The Truth About Kate Gosselin's Strained Relationship With Her Siblings
Kate Gosselin first made headlines in 2007 when she and her then-husband, Jon Gosselin, gave viewers a peek into their chaotic lives of raising a set of twins and sextuplets á la Jon & Kate Plus 8. The TLC series was a big success for five seasons, up until Kate and Jon's messy divorce in 2009, which transitioned the show to just Kate Plus 8, per the Daily Mail. The final frontier for Kate was her 2019 dating spin-off, Kate Plus Date, but it only lasted for one season, and there hasn't been any announcement about Season 2 as of this writing.
Whether cameras are on the family or not, Kate has always had a home full of people. In fact, the mother of eight comes from a big family of her own. Kate is one of five siblings, along with her brother Kevin and sisters Kendra, Christen, and Clairissa, according to The Stir. However, similarly to some of her sextuplets' relationships with each other, Kate's connection with her siblings is a bit complicated. Let's figure out why.
Kate Gosselin's brother was concerned for his nieces and nephews
Jon Gosselin wasn't alone in his concerns about raising his eight kids in the public eye. Kate Gosselin's brother, Kevin Kreider, and his wife, Jodi Kreider (Aunt Jodi, if you watched early seasons of Jon & Kate Plus 8), took to the press after witnessing how the children were allegedly treated during filming. Jodi claimed during a 2011 appearance on CBS' "The Early Show" (via HuffPost) that "there were cameras in the children's bedrooms at one point and they were filming all year round." She explained, "These were very huge concerns for us." Uncle Kevin added, "We want to be the voice of our nieces and nephews. We're seeing it turn tide that they're being viewed as a commodity."
The couple said they did speak to Jon and Kate about their concerns, but their complaints allegedly went ignored. "They're very blinded by all of this media and this — you know, the fame and the fortune," Jodi complained.
These concerns might have been why Kevin and Jodi went to court in 2010 to testify at a "legislative hearing on child labor laws" in Pennsylvania, per NBC Connecticut. In response to Jodi and Kevin's allegations, TLC told Radar Online, "The welfare of and respect for anyone on our network is always paramount; and these allegations are either completely inaccurate or a distorted representation for maximum attention. In addition, we have and continue to comply with all regulations from the Department Of Labor."
Kate Gosselin might prioritize fame over family
It seems Kate Gosselin is not one to reconcile relationships: first with ex-husband Jon Gosselin and then, according to an exclusive 2014 Daily Mail interview with sister Kendra Wilber, her own siblings. Kendra alleged that she and the rest of their family hadn't seen Kate in over six years.
"Kate does not speak to her family at all. It is very painful. The last time we saw and spoke with her it was in our church parking lot. That was years ago, I have lost track of time," she claimed. "I guess we weren't totally on board with what was going on with the kids, I guess we weren't excited enough for her and were concerned about her family." Kendra suspected that Kate wanted a more luxurious life in comparison to her siblings, who are pretty traditional compared to the reality star.
"I guess we have our own life and she wants a big life and we don't fit in," Wilber added. "We are just normal everyday people and she doesn't want us to be part of her life."
As of this writing, Kate has not had a show since July 2019 (Kate Plus Date), so maybe she'll spend this downtime working on her closest relationships.