In December 2019, Kate Gosselin was hit with a double whammy. The former Jon & Kate Plus 8 star was found in contempt of court for filming her children without permission, and she had to reveal that she had been fired from TLC, the network that has supported her multiple reality shows. Whaaaaaat?
Well, it turns out that one action fed the other. Kate and Jon have a legal agreement when it comes to filming the kids. Kate is supposed to give Jon a filming schedule that he approves, and she's supposed to file for work permits so the teens can legally work. It turns out that she didn't do either.
The rules were decided by a judge who also believes that filming isn't in the best interest of the kids. Since this is the first time she's violated the rule, she had to pay Jon $1,500 in legal fees. If she does it again, she could face time in jail.
But the big reveal came after this bombshell. It turns out that TLC had fired Kate as a result of her violation.
While Kate has stayed pretty quiet, Jon has had plenty to say. "The court agreed with me, they have given me back my rights. The guardian ad litem said filming wasn't in the best interests of my children, the judge said it wasn't in their best interests, but Kate went ahead and did it anyway. But this order now puts her on notice that she has to do everything by the book. She can still film Kate Plus 8 or Kate Plus Date, or whatever she wants, but she has to go to court to get a court order to get my written consent first."
And it seems like Kate's "fans" on Instagram aren't too excited about her right now, either. Several commenters have noticed that she hasn't posted recently, and they are leaving her comments about what has been going on.
The news has to be pretty scary and intense for Kate. Whatever she has or hasn't done, to suddenly find yourself without a job always sucks. Curiously, Jon has also kept his Instagram free of any updates or mention of this news. It's unclear if this is by court order or an agreement between the two.
In what is probably another blow, it's been revealed that one of the couple's daughters is trying to distance herself from the entire family, especially her mom. Mady has been away at college, and apparently her time away has helped her see there are other ways to live.
A source close to the family told In Touch Weekly, "Kate and Mady are on a lot better terms. Going away to college has actually made them closer. They love each other, but Mady wouldn't mind if her mom didn't comment on her social media posts, only because she wants her own identity. She doesn't want to be associated with the reality show and her parents' drama."
The same source added that while Jon and Kate still have a lot to work on, the kids seem OK. "While Jon and Kate seem to still be having issues, the kids are slowly but surely moving on." Which is honestly ideal for the kids. They don't need to be super involved in every single thing their parents are getting into with each other.
As the kids all get older, it'll be interesting to see who else breaks away from the fold. While Jon has full custody of two of their children, Hannah and Collin, he has previously said that he has virtually no contact with his six other children. That reasons why are complex, but they have to be hard for him to deal with.
In news that's even more heartbreaking, Jon said that Hannah and Collin don't really see their siblings. "I see them, but I really don’t have any interaction with the other six. Collin had one visitation with his siblings since he’s been back. We’re working on that."
Kate and Jon divorced over 10 years ago, and one would hope that they would have been able to figure out a more sustainable parenting plan by now. Instead, it seems Kate has been more focused on her reality TV career … or the one she used to have.
In the promotional video for her recent TV show, Kate Plus Date, she says, "Have you noticed I’ve been single for the last decade? I don’t even know, like, what the rules are. Like, can somebody help me out here?"
As usual, only time will really tell what will happen with this fractured family. One can hope that they will find a way to heal, no matter what that looks like. For his part, Jon seems happier than ever with his longtime girlfriend and the blended family the two of them have built.
