The Kids From ‘Jon & Kate Plus 8’ Are All Grown Up And Unrecognizable
In 2007 a new reality TV show emerged on the small screen — and boy, was it unique! Detailing the lives of the Gosselin family, which included a set of twins and sextuplets, Jon & Kate Plus 8 went on to be a massive hit. Folks just couldn’t get enough of those kids! But what’s happened to them all in the years since the program ended? Did its turbulent conclusion have an effect? Well, let’s find out.
Jon Gosselin
Following his high-school graduation in 1995 the next few years of Jon Gosselin’s life were something of a whirlwind. He was introduced to his future wife Kate in the second half of 1997 and a romance immediately blossomed.
As the reality star later recalled, “Everything clicked. It sort of felt together like it never felt before. This time was different.” Jon went on to marry her in 1999 and the couple became parents the next year.
Tensions were mounting
And as we know, things didn’t slow down after that. Jon and Kate welcomed another six kids into the family with the birth of their sextuplets in 2004; it was this remarkable development that ultimately led to the creation of the TV show.
But while Jon & Kate Plus 8 was growing ever-more-popular on the small screen, tensions were brewing off-camera. It was suggested that Jon had been cheating on Kate for a number of months, an allegation that caused the pair to split up in 2009.
Estrangement and reunions
Jon subsequently left the show, leading to its rebranding as Kate Plus 8. Mind you, the spotlight was still firmly on him in the aftermath. He accused Kate of “verbal abuse” prior to their divorce, and became engaged in a bitter fight for custody of the eight children.
Jon lost that particular battle, and as things currently stand he is estranged from six of his kids. Yet he does have a relationship with Collin and Hannah, who both moved in with him as they got older.
Kate Gosselin
The matriarch of the Gosselin family, it didn’t take long for Kate to be drawn towards Jon when they first met. She noted, “He seemed very put together. And of course he was very good looking.”
As for the early days of the marriage, Kate didn’t have much to complain about. In her book Multiple Blessings, she beamed, “Married life was all I had imagined and more. We were young, healthy, and ambitious, and it wasn’t long before baby fever set in.”