The Shady Side Of These TLC Stars

TLC is notorious for pushing the boundaries of reality television far beyond what many consider "reality." Luckily for viewers, there's no shortage of eccentric stories told on this network. Stars of TLC's past have opened up their lives to us, however controversial and unconventional they may be. While their drama makes for great television, the spectacle also exposes them to the less-than-forgiving court of public opinion.

Life doesn't stop just because the cameras are rolling, and the spotlight isn't kind when these stars weather scandals on and off the screen. TLC is like a revolving door, firing off cast members for bad behavior and replacing them with those waiting in the wings for their 15 minutes of fame. 

While there are always new faces and lifestyles to document, there are some personalities we just can't forget. These folks can be utterly shameless, and we're examining the shady side of these TLC stars. Be prepared, because it's cringeworthy, to say the least.

Kate Gosselin and Jon Gosselin made their big break when they appeared on TLC's hit show "Jon and Kate Plus 8" in 2007. The show documented the ins and outs of life with their eight children (a set of sextuplets and twin girls). But just as parenting their kids proved to be difficult, so was their strained marriage. The couple's decision to separate (and later divorce) was announced on the show in the midst of Season 5, and finalized in 2009.

Fast forward to 2020, and Jon made headlines again when he was accused of physically abusing his son Collin. The teenager uploaded a since-deleted Instagram post accusing his dad of kicking and punching him. The father of eight went on "The Dr. Oz Show" to clear the air, denying the claims and providing a record from Pennsylvania Children and Youth Services that debunked the child abuse. "[Collin] was blackmailing me to change my parental decision, and I was like 'Go ahead and post it.' ... I'm not going to let him threaten me into him getting his way," Gosselin said.

Kate was quick to chime in, telling People at the time, "I am horrified that this man is the father of my children." She also said, "Do not return my child to an abuser's home." Jon fired back and claimed to ET, "Kate didn't show up for his custody battle when they awarded me sole legal and physical custody. So now I find it interesting that she's so concerned about a child she doesn't even talk to."

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

The Duggar drama continued yet again in 2017, but this time it was an in-law throwing the shade. Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband Derick starred in TLC's spinoff show "Counting On," which chronicled the lives of the older Duggar children and their offspring. Derick caused quite the controversy when he tweeted transphobic remarks about TLC's Jazz Jennings.

Jennings stars in the show "I Am Jazz" and shares her life as a transgender teen, including the challenges that come along with it. "I pity Jazz, 4 those who take advantage of him in order 2 promote their agenda, including the parents who allow these kinds of decisions 2 be made by a child," Derick tweeted at the time, misusing her gender pronoun. "'Transgender' is a myth," he added in a response to a tweet by TLC (via People.) The "I Am Jazz" star took the comments in stride, tweeting, "Every day I experience cyber-bullying, but I keep sharing my story. Today was no different."

Twitter users didn't take too kindly to Derick's opinions. One wrote, "If you are upset with TLC calling HER a HER than maybe you shouldn't be apart [sic] of the reality TV network that pays your bills." TLC responded to the incident by tweeting, "We want to let our viewers know that Derick Dillard has not participated in Counting On for months and the network has no plans to feature him in the future. We want to reiterate that Derick's personal statements do not reflect the views of the network."

If you or a loved one has experienced a hate crime, contact the VictimConnect Hotline by phone at 1-855-4-VICTIM or by chat for more information or assistance in locating services to help. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

If you thought nothing was amiss in the world of 360 mirrors, makeovers, and co-hosts that finish each other's sentences — think again. TLC's beloved co-stars Stacy London and Clinton Kelly served serious looks on "What Not to Wear" for a decade, but their real-life friendship was the one in need of a makeover.

The drama started when Kelly released his memoir "I Hate Everyone, Except You," in which he wrote about filming the hit show. "I either adored her or despised her, and never anything in between," the fashion guru wrote, adding, "...there's a part of me that will love Stacy London forever, and a part of me that would be just fine if I never saw her again for the rest of my life."

London didn't take too kindly to his words and supposedly blocked her frenemy on Twitter. Kelly broke down the drama on "The Chew," explaining, "The tea is there ain't no tea. I literally don't know whether she blocked me yesterday, or a year ago or a month ago...or by accident." Two months after the incident, London posted on Instagram seemingly addressing the situation: "...it occurred to me that taking action like blocking people in order to feel some sense of control over other's actions is a waste of my time," London said. She added, "The problem is the more I hold on to my anger, the more I hurt, not them." At the time of this writing, the two haven't built a "London Bridge" to get over this.

"Sister Wives" on TLC is a show about a group of people who live a polygamist lifestyle consisting of numerous "wives" for a single man. Meri Brown was Kody Brown's first wife, before he "spiritually" married three more and divorced Meri to legally wed Robyn and adopt this wife's three children (per People). Yeah, we know, it's a lot to unpack.

Meri and Kody divorced in 2014, and Meri struck up an online relationship with "Sam," whom she thought was a man, shortly after the ordeal. InTouch reported that the "catfish" was actually a woman named Jackie Overton, who released voicemails of Meri professing her love for "Sam" and trashing her ex-husband. "You don't think that I think that you're taller, better looking. Better looking, anyway. Kinder, sweeter, you care about me. You want me. ... So yeah, if I were to compare you, you win all the time," Meri confessed. Overton even went so far as to write a book about the affair titled "Almost Meri'ed," which at the time of this writing, is still available.

Kody and Meri's "spiritual marriage" fizzled out as quickly just as their legal one did. In Season 15, the fallout was evident between the two when they revealed they no longer lived together and hardly communicated. Kody mentioned on the show that the affair had "turned out to be extremely exploitative and abusive. And from that experience, Meri and I sort of saw our marriage just dissolve" (via People).

There's no shortage of loud and outspoken "90 Day Fiance" cast members, and Lisa Hamme was no exception. The 54-year-old was a cast member on Season 4 of "90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days," where she traveled to Nigeria to marry Usman "Sojaboy" Umar, a 33-year-old Nigerian rapper she met online. Their relationship took many twists and turns, including fights over Umar's female fans and a rocky relationship with his family.

Though the unlikely pair did eventually tie the knot, it wasn't till death did them part. The TLC stars parted ways in 2020, divorcing just four months after their Nigerian wedding. Their problems followed them. Hamme reportedly came under fire when her ex-spouse exposed her for calling him the N-word in a leaked footage from a tell-all episode. The reality star was supposed to appear in the spinoff series "B90 Strikes Back" but sources alleged that she would be removed from the cast after the scandal (via Showbiz CheatSheet).

Lisa Hamme found love again after reconnecting with a childhood friend, who appears to be in her age bracket (via InTouch.) The two married in 2021, while she was still legally married to Umar in Nigeria. She said "I Do" to her husband Tracey since her old union was not valid in the U.S. Umar also moved on and found love with an older woman and Sojaboy fan named Kim Menzies. According to ScreenRant, the two found each other on "90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days" and it's rumored that they could be engaged.