Why Did Jon and Kate Really Get Divorced? It's a He Said, She Said

It seems like a million years ago that Jon and Kate Gosselin and their eight kids were one big, happy family.

The former reality stars, known for documenting their lives on TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8, went from raising their sextuplets and their twins together, to divorcing, and subsequently bitterly fighting over, well, everything.

Of course, the couple split up over a decade ago in 2009. But why did Jon and Kate get divorced? Well, to this day, it's a torrid he said, she said, with only one thing being clear: The former spouses will never agree on why their marriage fell so spectacularly to pieces.

In June 2009, Kate pulled the trigger on dissolving their marriage, saying in a statement, “Over the course of this weekend, Jon’s activities have left me no choice but to file legal procedures in order to protect myself and our children. While there are reasons why it was appropriate and necessary for me to initiate this proceeding, I do not wish to discuss those reasons at this time, in the hope that all issues will be resolved amicably between Jon and myself."

She added, "As always, my first priority remains our children." What was left unsaid were the rumors that Jon had been unfaithful, an allegation he has always denied.

“The biggest misconception is the reason for the divorce is that I cheated on my wife, but I didn’t,” Jon insisted.

He did however go out without Kate while they were married, and was even snapped spending time with a younger woman. About these viral incidents, Jon only admitted to “poor decisions and bad judgments.” He added he was “sorry for putting my family in this awkward position.”

As fans well know, there has been no love lost between the parents of eight, with Jon calling their relationship, “just kind of like 10 years of a business transaction.”

He also accused his ex of being unfaithful to him, snarking about the reason for their split, “Why did the divorce happen? Because a certain person left me for a certain somebody."

Kate has said she did not cheat on Jon.

Neither of the Gosselins has made things official with another partner since divorcing in 2009 after a decade of marriage.

Jon is dating someone seriously, however.

In 2021, he began seeing Stephanie Lebo and often shares photos and updates about their time together on his Instagram.

He did confess in 2023, “I have never remarried since Kate and I’ve been divorced for 14 years. But now I have found who I want to spend the rest of my life with."

As for Kate, it is not known if she is dating anyone, per In Touch Weekly.

She continues to be a controversial figure, having shared disturbingly personal information about her son Collin's mental health on her social media.