http://www.people.com/peo...39,00.html


The wait is over – and so is the marriage.

With an hour-long special broadcast Monday night, Jon and Kate Gosselin, parents of eight young children and stars of the TLC reality show Jon & Kate Plus Eight, publicly announced that they will separate on the same day they filed for divorce in a Pennsylvania court.

"Over the course of this weekend, Jon's activities have left me no choice but to file legal procedures in order to protect myself and our children," Kate said in a statement Monday night. "While there are reasons why it was appropriate and necessary for me to initiate this proceeding, I do not wish to discuss those reasons at this time, in the hope that all issues will be resolved amicably between Jon and myself. As always, my first priority remains our children."

Jon released a statement of his own, claiming his wife was the first to make a legal move. "This afternoon, Kate filed for divorce. Our kids are still my number one priority. I love them and want to make sure they stay happy, healthy and safe. 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."


Difficult Transition
"This will be a difficult transition for all of us," Jon's statement continued, "but Kate and I will work out a schedule that enables our kids to have plenty of quality time with both of us at home in Pennsylvania. In terms of my marriage, it’s no secret that the past six months or so have been very difficult for Kate and me. We are no different than other couples and parents who are facing a crossroads in their marriage. I am of course deeply saddened that we are divorcing."

And, this may finally be one part of their life that remains private: The divorce papers – filed individually in Montgomery County, Pa., Monday – are sealed, PEOPLE has learned.

The reality TV couple is not getting special consideration since it varies from county to county in Pennsylvania whether divorce records are public, and Montgomery County is one that keeps them sealed to everyone except the parties themselves and their attorneys, a clerk tells PEOPLE. The only thing available for public consumption is the name of each party, the type of complaint they filed (divorce, in this case) and the date they filed.

For fans who followed the couple's travails on screen and off, it was a busy day. PEOPLE.com first reported Monday that the couple's marriage had officially entered the endgame, after papers were filed that afternoon to initiate a divorce. Then, on that evening's broadcast, the couple announced they would separate.

"Yes, Kate and I have decided to separate," Jon said at the end of an episode that initially focused on building toy houses for the their kids. "I'm not very fond of the idea, personally, but I know it's necessary," Kate added. "My goal is peace for the kids."

The couple said they would keep the Pennsylvania house they share with their kids – twins Cara and Mady and sextuplets Colin, Hannah, Leah, Joel, Aaden and Alexis – and take turns living there, and take any other measures necessary to minimize the disruption in their children's lives.


I think Jon is a selfish asshole,and I feel really bad for the kids.

i think they BOTH put fame whoring before their family, and the only thing they're going to have to show for it in the long run is eight messed-up kids.

this series couldn't be any more of a classic morality tale if the brothers grimm wrote it themselves.

yah that's pretty fucked up. i feel bad for those kiddies. i still can't believe pops had an affair. who the hell would want an ugly asian guy with 8 kids?

DesireeNevermind said:

Now that it's official, can folks stop talking about their ignant asses now???

SCNDLS said:

please oh please

They should have announced they are cancelling the show to get thier lives back together, nope, they chose the $$$$$

Money, its a crime.
Share it fairly but dont take a slice of my pie.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today.
But if you ask for a raise its no surprise that theyre
Giving none away.



[Edited 6/23/09 10:43am]

Anxiety said:

I so agree. Watching the show last night with my wife, I was upset for two reasons; 1. Jon and Kate pimped out their kids for four years and gained so much fame and $$$ and then they got mad at the media for all of the coverage. And 2). They annouce their decision on national TV. Where they have 2.2-6.6 million viewers each week!! They are giving up on their marriage just like that. These sorry SOBs!!!!

thepope2the9s said:

Exactly. Those greedy....*&&^%%$^&&&

Anxiety said:

They just need to not be on tv anymore..take the damn thing off now.

::: Now's my chance. Now's my chance!!! :::

^ dayum that's wrong

Imago said:

lmao!!

Why does that feel like more of a prediction than a joke?

