Jon and Kate Gosselin, the stars of the TLC reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8 made it official last night: They are divorcing after 10 years of marriage.
"Kate and I have decided to separate," Jon said about 40 minutes into the one-hour show.
Their eight children will remain living in the mini-mansion in Berks County, Pa., where the show is filmed. Jon and Kate will alternate living with them in an arrangement that will keep both of them in the children's lives - but not together.
"It's going to change a lot because there will be time that I will have to be away from them," Kate said last night.
The series will continue, the two said.
"I'm still in the show, but we'll interview separately." Jon said.
"How does the show go on? The show must go on," Kate said. "We can't go back now. We can only go forward."
The show has been in a tabloid tailspin since March when Season 4 ended amid reports that the 32-year-old Jon was having an affair with a 23-year-old teacher.
By the time Season 5 started May 25th, interest had reached a fever pitch and the show drew 9.8 million viewers. But it also drew widespread criticism for putting the eight children - twins and sextuplets - through this kind of public trauma, and tune-out among viewers started with the audience dropping by half.
"Parents of multiples have triple the divorce rate," Kate said through tears of self-pity at the end of that season opener. "I was thinking we were going to beat that. I don't know if I can say that anymore."
Monday night, the charade ended.
