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The Future of 'Jon and Kate Plus 8'
6-Jul-2009
Written by: Jackie McClellan
The future of the Gosselins is likely to be a rocky one.
It's hard to predict the future, but it is clear is that the Gosselins, the TLC family of Jon & Kate Plus 8, has encountered a bump in the road. In their June 22 episode, Jon and Kate announced their separation after 10 years of marriage.
The family began having marital issues after Jon was photographed with his 23-year-old female friend, Deanna Hummel, when Kate was out of town. According to USA Today, Kate filed for divorce the same day the family announced their separation. Surprisingly, Kate did not request child support or alimony.
The June 22 episode sparked an immense increase in viewers in the recent weeks. Viewers were interested in the drama and reality of the Gosselin family. The New York Times reports that within the last month alone the show's audience totaled 9.8 million viewers, while its average was 2.9 million viewers before the scandals.
Since this episode, TLC announced that they will place the show on hiatus to allow the family to "regroup." They will resume with new episodes on Aug. 3. They stated that after the hiatus, a "modified schedule will be in place to support the family's transition."
So what will be in-store for the Gosselins' future? No one knows for sure, but TLC and the Gosselins have suggested a few ideas of what may come.
As for life after the divorce, the kids will stay in their current $1.3 million house in Pennsylvania. Jon and Kate will alternate visiting their kids in the house.
TLC has indicated some details of the show's future as well. TLC's president Eileen O'Neill told The New York Times that the new episodes will focus on the "parent-child relationship." Although the separation of Jon and Kate will likely change the tone and content of the show, executives at Discovery Communications (which owns TLC) still believe viewers will watch the show. They feel viewers may be able to relate to it, and therefore, still be interested in watching it.
There are a few details that are still unknown however. One of them is Hummel's role on the show next season. The Boston Herald reports that TLC denied statements that she would be involved. However, an insider told the New York Daily News, "Deanna's role isn't expected to be big, but because she's part of Jon's life, she'll be filmed." Her role won't be unveiled until next season however.
Another item left unanswered is about the future of the show. Although episodes will continue Aug. 3, the question on-hand could be on whether to permit the kids to be on the show. If having them on television is not "in their best interest," the court could order the kids not to appear in the show.
In the June 22 episode, both Jon and Kate said they would continue participating in the show—but separately. As Kate concluded, "the show must go on."
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