Jon Gosselin

Early life

Jonathan Keith Gosselin was born and raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania as the middle child in a family of three children. He has two brothers, Thomas and Mark. Gosselin's mother, Pamela Castello (née Lyum), was born and raised in Hawaii as a second-generation Korean American and his father, Thomas Gosselin (a pediatric dentist), was of French, Irish, and Welsh descent. Gosselin's father died on January 13, 2005. He graduated from Wyomissing High School in 1995.

Gosselin met Kate Kreider at a company picnic on October 5, 1997. They married on June 12, 1999. On October 8, 2000, their twin daughters, Cara and Madelyn "Mady", were born. Initially, Jon was against having a third child, but he and Kate eventually decided they would try again. On May 10, 2004, Kate gave birth to sextuplets: sons Aaden, Collin, and Joel, and daughters Alexis, Hannah, and Leah. The sextuplets were born 10 weeks premature, which is common in cases of multiple births.

Television fame

They received local media coverage until the sextuplets were 17 months old, when Discovery Health offered the couple a reality series chronicling the lives of their family.

The Discovery Health special, called Surviving Sextuplets and Twins, first aired in September 2005. One year later, the family was featured in another special titled Sextuplets and Twins: One Year Later. Both specials received high Nielsen ratings, and Discovery Health signed the couple to a series that aired beginning in April 2007. During this time, the family was filmed for three to four days per week, and received payment for appearing on the show.

They soon switched over to TLC.

Gosselin co-wrote Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets with then-wife Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson, a book that made The New York Times Best Seller list.

Divorce

It was announced on the June 22, 2009 episode of the show that the couple were separating, and that divorce proceedings had begun. Gosselin then began looking for a new apartment in New York City, reportedly visiting Donald Trump-owned Trump Place in Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Jon stated that it is Kate who wanted the divorce, while Kate stated that "Jon's activities" left her with "no choice but to file legal procedures in order to protect" herself and the children. Jon released a statement in response, noting that his wife was the first to make a legal move, and speaking of his continuing love for his children. Speculation rose that Jon's relationship with Hailey Glassman, the daughter of Kate's plastic surgeon, was the cause for the divorce, but Glassman denied the speculation, saying that her relationship with Jon began only after Jon and Kate had been separated for months.

On August 13, 2009, the police were called to the Gosselin family home in Wernersville, Pennsylvania after Jon and Kate were engaged in a heated argument. She arrived at the home during his time with their eight children because she did not approve of the babysitter he was using. No arrests were made and no charges were filed against either party.

On September 29, 2009 TLC announced that, as of November 3, 2009, Jon & Kate Plus 8 would change its name to Kate Plus 8. Jon Gosselin would continue to appear on the show, but less frequently. However, on October 1, 2009, People.com reported that Jon Gosselin filed a legal action against TLC to prevent the show from resuming and would consider the entry of production crews into the family home as criminal trespassing. The final episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 aired on November 23, 2009, announced by TLC three days earlier.

In late September 2009, Jon filed paperwork seeking to stall the divorce for 90 days, saying, "I regret my conduct since Kate and I separated ... I used poor judgment in publicly socializing with other women so soon." Among the terms of the divorce was a child support order for $22,000 a month.

On October 15, 2009, it was announced that TLC had filed suit against Jon for allegedly violating their contract with paid and unpaid television appearances he had recently made on several media outlets. The network claimed it lost more than $30,000 as a result of his alleged breach of their contract. His attorney responded that the contract was null and void once TLC renamed the show Kate Plus 8, and that in any event the contract is unenforceable because it was signed while Jon had no legal representation.

On December 18, 2009, it was announced that the couple's divorce had been finalized. Kate was granted primary custody of the children and the ownership of the family home. Earlier in the month, Jon's girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, announced that she broke up with Jon because she discovered during a deposition in his lawsuit against TLC that he had been unfaithful to her by having a relationship with Kate Major, a reporter for The Star tabloid.

As of November 2016, Jon has a difficult relationship with his ex-wife, which has constantly made headlines. They continue to fight over custody of the children, as he plans on taking Kate to court for joint physical and legal custody of them. Jon currently has visitation while she has full custody of the twins and sextuplets. He is estranged from some of their children, especially son Collin, whom Jon has not seen in two years. It was reported on August 2016 that Kate enrolled Collin in a program to help him with his "special needs".

Break-in

On December 26, 2009, upon returning to his New York apartment after visiting his children for Christmas, Gosselin discovered that his apartment had been broken into. The damage was estimated at $100,000. A note signed by Hailey Glassman, his ex-girlfriend, was found attached to Gosselin's dresser with a knife, but law enforcement officials have questioned the authenticity of both the message and the signature.

Post-Jon & Kate

In February 2011, Gosselin was working for Green Pointe Energy in Pennsylvania, installing solar panels. In September 2013, he was a waiter at two restaurants in Pennsylvania, near his home in Robeson Township. He was later reported to become a maitre'd at one of the restaurants.

As of January 2015, he has been working as a DJ. It was reported that he DJs 12 to 15 gigs a month in his hometown of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. On the side, Gosselin works at T.G.I. Friday's in Lancaster, Pennsylvania as a prep cook eight hours a week.

In July 2015, it was reported that Gosselin has been in a relationship with a registered nurse named Colleen Conrad. They have been dating since October 2014.

In March 2017, it was reported that Gosselin was set to appear as a stripper in an all male revue for one night only in Atlantic City.