The starts of TLC’s series Jon and Kate Plus 8 announced that they are getting a divorce after being married for ten years back in 2009. They have eight kids, Mady and Cara, twin daughters who are 18 now, and sextuplets Aaden, Alexis, Collin, Joel, Hannah and Leah who are 14. But why are they getting a divorce?
Infidelity
Kate revealed to People in 2009 that they have been having some marital issues, shortly before they announced they were getting a divorce. Kate admitted, “I don’t know that we’re in the same place anymore, that we want the same thing. I’ve been struggling with the question of ‘Who is this person?’ for a while. I remember where I was the first time I heard her name. It’s one of those things where you can try to make it go away, but there’s blaring, red flashing lights.” Deanna Hummel is the HER. When Kate was away on a business trip, Jon and Hummel were caught on camera exiting out of a bar. Hummel was 23 years old at the time.
Source: E! News
Hummel’s brother later revealed how Jon and his sister were dating for quite some time, but when the pictures surfaced, both said how they weren’t having an affair, and Jon even apologized or “for putting my family in this awkward position.”
Jon’s (un)happiness
It’s not only the infidelity that was the problem in their marriage. Jon wasn’t feeling very happy, and Kate shared that with People. She stated how she supported him in his search for something that might fulfill him. “I’ve walked through this with him for six months. First, he said he’s unhappy, he needs a career. ‘Great,’ I said. ‘Go get a part-time job. Volunteer at the girls’ school, at our church, do whatever you want.’ Never happened. So I said, ‘Go back to school! You wanted to finish your degree? Now is the time!’ Yeah, that never happened.” Later, Jon disappeared from the public eye. “Originally, we’d speak together on the weekends. But then he was saying, ‘I don’t like to speak, you do most of the speaking anyway, why don’t you just go?’” Kate shared.
Source: Us Weekly
Divorce
Their divorce was finalized in December 2009. Kate got the primary custody of the children, but not for Collin. Jon got full custody of Collin in 2018. Their show later became Kate Plus 8 that is no longer airing. Kate still appears in reality TV with her show Kate Plus Date. Jon is dating Colleen Conrad since 2014.
