After 10 years of marriage, eight kids and a popular reality show documenting the ups-and-downs of life with two sets of multiples, Jon and Kate Gosselin are officially separating.
The couple made the announcement on Monday’s episode of “Jon & Kate Plus 8.” “Kate and I have decided to separate,” Jon said during Monday’s broadcast. “It’s just not good for our kids to be arguing in front of our kids.” “I’m not very fond of the idea, personally,” Kate said. “But I know it’s necessary because my goal is peace for the kids.” Not long after they revealed their decision, the following statement showed up on the screen: “On Monday June 22, 2009, legal proceedings were initiated in Pennsylvania to dissolve the 10-year marriage of Jon and Kate Gosselin.” Watch Jon and Kate announce news separately » “I was too passive. I just let her rule the roost and do whatever she wanted,” Jon said on his marriage. “Now I finally stood up on my own two feet, and I’m proud of myself.” Kate said that though she doesn’t hate Jon, their “goals are different now.” “I’m tired of smiling on the outside while I’m crying on the inside,” Kate said. “I’ve been doing that for a long time.” Watch CNN.com’s Lisa Respers France report on the pre-show speculation » That might not surprise those who watch the show or follow their relationship in the media. Rumors have been swirling in tabloids and in other media outlets that the Gosselin marriage was in trouble.
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Earlier this week, TLC released a video promoting a one-hour special, in which Kate said, “Recently, we’ve made some life-changing decisions, decisions that will affect every member of our family.” Monday’s episode was not short of tense moments between the couple. It begins with the installation of “crooked houses” — outdoor mini-houses the kids designed that the Gosselins are putting on their property — and Jon and Kate’s disagreement as to where they should be placed. Jon has cleared out a spot for the tiny homes, which is a little too far from the house for Kate’s comfort. “Any flak that he receives turns into a huge blowup anymore, unfortunately,” Kate said. “But I wanted to do the right thing for my kids, so I was caught again.” In the end, Kate wins, and the houses are erected where she chooses.
The kids will continue living in their Wernersville, Pennsylvania, home, the couple say. Each parent will stay there during their time with them. And despite the separation, the show will go on. The couple say they will continue to be a part of “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” but instead film their time with the kids separately. When asked what worries her most, Kate said it’s “the label that we’ve failed, how that will affect our kids … how they’ll be another statistic.”
