Kate Gosselin Ex-Husband: Inside Her Tumultuous Marriage and Divorce From Jon Gosselin

Kate Gosselin’s ex-husband is Jon Gosselin, the father of her eight children and her co-star on the TLC reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8. The couple married in June 1999 and divorced in December 2009 after a highly public split that played out on national television.

Their marriage produced twins Mady and Cara, born in 2000, and sextuplets Aaden, Alexis, Collin, Hannah, Joel, and Leah, born in 2004. The family rose to fame when their reality show premiered in 2007, documenting their lives raising eight children in Pennsylvania.

From College Sweethearts to Reality TV Stardom

Jon and Kate met in 1997 and married two years later. Their early years were documented in Discovery Health specials before Jon & Kate Plus 8 debuted on TLC in April 2007.

The show became a cultural phenomenon, drawing millions of viewers who watched the couple navigate the chaos of raising twins and sextuplets. In August 2008, the couple renewed their wedding vows on a Hawaiian beach, a moment captured for the series.

The Affair Allegations and Separation

In May 2009, Us Weekly reported that Jon had allegedly been unfaithful with a third-grade school teacher named Deanna Hummel. Jon admitted to “poor judgment” but denied the affair.

Kate filed for divorce in June 2009. That same month, the couple announced their separation on a special episode of their show, which was seen by more than 10 million viewers.

“I’m tired of smiling on the outside while I’m crying on the inside,” Kate said during the episode. “I’ve been doing that for a long time.”

The Divorce and Custody Battle

The Gosselins’ divorce was finalized on December 18, 2009. Kate received the family home in Wernersville, Pennsylvania, and continued as the primary caretaker of the children. Jon was granted visitation rights, while the couple let an arbiter decide financial issues.

Kate was awarded full legal custody of all eight children, with the couple sharing physical custody. The custody arrangement became a source of conflict for years.

In 2016, Kate sent their son Collin to an inpatient treatment facility for behavioral issues. Jon claimed he was not informed of the decision and did not know where Collin was living. Jon was eventually awarded sole physical and legal custody of Collin in December 2018 after Kate did not show up to a scheduled court hearing.

Hannah, one of the sextuplets, also moved in with Jon full-time in August 2018.

Jon’s Allegations Against Kate

Over the years, Jon has made several public claims about Kate. In a September 2009 appearance on ABC’s Primetime: Family Secrets, he claimed Kate was abusive.

In a 2019 interview on The Dr. Oz Show, Jon said their marriage would have failed with or without the show, blaming his own “passive-aggressive” behavior and accusing Kate of having narcissistic personality disorder.

In September 2025, after Kate went public with her boyfriend Steve Neild, Jon posted on Instagram: “Guess who really ruined the marriage. Read for yourself. Maybe when I speak people will listen now!!!”

Their son Collin also alleged that Kate “had an affair with our bodyguard way back in 2009” and would share hotel rooms with Neild during family vacations.

A New Chapter for Jon

Jon married Stephanie Lebo on November 23, 2025, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 16 years after his divorce from Kate. Only two of his eight children, Hannah and Collin, attended the wedding.

The couple met at a backyard barbecue in August 2021 and dated for four years before marrying. Lebo is a research and development specialist and former cosmetologist with one daughter from a previous relationship.

“I took the polar opposite person [of Kate], and I fell in love with her,” Jon told Entertainment Tonight at the time of his wedding. “It’s a lot easier when it’s someone that is in line with all your morals and ideals and family values.”

Current Relationship Status

Jon and Kate do not communicate. Jon told E! News in January 2025: “I think the last time I heard her voice in person was, like, 2018.”

Jon remains estranged from six of his eight children. Only Hannah and Collin speak to him regularly. Kate continues to live in North Carolina, where she works as a pediatric home health care nurse.