Favorite Family in Two

It’s official -Jon & Kate are splitting up. Married in 1999, Jon and Kate Gosselin wed with plans of a happy life. The pair had trouble conceiving, and turned to new methods of fertilization in order to help with the process. They ended up having twins, Mady and Cara on October 8, 2000. Later, they decided that they did in fact want another child, and ended up with a whopping 6 kids! That’s right; Kate had sextuplets on May 10, 2004. The sextuplets consist of three girls, Hannah, Alexis, and Leah, and three boys, Joel, Aaden, and Colin. The family originally appeared on a special about their kids, which later turned into the show families all over America have come to love: Jon and Kate Plus Eight.

The show started in July of 2008, and in just a short year, America has become obsessed with Jon and Kate and their eight children. The seasons began showing just how crazy the Gosselin household was, and fans loved to see the family go through tribulations and triumphs together. Somehow, they always managed through it together. They had to pinch pennies, and have set schedules, deal with chaos, but ultimately, fans fell in love with this family because of their honestly and love.

However, recently, the tabloids and media have provided America with an endless stream of arguments and scandals between Jon and Kate. The most current season started a few weeks ago with over 9 million interested viewers, who ended up slightly disappointed with the rather big house yet rather small communication between the family members. Every episode thus far seems to have included some kind of celebrity, from the guys of American Chopper to the famous chef Emril. It’s great that the Gosselin’s are getting these perks, don’t get me wrong, but the focus seemed to be on all this material stuff and celebrity instead of the time and love the Gosseln’s always shared with each other. So, where did the love go?

Unfortunately, this lack of communication ended with Jon and Kate in a courthouse on June 22, 2009. The episode on the same date ended with a statement of how Jon and Kate are separating, but continuing the show. They both seemed genuinely hurt for their children, pledging to have done and will continue to do the best they can. I am definitely sad for this family, and for the kids. I think it was hard enough to live a documented life on TV, but it will be even harder to have the cameras rolling while their family is torn apart.