An endless feud? Although Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin were married for 10 years and had eight children together — a set of twins and a set of sextuplets — the former husband and wife haven’t been on good terms since they split in 2009. More than a decade later, the Jon & Kate Plus 8 stars continue to make headlines as they remain locked in a heated custody battle for their minor children. The pair share sextuplets Aaden, Collin, Joel, Alexis, Hannah and Leah. Their twins, Mady and Cara, are of age and attend different colleges in New York. Mady goes to Syracuse and Cara is enrolled in Fordham University — during breaks, they stay with their mother in North Carolina.
While Jon, who lives in Pennsylvania and has full custody of Hannah and Collin, admitted on The Dr. Oz Show in November 2021 that he has a strained relationship with his eldest children.
“I haven’t talked to my twins in eight years,” he revealed. “I text them every single year. And every time I come here to your show or interview, I text my daughter every single time.”
“[Hannah] feels a little bit slighted from what things have transpired,” Jon added. “I know she misses Leah and Alexis. She’s been snubbed by her brothers, so I don’t know what’s going on with that.”
The same month, Jon dropped his legal team and began representing himself in his custody battle with his ex-wife.
Beyond the custody battle, the exes have never pulled punches following their messy and public divorce. Jon has accused Kate of being an “absentee” mom, while Kate claims that none of their children have been “damaged” from filming their reality TV show. TLC cut their ties with Kate in 2020 after a judge found her in contempt of court for filming their underage children without Jon’s permission.
In September 2020, Kate told People that Jon was a “violent” and “abusive” person after Collin accused his father of physical abuse. Collin alleged that his father “punched” and “kicked” him in a since-deleted Instagram post. The claims prompted an investigation by the Berks County Children and Youth Services in Pennsylvania.
A rep for Jon told In Touch that he strongly denied the allegations and “never abused Collin.”
“No charges have been filed against him, and there’s no ongoing Children and Youth Services investigation. Collin has endured severe trauma,” the rep said at the time. “Jon is a loving father who has worked hard to ensure that his son gets the support and help he needs.”
What led the Gosselins to where there are now? From marrying in 1999 to divorcing 10 years later to now relentlessly tearing each other down in the press, we compiled a complete timeline of Jon and Kate’s tumultuous relationship.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
Keep reading to learn more about the reality stars’ relationship ups and downs.