“Jon & Kate Plus 8,” later rebranded as “Kate Plus 8” for its sixth and seventh seasons, is an American reality TV show that aired from April 4, 2007, to September 12, 2011. The show followed the Gosselin family—parents Jon and Kate, along with their eight children, which include fraternal twins and sextuplets. Initially, the series aired on the Discovery Health Channel for its first two seasons before moving to TLC, following the success of two one-hour specials, “Surviving Sextuplets and Twins” and “Sextuplets and Twins: One Year Later.”
During its broadcast, the show became one of the network’s top-rated programs. The premiere of its fifth season attracted a record 9.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched show of that evening across all networks, doubling the viewership of its previous high.
Following Jon and Kate’s divorce in 2009, the final episode of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” aired on November 23, 2009, as announced by TLC three days prior. The show was rebranded as “Kate Plus 8” on June 6, 2010, shifting the focus to Kate as a single mother, with Jon making fewer appearances. However, production was halted when Jon’s lawyers sent cease-and-desist letters to TLC on October 1, 2009, preventing production crews from accessing the couple’s Pennsylvania property. This interruption put the show’s revamp on hold, and TLC considered producing a series of specials if the show did not resume production.