Inside Jon Gosselin's Life Today
The following article references child abuse.
The mid-2000's introduced us to a lot of reality TV families, but the Gosselins were certainly one of the more memorable broods to grace the small screen. Their TLC show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" featured their uniquely large family, which created enough drama to last multiple seasons. The series had originally starred former couple Jon and Kate Gosselin, who are parents to twins Cara and Mady, as well as sextuplets Collin, Hannah, Leah, Joel, Aaden, and Alexis. It was a ratings hit for the network when it premiered in 2007, but when Jon and Kate later had marriage problems, the show became a pop culture fascination.
Jon and Kate eventually became tabloid fixtures due to the contentious divorce and bitter custody battle that followed.Jon in particular made headlines for his partying and alleged scandalous affairs. He was even dropped from his family's show in 2009, which then became "Kate Plus 8" (via People). However, Jon told "The Dr. Oz Show" in 2019 that it was him who pulled the plug. "The network thought I was nuts...Because I would give up millions of dollars not to film and just go live a normal life."
Regardless, a lot has changed for Jon since then, yet he's managed to remain in the spotlight because of his relationships — or lack thereof — with his family. Here's a look inside Jon Gosselin's life today.
Jon Gosselin gained custody of his daughter Hannah
It appears that Jon Gosselin's children had mainly lived with their mother, Kate Gosselin, following their divorce. That's because in 2016, Jon told ET that he hadn't seen all his kids together in years, and only a few would occasionally visit his home. That began to change in 2017, after one of his daughters insisted on going home with him after an orthodontist appointment. That not only resulted in an argument between Jon and Kate (and the police being called), but also seemingly led to some changes for the family.
The daughter in question was presumably Hannah, since months later, Jon gained custody of her and she moved in permanently with him. The DJ posted about her "new beginning" on Instagram, writing: "I admire your bravery starting fresh!!!" Hannah lives with Jon to this day. In 2022, she discussed her decision with ET, saying, "I have always been closer with my dad and we've always had a strong good relationship." She also admitted that it was hard to feel seen when living with all of her siblings at her mother's home. "I felt like my dad gave me that attention and a feeling like I had a good solid relationship with a parent."
Jon shared on Instagram in March 2022 that Hannah plans on going to college in Florida following graduation. While he made it clear he is a #prouddad, it seems that he can't believe how fast she's growing up.
Jon Gosselin took Collin home from treatment
Jon Gosselin isn't just taking care of his daughter Hannah. His son Collin is living with him too, following his years-long stint in a treatment center where his mother had sent him for behavioral issues. Jon discussed Collin's return with ET in late 2018, saying, "We're really excited to have him home for the holidays. And to enjoy the rest of his childhood."
Jon later told the Daily Mail that he hadn't even been aware that Collin had been sent to the facility until he was told by police who were investigating abuse claims Collin made against his mother, Kate Gosselin. "I...went through the courts to get joint legal custody. While I'm going through the process I get this shocking letter from Collin...it made me even more determined to get him out."
Collin seems much happier with Jon, and no longer has a relationship with his mom. Like his dad, he blames reality TV for most of their family issues. As Collin explained to ET, "I think it tore us apart. It gave us less time to actually be together as a family." Jon might not be seeing as much of Collin anymore, though, since in 2021, he revealed on "The Dr. Oz Show" that Collin enlisted in the military.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
The DJ wants to reunite his family
While Jon Gosselin is clearly happy to be raising Collin and Hannah, it seems he still wants them and himself to have a better relationship with their other siblings. He shared with ET in 2020, "I wish that all my kids would just be together, hang out together. Kate and I don't live that far away from each other but I feel like there is an invisible wall." A year later, he revealed to Hollywood Life that despite his and Collin's estrangement from the rest of the family, Hannah still communicates with them.
It's safe to say that Jon blames his ex-wife Kate Gosselin for creating that divide between him and the children who live with her. In another interview with ET, he explained, "I feel it's a really poor decision on Kate's part, because she alienated me from those kids." Yet, he's apparently pushing for an on-camera reunion, even with Kate involved. He revealed, "I got shot down amongst Kate and a couple other siblings. I always initiate. Maybe not a TV reunion, but maybe something else."
Jon isn't just pushing for the siblings to come together, since he reportedly wants Hannah and Collin to repair the rift they have with their mom, too. Hannah has hinted at tension with Kate, while Collin claimed he no longer speaks with her. However, a source told Us Weekly, "Jon wishes Collin and Hannah could fix their relationship with Kate. That's all he's ever wanted."
