Kate Gosselin

Katie Irene Kreider, who is of German, Scottish, and English descent, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Charlene (née Kolak) and Kenton Kreider, a pastor.[5] The third of five children, she has three sisters, Kendra, Christen and Clairissa, and one brother, Kevin.[1] Kreider became a registered nurse after completing a diploma program at the Reading Hospital and Medical Center in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Kreider began her career as a labor and delivery nurse in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.[6] She met Jon Gosselin at a company picnic on October 5, 1997. They were married on June 12, 1999. Gosselin became pregnant through fertility treatment because polycystic ovary syndrome left her unable to conceive otherwise. On October 8, 2000, she gave birth to twin girls, Cara Nicole and Madelyn "Mady" Kate, who were premature at 35 weeks gestation.[7] After further treatments, Gosselin became pregnant again and, on May 10, 2004, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, she gave birth to sextuplets: sons Aaden Jonathan, Collin Thomas, and Joel Kevin; and daughters Alexis Faith, Hannah Joy, and Leah Hope. Born at just shy of 30 weeks gestation, the sextuplets were 10 weeks premature, which is common in the multiple births resulting from fertility treatments. The early birth required the six infants to be placed on ventilators.[6]

Reality television

Gosselin and family on the cover of KoreAm in May 2007

Following the birth of the sextuplets, the Gosselins were featured in the NBC reality TV show Home Delivery when their home in Wyomissing was renovated to accommodate the large family.[4]

The family was then featured in a special on Discovery Health in September 2005 entitled Surviving Sextuplets and Twins. A year later they were featured in another special entitled Sextuplets and Twins: One Year Later. With high ratings from the specials, Discovery Health signed the couple to a reality series which began airing in April 2007, called Jon & Kate Plus 8, documenting their lives. To produce the show, the family was filmed three or four days per week and the show's first two seasons aired on Discovery Health Channel before moving to The Learning Channel (TLC).[4] The family received payment for appearing on the show.[8]

On September 29, 2009, TLC announced the change in title of Jon & Kate Plus 8 to Kate Plus 8, continuing to follow Gosselin as a divorced mother, with Jon appearing infrequently on the show going forwards. The show was canceled during season five following Jon's decision to withdraw from the series, with the last episode—the finale of that season—airing on November 23 of that year.[9] Season 2 of Kate Plus 8 premiered on November 28, 2010,[10] and reruns of the show still air on TLC.

Gosselin filmed a talk show pilot with Paula Deen in September 2009. By late December 2009, it was announced that Gosselin was no longer being considered for the role, having been deemed too controversial by executives, and the show had not been picked up by a network by the end of the year.[11] Gosselin was a contestant in the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars,[12] and was partnered with professional dancer Tony Dovolani. She was eliminated from the competition in its fifth week in April 2010. Shortly after being eliminated, it was rumored that Gosselin was scheduled to appear in the upcoming season of the popular TV show The Bachelorette; this was denied by both TLC and the show's creator, Mike Fleiss.[13]

On June 24, 2010, it was announced that Gosselin would be returning as a co-host on The View, having previously co-hosted it twice.[14]

In August 2011, it was announced that Kate Plus 8 had not been renewed for a new season. The final episode of the show aired on September 12, 2011.

Gosselin and her children appeared in an episode of Celebrity Wife Swap in February 2013. Gosselin switched places with Kendra Wilkinson. On March 19, 2014, it was announced that Gosselin and her eight children would return for a reunion special of Kate Plus 8, scheduled to air in June of the same year. In August of the same year, it was announced that Kate Plus 8 would return for a new season on January 13, 2015, again on TLC. Season 5 premiered on November 22, 2016. Whilst season 6 was filming, Gosselin went through a custody battle with her ex-husband over two of their children, Collin and Hannah; following Jon's decision to withdraw from filming, the majority of season 6 was canceled, airing in 2017 with just three episodes.

