Jon and Kate Gosselin's Tumultuous Relationship Timeline: Photos

An endless feud? Although Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin were married for 10 years and had eight children together — a set of twins and a set of sextuplets — the former husband and wife haven’t been on good terms since they split in 2009. More than a dozen years later, the Jon & Kate Plus 8 stars continue to butt heads, often taking to the headlines to call out the other for perceived downfalls.

Following their messy split, Jon and Kate found themselves locked in a heated custody battle for their minor children. The pair share sextuplets Aaden, Collin, Joel, Alexis, Hannah and Leah. Their twins, Mady and Cara, escaped the legal drama thanks to their status as adults – the sextuplets were not so lucky.

Jon, who lives in Pennsylvania and has full custody of Hannah and Collin, admitted on The Dr. Oz Show in November 2021 that he has a strained relationship with his eldest children.

“I haven’t talked to my twins in eight years,” he revealed at the time. “I text them every single year. And every time I come here to your show or interview, I text my daughter every single time.”

“[Hannah] feels a little bit slighted from what things have transpired,” Jon added. “I know she misses Leah and Alexis. She’s been snubbed by her brothers, so I don’t know what’s going on with that.”

The custodial warfare between Jon and Kate only subsided when the sextuplets turned 18 on May 10, 2022. The father of eight sat down with Entertainment Tonight on the exact day of his children’s celebration to discuss the milestone, expressing his disappointment in how things transpired.

“There’s no more custody court. It’s over. We are done today. It’s over … This weight has been lifted off my shoulder … It is just a big relief,” he said, before taking aim at his ex. “[Communicating with] the children that live with Kate is very difficult, because I don’t have an open relationship with them … I feel it’s a really poor decision on Kate’s part, because she alienated me from those kids.”

Beyond the custody battle, the exes have dealt and received blows from one another following their messy and public divorce. Jon has accused Kate of being an “absentee” mom, while Kate claims that none of their children have been “damaged” from filming their reality TV show. TLC cut their ties with Kate in 2020 after a judge found her in contempt of court for filming their underage children without Jon’s permission.

In September 2020, Kate told People that Jon was a “violent” and “abusive” person after Collin accused his father of physical abuse. Collin alleged that his father “punched” and “kicked” him in a since-deleted Instagram post. The claims prompted an investigation by the Berks County Children and Youth Services in Pennsylvania.

A rep for Jon told In Touch in September 2020 that he strongly denied the allegations and “never abused Collin.”

“No charges have been filed against him, and there’s no ongoing Children and Youth Services investigation. Collin has endured severe trauma,” the rep said at the time. “Jon is a loving father who has worked hard to ensure that his son gets the support and help he needs.”

In the time that has passed since such allegations were made, Jon has maintained that his children will one day discover what truly happened between him and Kate – if such truth exists. “They’re going to figure… out who [their] parents are, and what transpired in the past, and how relationships build, and how relationships fail,” he told ET on the sextuplets’ 18th birthday. “Sometimes it’s difficult to say those things to your child, because you’re afraid they aren’t mature enough to understand those things.”

What led the Gosselins to where they are now? From marrying in 1999 to divorcing 10 years later to now relentlessly tearing each other down in the press, we compiled a complete timeline of Jon and Kate’s tumultuous relationship.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.

Keep reading to learn more about the reality stars’ relationship ups and downs.

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