Jon Rethinks Divorce as TLC Dumps Him
Says he wants to slow down split from Kate
Updated 10:18 AM PDT, Wed, Sep 30, 2009
Just when TLC decided to dump Jon Gosselin, too, the TV dad says he wants to "put the brakes" on his pending divorce from Kate.
Gosselin, who has been going through women like a rock star since he split with the mother of his eight kids, told In Touch Weekly he filed papers to stall the divorce for 90 days to give him time to "regain control over the future of our family."
"I regret my conduct since Kate and I separated," he said. "I used poor judgment in publicly socializing with other women so soon."
There's no telling whether Jon's effort had anything to do with the network announcing plans to downsize his role on "Jon & Kate Plus 8,” which will soon be simply “Kate Plus Eight.” The rechristened show, which begins Nov. 2, will follow single mom Kate Gosselin as she struggles to raise her 5-year-old sextuplets and 8-year-old twins.
“It’s not a huge shift, but it’s reflective of where the show was already going,” said Eileen O’Neill, TLC’s president and general manager.
“Jon’s going to be involved in the show,” she said, adding that he will be seen less often than before. TLC retains an exclusive arrangement with him, as well as the rest of the family, O’Neill said.
Jon reportedly was warned by the cable network to curb his booze-fueled bachelorhood-embracing antics when he was pictured carousing with a bevy of blondes and sipping suds preceding the announcement of his divorce -- and in the months after.
Gosselin may have gotten the message. His lawyer, Mark Jay Heller, tells In Touch that his client "woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and didn't like the reflection."
The couple made their separation official on a “Jon & Kate” episode that aired in June and was seen by 10.6 million viewers. Since then, the couple has barely spoken amid reports of his constant womanizing. They've traded barbs in the press and police even had to go to ther Wernersville, Pa., home when Kate showed up unexpectedly during Jon's sceduled visitation this summer.
“We hope for the sake of the family that things are more manageable," O'Neill said. "I don’t think anyone asked for that amount of attention.”
Although the audience for recent “Jon & Kate” airings has dropped below two million viewers, the current season has averaged a robust 3.2 million, which represents an increase of 300,000 viewers over last season.
Discussions are under way with Kate Gosselin for another series that might debut in 2010, O’Neill said.
“I think there’s an opportunity for Kate beyond her role as a supermom to explore her other interests,” O’Neill said.
First Published: Sep 29, 2009 9:15 AM PDT
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