Jon Gosselin still has a bad relationship with Kate Gosselin
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Jon Gosselin still has a bad relationship with his ex-wife Kate Gosselin. He's been pretty vocal with his disdain for her ever since their 2009 divorce. While Jon usually blames reality TV for creating problems in their marriage, he told "The Dr. Oz Show" that they wouldn't have lasted even without the cameras "because of [her] personality."
Jon has said that he thinks Kate has narcissistic personality disorder, putting her needs before everyone else. That wasn't the only time he seriously bashed her in an interview, though. He also told the Daily Mail that she was abusive, forcing their kids to do chores and film. "Kate's all controlling...They have all said they have to film because they feel they need to provide a lifestyle for their mother," he said.
He often discusses his beliefs that Kate has always had obsession with being a TV star, despite her children's feelings. He told ET, "I felt that if you wanted to do TV, you should just kept doing TV on your own and let them be kids." He even suggests it was Kate who cheated during their marriage: "Why did the divorce happen? Because a certain person left me for a certain somebody."
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
Jon Gosselin is estranged from his twin daughters
Jon Gosselin seemingly doesn't have the best relationship with his sextuplets these days, but what's probably worse is that he's completely estranged from his twins, Cara and Mady. In 2021, the former TV star confirmed on "The Dr. Oz Show" that he hadn't spoken with either twin in eight years, despite them now being in college and out of their mom's house. Yet, Jon says he hasn't stopped reaching out to them, even if they haven't responded. He told Dr. Oz "I text them every single year. And every time I come here to your show or interview...But I'm not blocked because [the text] is blue."
Not surprisingly, Jon blames the twins' mother for their issues with him, telling Daily Mail, "I think Kate has really poisoned my children's minds against me. She's put stuff in their minds about my personality." However, Jon believes that Cara and Mady could one day change their mind and contact him. He explained to Hollywood Life, "I kind of just have to hold on to hope and not give up and let them know that I love them and I'm here no matter what."
Despite Jon's hope and determination for a reconciliation, the current lack of a relationship with his eldest children hurts him. He admitted to ET in 2022 that he misses them: "That's why I post things on my Instagram, like, throwbacks, TBTs."
The former TLC star is no longer interested in reality TV
Jon Gosselin has managed to remain a public figure by giving interviews about his family situation, but he's not interested in returning to reality TV. In fact, when asked about it by InTouch, he flat-out said no. "There were times probably five years ago where I thought, 'I am young enough maybe I could.' But I'm exhausted."
Gosselin apparently doesn't want his children to do reality TV either, and tried to prevent them from filming when they were underage because he felt it didn't benefit them. He dished to The U.S. Sun, "The Department of Labor agreed with me, as I have joint legal rights to my children." It seems that Gosselin felt that they were too young to decide if they wanted to be in the public eye. "If the kids are turning 18 and they want to film, that's fine, they're adults," he said.
Gosselin's ex, Kate Gosselin, has continued to do reality TV, though. In 2019, she starred in her own show, "Kate Plus Date." Jon threw shade at her for that, telling "Morning Express with Robin Meade" (via E!), "Whatever keeps the lights on...I just work a normal job." Jon didn't stop the bashing there though. He later told Daily Mail, "It's not even "Kate Plus 8" anymore. Those things are long gone...Move past that stuff."
Jon Gosselin has some financial concerns
It's safe to say that Jon Gosselin's fame didn't lead to riches, considering that he apparently has some legitimate concerns when it comes to finances. The "Voicemail" singer seems to be worried mainly about his children's money, after their mother, Kate Gosselin, admitted to tapping into their trust funds to cover family expenses. According to The U.S. Sun, Kate revealed in court that she took two $50,000 withdrawals "to survive."
Jon isn't buying that, and asserted that Kate actually just stole from their kids. He dished, "It makes me feel disgusted. She has been on TV telling the world she has saved her children's money when she's actually been stealing from them." Kate's lawyer, Richard J. Puleo, upheld her "integrity" when speaking to Us Weekly, but blasted Jon's, saying, "He clearly owes her $132,875 in child support, not counting interest."
As for Jon's personal finances, per The U.S. Sun, as of 2022, that wasn't great either. "Jon works two jobs to make ends meet...Jon chose a life of leaving reality TV and in turn received no money from the show," a source revealed. However, that insider claimed he's more focused on his children's futures because he's worried that some of them will blow through their TV money. They explained, "Jon has no control over the other kids and is worried whether they will use the money wisely...The kids he has custody of, he had them take finance classes to prepare."
