Goodbye, Jon!
Since the Gosselins' estrangement became public over the summer, Jon has been linked with Hailey Glassman, 22, the daughter of the surgeon who did Kate's tummy tuck; with Kate Major, 26, a tabloid reporter who quit her job because of a fling with Gosselin; and babysitter Stephanie Santoro, 23, who says the two had sex at the Gosselin house while the children slept.
"Given Jon's recent antics, there was no way the show could continue to portray him as a doting dad, not while all this other crap was going on," a source close to Jon Gosselin told People
Gosselin, seen above at the Frightworld haunted house attraction in Amherst Sept. 19, has been making public appearances across the country. Before he arrived at Frightworld, the marketing manager at the attraction said Gosselin would charge $7 for each autographed photo, but when Gosselin arrived, his spokesman said he would "never, ever, ever" charge for an autograph. "Under no circumstances," said Matt Kirschner of Talent Resources in New York City. "He's a family man."
The crowd that greeted Gosselin included families, children and teenagers. Some complimented Gosselin on the show, but he said little.
"Given the recent changes in the family dynamics, it only makes sense for us to refresh and recalibrate the program to keep pace with the family," TLC president Eileen O'Neill said in a statement. "The family has evolved and we are attempting to evolve with it; we feel that Kate's journey really resonates with our viewers."
Tuesday, perhaps seeing his public image and his paycheck diminishing, Gosselin reportedly tried to put the brakes on the couple's divorce. “He woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and didn’t like the reflection,” Jon’s attorney, Mark Jay Heller, told In Touch magazine. “He realized he’d made some bad choices.” Jon and Kate were due to be officially divorced by the end of November — but now he claims he’s had a serious change of heart. “I regret my conduct since Kate and I separated [on June 22],” Jon told In Touch. “I used poor judgment in publicly socializing with other women so soon."
"Jon & Kate Plus 8" debuted on April 16, 2007, and experienced a ratings spike once the Gosselin marriage became troubled earlier this year. The fifth season premiere, in which the pair said they would separate, attracted a record 9.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched show of that evening, according to People. But after a six-week hiatus from new episodes, only 4.2 million viewers tuned in to see "Jon & Kate" on Aug. 3, and only 1.7 million watched last Monday.
Meanwhile, Kate Gosselin is expanding her appearances. She recently worked as a guest host on "The View," sitting in for Elisabeth Hasselbeck during her maternity leave, and has also reportedly taped a pilot of a talk show with Food Network star Paula Deen.
-- Anne Neville
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