Gosselin's new show, Kate Plus Date, premiered on TLC in June 2019.[15]

In 2023, Gosselin appeared on the reality TV series Special Forces: World's Toughest Test. She was eliminated in the first episode due to a physical injury.[16]

Gosselin in 2012

Jon and Kate announced on June 22, 2009, in an episode that they were separating. However, the two had met with Pennsylvania attorneys on the day that the episode aired to finalize plans for divorce rather than separation.[19] They stated that their eight children will remain in their Pennsylvania home, and the two of them will move back and forth to accommodate the custody agreement. In separate interviews, they stated that the show would continue. However, TLC announced on June 23, 2009, that the show would be suspended with immediate effect. According to TLC, Jon and Kate had moved the focus away from the family and the change in the dynamic, as well as the production difficulties that had occurred because the couple was no longer living together, made it unclear whether the show was still viable.[20]

On August 13, 2009, the police were called to the Gosselin family home in Wernersville, Pennsylvania, after the couple were engaged in a verbal fight. Kate arrived at the home during Jon's scheduled time with their children because she did not approve of the babysitter he was using. No arrests were made and no charges were filed against either party.[21][22]

On December 16, 2009, it was announced that the couple's divorce was finalized.[23] Kate was granted the ownership of the family home and primary custody of the children.[24]

Since the divorce, Kate has had a contentious relationship with her ex-husband, which has repeatedly made headlines.[25] Kate announced in August 2016 that she enrolled Collin in a program to help him with his "special needs".[26] On August 22, 2017, the police were called to an orthodontist's office in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, after Jon and Kate got into a custody dispute over one of their sextuplet daughters. It was reported that either Jon or Kate took their then 13-year-old daughter to the orthodontist and the argument erupted over who would be taking her home. No one was arrested, and in the end, the daughter went home with Jon while Kate was referred to Berks County District Attorney's office for a clearer interpretation of the child custody agreement. It was later reported that the sextuplet daughter involved in the dispute may have been Hannah.[27][28]

In August 2018, Jon revealed in an Instagram live video that Hannah "permanently" lives with him, as there has been an ongoing custody battle with Kate over their daughter. It was reported that in April 2018, a judge ruled in favor of Jon having custody of Hannah, which prompted Kate to appeal this decision on May 4, 2018. The judge denied the appeal on June 14, 2018, as Kate "did not present legal argument to justify this Court's jurisdiction," according to court documents.[29]

On October 24, 2018, Jon and his attorney filed papers for physical and legal custody of Collin. They claimed that it would be in Collin's best interest to live with his father upon his release from the inpatient center Kate enrolled him in.[30] On December 4, 2018, Jon won sole physical and legal custody of Collin, as Kate and her attorney failed to appear.[31] It was reported on December 26, 2018, that Collin was released from the inpatient center and returned home with Jon for good.[32] As of 2018, Kate and her ex-husband are no longer in communication, except through their attorneys.[33] In August 2019, In Touch Weekly reported that Kate was not attempting to win custody of both Hannah and Collin from her ex-husband.[34] According to Jon, neither Hannah nor Collin have contact with their mother.[35]

In March 2021, Kate relocated to Troutman, North Carolina, with four of her children; Alexis, Aaden, Leah, and Joel, who still live with her. The twins are currently both away at college in New York,[36] with Cara attending Fordham University and Mady attending Syracuse University.[37] However, Cara and Mady reside with their mother when home from their respective colleges. Meanwhile, Hannah and Collin remain with their father back in Pennsylvania.[38] After the move, Kate obtained her multi-state, registered nurse license in North Carolina on June 30, 2021.[39]

Gosselin has become closely associated with the slang term known as Karen, and its "can-I-speak-to-your-manager" bob haircut, which Gosselin has worn.[40][41][42]

• Multiple Blessings (November 1, 2008)
• Eight Little Faces (April 1, 2009)
• I Just Want You to Know (April 13, 2010)
• Love Is in the Mix (September 4, 2013)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kate Gosselin.

• Kate Gosselin at IMDb