The Gosselin's divorce announcement not only left their family struggling to redefine itself, but also left TLC scrambling to re-project what was once the model of a happy, albeit chaotic, family.
Jon and Kate: The Beginning
The story of Jon and Kate Gosselin began fairly simply, especially considering the tumolt the family would later face.
In 1997, the pair met at a picnic. As Jon later told Us Magazine, at the time, "I was doing nothing with myself. No career, I worked at a ski slope...I didn't have any goals. I didn't want to get married, didn't want to have kids. Just bumming around, doing what I wanted to do."
The duo married on June 12, 1999, after less than two years of courtship. They had a difficult time conceiving, due to Kate's poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, but with the help of fertility treatments, delivered twins Cara and Mady in October, 2000.
After the birth of the twins, the Gosselins decided to expand their family, and underwent further fertility treatments. This time, instead of conceiving a third child, Kate became pregnant with sextuplets.
Thus, on May 10, 2004, the Gosselin Four became the famed Gosselin Ten, or, as they would become known, Jon and Kate Plus Eight.
The Beginning of Jon and Kate Plus Eight
As sextuplets are incredibly rare, the Gosselin six-pack attracted considerable media attention. After the birth, a camera crew followed the family in order to develop the film Surviving Sextuplets and Twins.
The documentary aired in September, 2006, on Discovery Health. Due to its success, the network filmed a follow-up special, Surviving Sextuplets and Twins: A Year Later. The sequel aired in 2007, and once again, curious viewers were entranced by the hectic Gosselin family.
Due to the specials' success, Discovery decided to continue telling the Gosselins' story, and on April 23, 2007, the first episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8 aired on Discovery's sister network, TLC. For the next two years and 100-plus episodes, millions of viewers watched as Jon and Kate worked, parented, and, most conspicuously, bickered.
Jon and Kate Plus Eight Loses Jon
As the seasons of Jon and Kate Plus Eight wore on, viewers witnessed relations between Jon and Kate grow increasingly strained. Arguments and tensions erupted between the pair, largely stemming from Kate's Type-A personality and Jon's increasingly lackadaisical attitude.
By the summer of 2009, the relationship seemed to hit a boiling point. Paparazzi photos showed Jon gallavanting with an assortment of women, none of which were Kate. Rumors abounded of infidelity on both sides of the marriage, and tabloid magazines speculated that the marriage would soon end.
The speculation proved to be true on June 22, 2009, when Kate filed for divorce in Pennsylvania court. The next day, TLC aired a one-hour special, where the Gosselins discussed their decision to separate.
Over the next three months, the Gosselins fired at each other through the media, and paparazzi photographers continued to tail the family. However, TLC kept mum on plans for the show's future, and stayed neutral in the Jon and Kate debate.
However, the network finally chose a side on Sept. 29,2009, when they announced that Jon and Kate Plus Eight would become Kate Plus Eight. According to TLC's press release, the change "makes sense," as the network needs to "refresh and recalibrate the program to keep pace with the family."
Kate Plus Eight is set to debut in November, 2009. This time, instead of portraying a parenting team, the new show will focus on Kate's challenges as a single mother raising her brood.
The network hasn't issued a clear indication of what Jon's role with the show will be, but if the Gosselin media circus is any indication, his story's far from finished.
 |
