“Jon & Kate Plus 8” alum Kate Gosselin became a household name thanks to her family’s reality show, but she’s now working 12-hour shifts as a home health care nurse to pay the bills.
Kate uploaded a TikTok video earlier this month in which she described “another 12-hour day” of working with a patient for whom she does medical care including “feeding” and “bathing.”
As she loaded her dishwasher, Kate noted that she was about to “go to bed and get up early and do it all over again.” In the video’s comments section, one “Jon & Kate Plus 8” viewer questioned “what happened with all the income from the show,” noting they “hate” that Kate is now working 12-hour shifts.
“Honestly? Providing for 8 kids, college funds which I am proud to say covered all of their college and more and LAWYERS. Sickening but I was [dragged] into court constantly and that costs A TON,” Kate replied, alluding to her divorce and custody battle with ex-husband Jon Gosselin.
The mom of eight noted that it’s “sad” she had to spend so much of her reality TV earnings on legal proceedings because “my kids could have a lot more saved and I could have a retirement saved if it weren’t for lawyers.”
Kate, 50, told another commenter that she now has “no personal retirement” fund.
Kate and Jon share twins Cara and Mady, 24, and sextuplets Collin, Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Leah, and Joel, 21. The family’s life was documented on the reality series “Jon & Kate Plus 8” from 2007 to 2009.
After Jon and Kate divorced in 2009, the TLC show was rebranded to “Kate Plus 8,” which aired until 2017 with a hiatus between 2011 and 2015. The exes have had a tumultuous relationship since their divorce. Jon is currently estranged from all of his children except Collin and Hannah, while Kate is estranged from Collin.
Earlier this month, Collin shared a TikTok video claiming that he and his siblings were “pitted against each other” growing up. Collin has accused his mother of abusive behavior during his childhood, which Kate has denied. After his mother sent him to an inpatient psychiatric facility when he was 12, Collin began living with Jon, as did his sister Hannah.
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Kate claimed in a 2023 statement to People that Collin had exhibited “unpredictable and violent behavior,” had a “distorted perception of reality” and “received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years.” Jon and Collin both denied her allegations.
“Regarding these brand new false accusations, it seems clear that even today after not seeing her son since the 6th grade, Kate is unable to control her abusive words towards him,” Jon told People at the time.
During a recent TikTok live, Kate claimed that her daughter Hannah “pretty much had to raise herself a lot” due to her decision to live with Jon and Collin.
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