Former "Jon & Kate Plus 8" star Jon Gosselin started a $30,000 GoFundMe to pay lawyers to make his ex-wife observe visitation rights. You would think, after earning $22,000 per episode on reality TV he wouldn't need it. But Kate Gosselin can afford a court battle earning over $40,000 per week of "Kate Plus 8" plus child support, probably. The fact that she is forcing him to fight for the kids is making folks surprisingly generous.
Jon Gosselin's girlfriend starts fundraiser
After the "Jon & Kate Plus 8" breakup with Kate Gosselin, Jon moved on to Colleen Conrad (among others).
She's the one who started the GoFundMe to help care for the sextuplets and twins. The former celebrity of TLC has a current gig as a deejay which should make bank if he's doing it right. A wedding DJ in Detroit charges $450 for a few hours playing the customer's music. But evidently, that's not enough to provide for his kids and wrest some custody of them from his "Kate Plus 8" ex.
What's with reality TV stars begging for donations?
You might be shocked at how much Gosselin has managed to raise given the reputation of GoFundMe for panhandling online. By 12 September, the site had raised nearly $2 500 from 46 people in 9 days. In legit causes like Hurricane Harvey relief, many folks beg for things they could and should pay for themselves.
Writing creative sob story scams has become an art that Reality TV stars seem particularly good at. "19 Kids and Counting" stars Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband Derick Dillard started a fundraiser on a charity site to pay for his Bible school. The Duggar family earns $40K a week before Josh Duggar got it canceled. Their new show "Counting On" could earn some $60,000 per episode with the sex scandal and inflation.
Kate Gosselin no shining example either
Before you make the deadbeat dad jokes about Jon, remember what a cash cow "Kate Plus 8" is for his wife. Gosselin might not have started GoFundMe if his deadbeat wife hadn't made him. She doesn't work except on reality television. Kate gets free galore, including appliances, food, clothing, weight loss treatment and even plastic surgery.
TLC helped provide a tummy tuck and breast implant procedure. And Kate has money trouble too. All that has made almost 50 people generous to the tune of nearly $2,400 as of September 11.
Kate Gosselin rules the roost
Kate Gosselin can't afford much without reality TV, but she can fund an expensive legal battle. The "Kate Plus 8" mom can also afford to keep her son in a special residential school (maybe a juvenile detention center or psych hospital) for the last few years. Tween Collin Gosselin hasn't been heard of since 2015 and was hospitalized on his mom's diagnosis of "stubborn." Maybe that's why 651 have shared the GoFundMe on Facebook and Twitter, to stonewall the controlling Mrs. G.
Kate Gosselin called manipulative "shrew"
If the one-time DWTS star would abide by court-mandated visitation rules, the reality Celebrities could avoid the court battle. But Kate doesn't shy from a fight or even assault. When Hannah Gosselin asserted her right to stay with dad, mom put her in the emergency room and then called the cops on dad. So it's not safe to cross Mrs. Gosselin. And that's a big reason the fundraiser is going better than expected. One contributor to Jon's cause said he should demand a psych evaluation as Kate is a "prime example of a narcissistic, parental alienating, shrew!"