PurpleRighteous1 said:

Jon's a crazy ass mofo too

JellyBean said:

i can't believe these people were so ignorant that when they started bitching about the media, they didn't realize that they got exactly what they were asking for...not to mention, public crash-and-burn drama is the paydirt of reality television. their tragedy is the TV network's profit. suckers. the kids are definitely victims here.

she seems 2 like the attention more than him

Anxiety said:

We're all victims of your post!

i've been waiting for this since i first stumbled across this show years ago. when the first episode i saw was the infamous shopping for toys for christmas episode.

Does that mean I'll stop seeing her ridiculous haircut everywhere I look??

j/k, the parents can suck a nut but I do feel bad for the kids...

Imago said:

Jon & Kate Plus 8 will go on hiatus until August following the Gosselins' separation announcement on Monday's episode, TLC said in a statement.

"TLC continues to support the Gosselin family and will work closely with them to determine the best way to continue to tell their story as they navigate through this difficult time," the statement read.

The network said Monday's upcoming episode will be a retrospective clip show on Jon and Kate's 10-year marriage. The next new episode will air Aug. 3.

"During this time the family will take some time off to regroup and then a modified schedule will be in place to support the family's transition," the statement concluded.

TLC ordered 40 episodes for the season — the series' fifth — but only six have aired.

During their separation announcement on Monday's highly anticipated episode, both Jon and Kate said the show will continue. They said their children will remain in the Wernersville, Pa., home while they will alternate living there. "We interview separately, we'll film different things," Jon said. "Me and the kids, her and the kids."

Jon and Kate never used the word "divorce" to describe their plans in the episode, but Kate filed for divorce in a Pennsylvania court hours before the episode aired. On-screen text later in the episode said that legal papers were filed Monday to dissolve the Gosselins' marriage.

"Over the course of this weekend, Jon's activities have left me no choice but to file legal procedures in order to protect myself and our children," Kate said in a statement. "While there are reasons why it was appropriate and necessary for me to initiate this proceeding, I do not wish to discuss those reasons at this time, in the hope that all issues will be resolved amicably between Jon and myself. As always, my first priority remains our children."

Jon said in a separate statement on Monday that Kate filed divorce documents and that he is "deeply saddened" to be divorcing.

"This afternoon, Kate filed for divorce. Our kids are still my number one priority. I love them and want to make sure they stay happy, healthy and safe. 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," he said in the statement.

"This will be a difficult transition for all of us, but Kate and I will work out a schedule that enables our kids to have plenty of quality time with both of us at home in Pennsylvania. In terms of my marriage, it's no secret that the past six months or so have been very difficult for Kate and me. We are no different than other couples and parents who are facing a crossroads in their marriage. I am of course deeply saddened that we are divorcing."
[Edited 6/23/09 11:59am]

ehuffnsd said:

didn't this heffer say she didn't want to raise them kids alone?

DesireeNevermind said:

yup

This whole thing is a very sad situation. We as the public will never 'really' know what happened. It's real easy for all of us to judge etc...but in the end, this is between the two of them and no one else.

I feel for those kids, but I pray that Jon & Kate will be adult for the sake of their children. Those kids did not ask to be brought into this world, or did they ask for their lives to be spilled out each and every week in front of millions of viewers.

I just hope they can all work something out, so they can all be happy.

You know I actually liked this lil show before it ballooned into this media created train wreck. Now its just a mess. Kate wants the attention and the show cause she thinks its a good career move, while Jon finds paps and the attention annoying, which it is, and would rather return to a quiet lifestyle.

But if they are unhappy with each other I think its better to end a marriage than stay in one for the sake of the kids, I don't think that's a good environment to raise children in.

Anxiety said:

wtf

Why is this show going on hiatus? It should just be canceled. Remember that season of the Simple Life when Paris and Nicole were filming separately? The show should be shot and put out of its misery.

JuliePurplehead said:

TLC is probably going to look at ratings and attitude of the audience and sponsors and determine if it's cost effective to keep the show running at somewhere between 50-75K per episode.
[Edited 6/23/09 13:54pm]

ehuffnsd said:

All while complying with child labor laws, of course.