I'm not very fond of the idea, personally."
After 10 years of marriage, and at the height of their reality TV fame,
Jon and Kate's divorce became official in 2009. At the time, People reported on
rumors that Jon was allegedly cheating while Kate was traveling for speaking engagements.
Upon filing for divorce, Kate seemed to confirm the buzz with a statement that read:
"Jon's activities have left me no choice but to file legal procedures in order to protect
myself and our children. […] As always, my first priority remains our children."
But Jon's statement shifted the focus over to Kate. He said,
"This afternoon, Kate filed for divorce. Our kids are still my number one priority. […] My
job is being the best, most supportive and loving father that I can be to my kids,
and not being married to Kate doesn't change that."
Unfortunately for the Gosselin kids, an amicable arrangement
was nearly impossible for their parents.
Hannah was the first of the little kids to
land in the middle of an individual custody battle between her parents. According to E!,
Jon filed for full custody of Hannah in May of 2015, with a source alleging to the outlet,
"Hannah has expressed she is unhappy and uncomfortable in the house with Kate."
"No one really wants to be on Mommy's team."
"Let's roll!" "She's way too competitive."
"Say that!" "Ok!"
But the dispute took a drastic turn in 2017, according to an In Touch report which revealed
an alleged physical altercation. As Hannah was supposed to leave her father's care and
go with her mother, Kate reportedly tried to force Hannah out of Jon's car. Hannah allegedly, quote,
"screamed, sobbed, and violently resisted." The alleged incident was apparently witnessed
by police, who called an ambulance after Hannah complained of an injury to her arm.
Jon explained on the First Class Fatherhood podcast in early 2020 that while he had "primary"
custody of Hannah at the time, he and Kate allow the kids to make their own decision on custody.
"Because they're over 14, in Pennsylvania, custody is up to them."
Hannah later told the Daily Mail that year,
"My dad has been there for me and Collin no matter what. He's been a very loving
and supportive dad throughout everything."
To say that Jon and Kate's custody battles
have been a rollercoaster ride would be an understatement, particularly when it comes
to their son, Collin. In 2016, Kate told People that Collin had, quote, "special needs," adding,
"[I enrolled him in] a program that is helping him
learn the skills he needs to be the best him he can be."
"He needs to be in an environment to help him learn the skills
and gain the insight that he needs to be the best Collin that he can be."
But Jon saw it differently, telling Dr. Oz in 2019 that Collin was, quote,
"wrongfully institutionalized," but because Jon only had physical custody - and not
legal custody - of his kids, it took him more than two years to find Collin,
and even longer to get him out of the facility. Jon further alleged,
"Kate institutionalized him without a diagnosis and then created a diagnosis."
Jon claimed that he only located Collin because of a note that Collin's roommate snuck to Jon's
manager. In the letter, per the DailyMail, Collin claimed he told his mom that he wanted
to live with his dad but Kate allegedly refused to agree to his request. Collin also alleged in
written form that Kate had abused him. Jon was awarded full custody of Collin in 2018,
when Kate and her lawyers didn't attend the custody hearing, according to Us Weekly. Jon
told First Class Fatherhood in 2020 that Kate isn't allowed to contact Collin and
that there is no communication between Collin and the six siblings that live with Kate.
In 2020, Jon appeared on The Dr. Oz Show to explain the circumstances that led Collin to
make a now-deleted Instagram post claiming that Jon physically abused him. When Dr.
Oz asked Jon if he's ever physically hurt his kids, Jon said no, adding,
"I raise my voice, I do get angry. But I've never been violent with my children at all."
Multiple sources, including The Dr. Oz Show and Entertainment Tonight,
obtained a letter from Pennsylvania Children and Youth Services which stated that Collin's
accusations of abuse at his father's hands were, quote, "unfounded." So, why would he go public
with such serious claims? Jon explained that after a disagreement between him and his son…
"[Collin] was blackmailing me to change my parental decision."