Jon Gosselin is allegedly interfering with his daughter's business
Jon Gosselin seems to have a big hand in his daughter Hannah's beauty line, which she launched on her 18th birthday in May 2022. Jon gushed about it on Instagram, captioning a selfie of them, "I'm so proud of you @hannahjgosselin and all that you will achieve with @gosselingirlbeauty !" The brand was seemingly supposed to be all about Hannah, who had told ET, "I want to own my own business and see it succeed because of me." Yet Jon made it clear that he was heavily involved too, saying, "We really worked hard together in getting her to this point ... we put a good team in place."
However, just a few months later, Jon began butting heads with that team. The CEO of Gosselin Girl Beauty, Diane Simon, told The U.S. Sun that he caused the company problems with his behavior, like when he bashed his ex, Kate Gosselin, in an interview that was intended to be about the brand. As Simon stated, "I've witnessed some concerning behavior from him and I became frustrated. Just the dynamic on how he operates with Hannah."
Simon also asserted that Jon's interference had negatively impacted the success of Hannah's brand. Jon's rep denied the accusations though. "This seems to be a sad attempt at getting her 15 minutes of fame at Jon and Hannah's expense."
Jon Gosselin works normal off camera jobs
Jon Gosselin has had a lot of "normal" jobs since leaving reality TV, but it seems that in recent years, he's been working in Information Technology. As of February 2023, Gosselin is employed as an IT Specialist for a hospital when he's not DJing at night. He told InTouch that he's able to balance both careers because he doesn't start his job until mid-morning and stays very organized. "Everything's very task oriented in my life...I maintain a schedule. Everything's in my Google calendar and what I need to do."
It appears that before Gosselin's current position at the hospital, he worked in an IT department at Amazon until 2022. From the looks of his Instagram, he really clicked with some of his co-workers there, too. He shared in a post, "This is my work family that I'm leaving to transfer to another facility next week...Gonna miss my team!!! guys it's been real."
Gosselin also had previous experience in the medical field, because he worked at a healthcare facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, setting up telemedicine systems and instructing doctors on how to use them (via ET). Additionally, he dabbled in other occupations that weren't related to IT at all, like his stint as a male stripper in 2017. He told Page Six at the time, "My kids know everything that's gonna go on, I cleared it with them before I did anything."
The former reality TV star is passionate about music
Jon Gosselin may pay the bills working in IT, but it's not his favorite thing to do. In fact, he explained to Hollywood Life, "I love playing music. That's my passion and release, but IT is my care and how I provide for my family." Gosselin told InTouch that he learned to DJ over a decade ago when he realized he couldn't work in TV because of what happened with "Jon & Kate Plus 8." However, he's still putting his TV fame to use as a DJ. He dished, "I think my gig is more like a celebrity appearance. And then I'd just happened to DJ."
Yet, not everyone wants to hear Gosselin DJ just because he's a "celebrity." As he told Yahoo!, "Some people...try to start s*** with me. I have security, so it's like, 'Hey, buddy, have a nice life.'" Regardless, Gosselin appears to really enjoy DJing, and often posts about his gigs on his Instagram. He captioned one post, "Had a lot of fun spinning on the beach," and wrote alongside a video of him spinning, "Music makes everything better."
Gosselin was apparently serious about that last sentiment since he revealed on "The Dr. Oz Show" in 2021 that he was working on a R&B/hip-hop album to tell the story of his life. Months later, Gossselin released his first single, "Voicemail."
Jon Gosselin is single after breaking up with Colleen Conrad
Jon Gosselin is living the single life these days after splitting with his longtime girlfriend, Colleen Conrad, in 2021. The two had been together since 2014, with Gosselin gushing to ET four years later that she had made his life "comfortable." "It's like reliving my past but with someone I really love and care about," he said. Despite their longtime relationship, it did seem that Gosselin didn't have plans to marry Conrad. In a separate interview with ET, he explained, "We'll just keep circling the drain with marriage stuff. We live together, have many things together and we definitely have a blended family."
In the end, though, the couple just couldn't make it work. Gosselin told The U.S. Sun, "We had some struggles and we tried to push through them as best we could, but it didn't really work out the way we thought it would." Further complicating things was the fact that around the same time, Conrad was diagnosed with breast cancer. Some fans even speculated from her Instagram posts that Gosselin had dumped her in her time of need. However, Gosselin clarified that he was still supportive of her despite their split. "This was a mutual breakup...It has nothing to do with cancer." Gosselin apparently just wants to finally put himself and his music career first, since he wants to eventually tour his album (per Hollywood Life).