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Jon Gosselin Is Interested in Returning to TV without His Children
Jon Gosselin, whose full name is Jonathan Keith Gosselin, gained fame for his appearance on the American reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8.He is now…
Jon Gosselin, whose full name is Jonathan Keith Gosselin, gained fame for his appearance on the American reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8.
He is now eager to return to TV without his children’s involvement. On April 25, 2024, the 47-year-old IT analyst attended the Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Clinic opening in West Hollywood, California.
While there, he briefly entertained the guests through his DJing skills and then talked with People Magazine about his possible return to the TV screen soon. During his conversation with the outlet, he mentioned that he had recently met with some TV people.
He stated, “I’ve always been open to television, but I was indemnified by TLC, so I couldn’t sign a contract. But that’s all in the wayside now.” Jon also added that he wanted to make this kind of move only after his children were older.
Speaking of his kids, he said he wants his second TV run to be solo and doesn’t want to involve them again. “I’m not going to involve them and stuff like that as well, no. It’s just like, I worked really hard to get them off TV,” he stated.
Jon Gosselin with his now-former wife Kate Gosselin (Photo: Shutterstock)
However, the reality TV star added that his children have grown up, and whether they want to appear on television depends on them. His statement read, “But they’re adults now—if they want to make their own decision, they can.”
As Jon continued, he shared some brief details on his new show, revealing that the series would be about “DJing, clubbing, and all that kind of stuff.” As of now, he has been DJing for almost a decade, and so far, his children haven’t caught one of his club sets.
He said that the sextuplets are still too young for the 21-and-over venues, and he doesn’t work in New York, where his two children – Mady and Cara – currently reside. However, that’s not the only reason Jon’s children haven’t seen their dad work the DJ table live.
He told People, “I don’t think my kids will see me. They don’t want me acting a fool like, ‘Oh, that’s your dad?’ I’m like, nah. It’s so weird. This is my career.”
Jon then moved to his current personal life. He answered if he wanted to welcome children with his present girlfriend, Stephanie Lebo, as he recently revealed that he is planning to propose to her sometime within the following year.
He answered, “No, I’m 47. She’s 36. Yeah, we just want to enjoy life,” adding that Lebo’s 14-year-old daughter lives with them. “It’s really nice. I’ve never had one kid before, so I’m learning as well,” he continued.
“So it’s very different, but it’s cool to see Collin and Hannah be the big brother and big sister, because they never had that. So they’re mentoring her as well, so it’s very interesting,” he concluded his statement.
Before Jon started dating his current girlfriend, he was previously in a marital relationship with his now-former wife, Kate Gosselin (née Kreider). The formerly married duo met on October 5, 1997, during a company picnic.
Jon Gosselin’s now-former wife, Kate Gosselin, with their eight children (Photo: Getty Images)
They eventually began dating and got married on June 12, 1999. A little over a year later, on October 8, 2000, the now-divorced couple welcomed twin daughters: Cara Nicole Gosselin and Madelyn “Mady” Kate Gosselin.
After welcoming twins, the two were initially against having another child but ultimately decided to try again. On May 10, 2004, Jon and Kate’s family of four expanded into a much bigger one as Kate gave birth to sextuplets.
Among Jon and Kate’s sextuplets were sons Aaden Jonathan Gosselin, Collin Thomas Gosselin, Joel Kevin Gosselin, and daughters Alexis Faith Gosselin, Hannah Joy Gosselin, and Leah Hope Gosselin. The sextuplets were born ten weeks premature.
The formerly married couple’s journey was later filmed for two one-hour specials – Surviving Sextuplets and Twins and Sextuplets and Twins: One Year Later – and they initially aired on the Discovery Health Channel before being moved to TLC.
After being picked up by TLC, the one-hour specials became a full-fledged TV show titled Jon & Kate Plus 8. Jon and Kate’s split was announced on the June 22, 2009, episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8, and the divorce proceedings were finalized on December 18, 2009.
The court granted Kate primary custody of their eight children and ownership of the family home. Furthermore, following Jon and Kate’s divorce, TLC renamed the show Kate Plus 8, focusing more on Kate as a divorced mother raising the children.