Kate Gosselin Biography

Kate Gosselin became famous with her husband Jon and their eight children on the cable TV series Jon & Kate Plus 8, which aired from 2007 to 2009. Gosselin was trained to be a nurse, but the success of her TV show gave her a new career as a tabloid celebrity, a public speaker and the author of the books Multiple Blessings (2008) and Eight Little Faces (2009). It all started when Kate and Jon, married in 1999, used modern fertility enhancement methods to have twin girls in 2000 (Cara and Madelyn, born 8 October). Three years later Kate’s fertility treatments were again successful and she delivered sextuplets (Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah and Joel, born 10 May 2004). The Gosselin family appeared in a 2006 TV special, Surviving Sextuplets and Twins, then returned to TV a year later with Twins and Sextuplets, which in turn led to Jon & Kate Plus 8, a weekly show that followed the family’s ups and downs. Prior to the 2009 season the Gosselins’ public lives became perhaps too public, as rumors of infidelity (on Jon’s part) caused a wave of tabloid speculation. Their marriage was strained and their show became a talking point for finger-wagging social commentators, but ratings shot up and Kate continued to tour and promote her books. They announced their plans to divorce in an episode that aired 22 June 2009, and for the next season the name of the show became Kate Plus Eight, with a focus on Kate’s role as a single mother. Jon’s refusal to appear on the show led to a break in production, but Kate popped up again as a contestant on Dancing With the Stars. Kate Plus Eight was finally canceled in 2011.