Featured Image Credit: Getty Images
Topics: Reality TV, TV
Laura Rizzo Chagani
Jon & Kate Plus 8 premiered on TLC in 2007 and the Gosselins — Jon, Kate, twins Mady and Cara, and sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah, and Joel — became pop culture phenomenons. The Gosselins were so engrained in celebrity culture that (multiple!) think pieces have been written about their recession-era fame. Vanity Fair writer Nancy Jo Sales reported that from March to October in 2009, Jon and Kate appeared on the cover of 50 tabloids, which for context, was more than Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at that time. The Pennsylvania family’s appeal was recognized across the country, but they went on to weather divorce, estrangement, and a lot(tttt) of drama.
The series started innocently enough with an inside look into the young family’s particularly hectic life raising eight kids. The sextuplets were only 3 when the show premiered while the twins were 7. However, in May 2009, Jon and Kate split after 10 years of marriage. Jon later admitted to cheating during their relationship but claimed Kate did it first with their bodyguard.
They were divorced by December of that year, but their contentious custody battle was just beginning, and they’ve been going back and forth about child support payments as recently as January 2024.
Their kids, unfortunately, got stuck in the middle of the chaos, with a handful of them appearing on TV to take sides in their parents’ split. After the divorce, all eight children lived with Kate, and Jon claimed that she “alienated” some of them from him. In 2018, Jon confirmed he had full custody of Hannah and she “permanently” lived with him. Four months later, he was granted full custody of Collin, years after Kate placed him in a facility for children with special needs.
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There is a lot to unpack with Gosselins and the amount of public attention is probably why most of the kids have stayed completely out of the spotlight and have very limited public social media accounts. Keep reading to see what the Gosselin kids are up to today.
Mady graduated from Syracuse University with B.A. in English Textual Studies, Film and Screen Studies and a minor in Art History in May 2023. She landed a job in New York City as a Community and Customer Service Junior Associate at Bubble Skincare.
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In addition to her job at Bubble, she is also content creator on TikTok and her videos showcase a lot of cool aspects of her job. It is very Jenna Rink coded!
Mady and her twin, Cara, were born in October 2000 and have seemingly remained close to their mother. Jon said in 2021 that he hadn’t spoken to his two oldest children in “eight years.”
Cara graduated from Fordham University in 2023 with dual majors in Mathematics and Economics. She’s also based in NYC and works as a Financial Analyst at Bank of America.
Alexis was the first of the sextuplets to be born in May 2004. She graduated high school in 2023, and although she’s kept her post-grad life quiet, she previously said she was “definitely going to work with animals someday.”
Hannah was the second sextuplet born, and in 2018, left Kate’s home to move in with her father. She now attends the University of Miami as a business major.
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In 2022, she tried her hand at entrepreneurship by launching Gosselin Girl Beauty. The brand is still in business, but Hannah has not posted or been associated with its marketing since the company’s launch. Her photos have been removed from the site, and the brand now leans heavily into influencer market — but Hannah is not included.
Aaden is third in the birth order and stood out on the show because of his cute glasses — which he still wears! He graduated high school along with his siblings in 2023 but stays completely out of the public eye.
While Collin was in Kate’s custody, she sent him to Fairmount Behavioral Health Institute, a psychiatric hospital in Philadelphia, in 2016 when he was 12 years old. At the time, Kate said she did so because her son had “special needs.” She said his diagnosis was “fairly fluid” but alluded to him having behavioral problems.
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Collin claimed he sent Jon a handwritten letter using crayons in 2018 begging him to pick him up from the facility. Kate did not appear in court for the custody hearing later that year, and Jon was granted full legal and physical custody of Collin.
In 2020, Collin accused his father of physically abusing him. Jon denied the allegations and the Berks County Child and Youth Services found nothing during their investigation.
Despite the drama, Collin remained close with Jon, and after graduating high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marines.
Leah seems to be living her best life as an average college student. When she’s not in her dorm, she shares videos of herself baking on TikTok.
The youngest of the sextuplets, Joel lives a quiet life after graduating high school in 2023. He seems to be close with his siblings, and Leah shared herself making his “favorite dessert” of coconut cream pie on TikTok.