Jon And Kate Gosselin's Messy Child Support Battle, Explained

Kate and Jon Gosselin gained fame through their reality TV show "Jon & Kate Plus 8." After walking down the aisle in 1999, the couple became well-known for raising a large family of twins and sextuplets for a total of eight children: Mady and Cara were born in 2000, and in 2004, the Gosselins welcomed Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah, and Joel. The reality show, which premiered in 2007, provided an inside look into their daily lives as parents of so many children.

The Gosselins faced personal and marital challenges throughout their decade-long union, and their relationship struggles became a significant focus of the show in later seasons. The couple's marriage ultimately ended when Kate filed for divorce in June 2009 after accusing Jon of cheating on her. She was initially granted full custody of all eight children, which was highlighted in the rebranded "Kate Plus 8." A messy child support battle ensued before the divorce was finalized in December 2009, but that wasn't the end of the financial drama around the former couple's kids. 

During Jon Gosselin's appearance on the series "Jon & Kate Plus 8," Jon reportedly brought in $22,500 per episode. After leaving the series in 2009, Jon was ordered to fork over $22,000 a month for their children. He attempted to get full custody of the eight kids in 2010. In a move that might've eased his massive children's support payments, Jon accused Kate Gosselin of neglecting their kids while she was filming "Dancing With The Stars." He also slammed her for not complying with scheduling stipulations. However, that motion failed, and by 2012, he'd fallen behind on his child support payments.

The situation became so dire that in 2012, Kate allowed her ex-husband to stop making child support payments due to his financial situation. In an April 2012 interview with Star (via RadarOnline), he admitted, "I can't afford to pay my rent, and the domestic-relations staff tell me they will put me in jail unless I pay child support. I am a single father who's trying to make ends meet during a recession." Still, Jon maintained that he was paying his child support faithfully, no matter what the state records showed.

In 2016, Jon and Kate Gosselin's daughter, Hannah, moved in with her father. In 2018, Collin moved in with them as well. Kate began paying Jon child support, though the amount is unclear, and he continued paying his share of the kids in Kate's care. In March 2023, Jon revealed to The U.S. Sun that their bitter child support battle had officially ended with the final payments sent. However, they still had one more court filing to resolve.

Back in 2018, Kate sued Jon for child support for $132,875. When that amount was never delivered to her, she filed an adverse revival in 2022, asking a judge to formally enforce the 2018 request. However, in November 2023, the case was dismissed. It was speculated that Kate's back child support demand was only a money grab, as she is no longer a high-paid reality star. Nevertheless, with all the children now being of legal age, hopefully the two can finally put their courtroom drama behind them.