Jon and Kate's oldest daughters, twins Mady and Cara, are now
20-something college co-eds. Although they haven't publicly confirmed their universities,
Fordham University's site states that Mady attends Syracuse University and
Cara is enrolled at Fordham. When they're not at school, they presumably live with their mother,
and they don't appear to want any contact with Jon. Mady told People in 2016,
"He makes it seem like we're being kept from him, which is insane. He should maybe spend
some time thinking about why we don't want to see him, and maybe realize that if he ever
does want a relationship with us, talking about us on TV is not the way to make that happen."
"I'm sorry." "I don't accept your apology."
"I had to." "We shall rematch."
In 2020, Jon said on The Dr. Oz Show that he hadn't seen the six children
that live with their mom - including Mady and Cara - since 2018, revealing,
"I don't know what's going on with [Mady and Cara],
because I don't have any communication with them. I've reached out a couple
times to see [if they wanted to] grab coffee. But, I've heard nothing back."
"It's our birthday!"
Four of the Gosselin little kids - Alexis, Aaden, Leah, and Joel - live with Kate.
They don't have social media accounts and recent pictures of them are rare,
even on Kate's Instagram account. So, they've been spending their time out
of the spotlight since Kate's shows wrapped. But they celebrated their 16th birthdays on May 10th,
2020 and had a very sweet special request. Kate posted to Instagram,
"Happy 16th Birthday to my half a dozen 'Hershey Kisses',
as they were called at birth! They requested 'junk cereals' for their
birthday lunch so I got a bit carried away, as usual, and got them 21 different kinds!"
Jon also wished all of the kids happy birthday on Instagram, writing,
"Happy 16th birthday to Hannah and Collin. I miss you Leah, Joel, Alexis and Aaden.
I hope your 16th Birthday is just as memorable!!! […] Been a long road. I wish
[you] all the best!!! Wow 16!!!! Love you all!!!"
"Have you noticed? I'm single…for the last decade."
Kate hasn't been on TV since her TLC show Kate Plus Date wrapped in 2019. She ultimately did
not find love on the show and was still single as of 2019, according to Radar Online. She told
Fox News around the same time that she's unsure if she'll ever get married again, explaining,
"I don't like the 'M' word. Everybody keeps saying that and that actually gives me,
like, anxiety and panic honestly."
But she appears to have bigger issues to worry about. In 2020, the U.S. Sun reported that Kate
was, quote, "struggling with money," and listed her home for $815,000 - a significant drop from
its $1.2 million price tag, back in 2008. The listing was later dropped even further,
to an estimated $585,100. Plus, earlier in the year, Radar Online reported that
Kate was allegedly fired from TLC after being found in contempt of court for allowing Leah,
Joel, Aaden, and Alexis to appear on camera without legal work permits.
"Do they enjoy filming the show? I think they like the activities
they do, but I think she ruins it. She ruins, like, the fun part of it."
Jon told Dr. Oz that when Hannah called Kate on Hannah's birthday in 2020, quote,
"her mom pretty much hung up on her." And as for Collin, he says,
"In five years, [Kate has] had an hour and a half [of] contact with him."
Jon has been in a committed relationship with his girlfriend, nurse practitioner
Colleen Conrad, for years. And from a 2019 post on Jon's Instagram account,
Jon, Hannah, Collin, Colleen and her two kids can be seen happily
celebrating the holidays together. But the following year was more complicated for the
blended family. In 2020, Jon described his life-threatening experience with COVID-19,
including a 10-day hospital stint, during which he lost 17 pounds. He shared with Dr. Oz,
"I didn't know how bad it was until I met with my doctor.
He said one more day [and] I probably would've been [put on a ventilator]."
"I was just more concentrating on getting better and going home."
As for his relationships with his kids,
Jon laments his estrangement from the twins and four of the younger kids,
but he still says the siblings' bond with each other always takes precedent. He said on the show,
"I want all the kids to communicate with each other, love each other,
do things together. And hopefully down the road that will work out."
We're wishing this family all the best as they navigate their complex dynamic
and heal their relationships as best they can.
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