17 Years Later, Big Family Welcomes Sextuplets and Twins Jon and Kate Gosselin gained fame through their reality show, “Jon and Kate Plus 8,” which followed their lives raising sextuplets and twins. The show premiered in 2007, and the family became household names.
Viewers tune in weekly to watch a Pennsylvania family carry out mundane tasks such as laundry and meal preparation. However, this household is far from ordinary, and millions are captivated by their daily routines.
Jon and Kate Gosselin are the proud parents of both twins and sextuplets. Due to Kate’s diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome, they turned to fertility treatment to conceive. Kate gave birth to their twin girls prematurely at 35 weeks gestation.
Jon and Kate Gosselin pursued their dream of having a large family through fertility treatments, specifically IUI. However, they were not expecting the outcome of six more children. The news of the sextuplets completely shook their world. During Kate’s five-week ultrasound, she suspected she may be carrying multiples, but was shocked to discover there were six. She recalls being in shock and disbelief as soon as she saw the ultrasound screen with multiple circles, thinking, “These cannot be babies. There’s too many.”
Kate’s pregnancy with sextuplets was considered high-risk, and doctors advised her to undergo a fetal reduction procedure, but she declined. On May 10, 2004, the Gosselin family grew from four to ten with the arrival of Hannah, Joel, Leah, Collin, Alexis, and Aaden. Aaden Jonathan, the first boy, was born at 2 pounds, 7.5 ounces and 13 inches long, followed by Collin Thomas at 3 pounds, 0.5 ounces and 15 inches long. Leah Hope, the third girl, was born at 2 pounds, 14.8 ounces and 15.4 inches long.
Kate dedicates the majority of her time to preparing healthy, organic meals for her family of 10, followed by cleaning up the aftermath. “My day consists of making meals, serving meals, cleaning up after meals, and attending to the needs of my children,” she explained. Mealtime with eight children often results in a mess, leading to plenty of laundry for Kate to tackle. “I typically do at least two loads of laundry per day, but some days I do up to five,” she added.
After a decade of marriage, Jon and Kate announced their separation in 2009. Kate cited that their differing desires led to the decision to end their marriage, while rumors of Jon’s infidelity circulated.
As of 2021, according to a source who spoke to HollywoodLife, Kate relocated her children to North Carolina to start a new life, where they will spend their junior and senior years of high school.