Kate Gosselin

Kate Gosselin was no June Cleaver, yet she was no Peg Bundy either. The Type-A personality was the matriarch of the Gosselin family and the star of the TLC reality series "Jon and Kate Plus 8" (TLC, 2007-09). Together with her husband Jon, twin daughters, and a set of sextuplets, Gosselin showed the country what life was like with two sets of multiples. There were happy moments on the show, and there were not-so-happy moments, especially when Gosselin and her husband would argue - often in front of the children - onscreen.

In June 2009, after Jon's alleged extramarital affair was made public and her own controlling, fame-hungry personality questioned, Gosselin filed for divorce at a Pennsylvania court. Over 10 million viewers tuned in for the special episode that aired that same day, proving that while Gosselin may not have been Mother of the Year, it was fair to say she was one of the more fascinating.

Katie "Kate" Irene Kreider was born March 28, 1975 to Charlene and Kenton Kreider in Philadelphia, and raised in Hersey, PA. On Oct. 5, 1997 she met Jon Gosselin at a picnic. The couple married less than two years later on June 12, 1999. After she was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, the newlyweds began infertility treatments. They finally got their wish on Oct. 8, 2000, giving birth to twin girls, Cara Nichole and Madelyn Kate.

Three years after the birth of the twins, the Gosselins decided to have another child. This time, however, Kate carried not one, not two - but six babies. The sextuplets - three boys named Aaden, Joel, and Collin, and three girls named Leah, Hannah, and Alexis - were born on May 20, 2004.

Discovery Health Channel took notice of the family's special situation - falling in love with the adorable Gosselin sextuplets - and featured them in the 2006 special, "Surviving Sextuplets and Twins." The audience could not get enough of the family, so a follow-up aired on the channel a year later, titled "Surviving Sextuplets and Twins: One Year Later" (2007).

Having a hit on its hands, TLC took over and turned the Discovery Health specials into "Jon and Kate Plus 8," a regular series which Jon and Kate narrated from the family's basement. While the children were shown playing and being kids, it was the couple who most often bickered on the show. Jon's easygoing attitude rubbed Kate's strict parental mindset the wrong way. There were also happy moments documented - from family trips to Disneyworld to the sextuplets' birthdays.

With their children growing every minute and a production crew following their every move, the Gosselins moved from a modest home to an expansive $1.1 million estate in southeastern Pennsylvania.

It was not just the show that made the Gosselins top earners of the small screen. They became a media empire that extended to publishing and public appearances. In 2008, along with Beth Carson, they released the book Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets. In November of that year, Multiple Blessings made The New York Times bestseller list a week after its release. A year later, she released the second book, Eight Little Faces.

Speaking engagements began with the couple and a few of the kids, but by 2009, Kate had done the majority of the public appearances. It was rumored that Jon stayed at home with the children, preferring not to share too much of their lives in the spotlight, while his wife relished all the attention.

More than 4 million viewers tuned in to "Jon and Kate Plus 8" each week and it was estimated the family earned $25,000 to $50,000 per episode, yet the growing tension between Jon and Kate visibly grew each season.

In early 2009, rumors swirled that their marriage was on the rocks, and that both had had extramarital affairs. Suddenly, the show went from peeking in on a happy family to becoming a tabloid sensation overnight. The fifth season of the show opened with the sextuplets' fifth birthday celebration, with their parents' physical and emotional distance more apparent than ever. The Gosselins even conducted their interviews separately.

By May of that year, almost every tabloid cover featured the couple's marital problems, with photos of Jon's months-long alleged affair with third grade school teacher Deanna Hummel brought to light. The once-happy couple became media targets overnight, with her husband pegged as a womanizer and coward, while Gosselin was branded everything from a manipulative ice queen to a martyr.

The Gosselin drama touched on the kids' lives as well, with an In Touch Weekly cover photo of Kate spanking Mady - combined with the headline "Caught Hitting Her Daughter" - selling for $75,000. The issue then went on to sell 1.2 million copies, outselling People magazine's annual "Hottest Bachelors" issue.

During an hour-long broadcast on June 22, 2009, Jon and Kate publicly announced their separation on the very same day the couple had filed for divorce in a Montgomery County, PA court. The episode began with a storyline about building toy houses for their children, but by the end, Jon made the announcement everyone had been waiting for: "Kate and I have decided to separate," he said. "I'm not very fond of the idea, personally, but I know it's necessary," Kate added. "My goal is peace for the kids."

TLC hit ratings gold with the special announcement episode. An estimated 10.6 million viewers tuned in, beating the show's fifth season premiere by 800,000 viewers. The Gosselins kept the Pennsylvania house they shared with their kids and decided to take turns living there, ensuring that their children's lives were not greatly affected by their divorce.

Just a few days after they filed, Kate went on a media tour, even telling People magazine, "I believe it is a chapter that would have probably played out had the world been watching or not." Jon, on the other hand, was spotted apartment hunting in New York City while his rumored younger girlfriend, Hummel, was reported to have a featured part in "Jon and Kate Plus 8" when the show returned in August 2009. TLC announced the reason for the short hiatus was to give the family space to regroup during a difficult time.

Eventually, the show's name was changed to just "Kate Plus 8" (TLC 2009-2011, 2015- ), with Jon making infrequent appearances. He left the show some time in November 2009, which marked the season five finale. Meanwhile, she filmed a pilot for a "View"-like talk show called "Momlogic" with restaurateur Paula Deen, though Gosselin was summarily fired for allegedly being too controversial.

She bounced back pretty quickly in early 2010 when ABC announced the new cast for season 10 of "Dancing With the Stars" (2005- ). Gosselin was among the 11 contestants that included Pamela Anderson, Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek, actress Shannen Doherty and NFL star wide receiver Chad Ochocinco; she was the fourth celebrity eliminated from the series, following widespread mockery of her dancing ability across social media.

After "Kate Plus 8" was quietly canceled in 2011, Gosselin appeared in an episode of the reality series "Celebrity Wife Swap" (ABC 2012- ), in which she switched lives with fellow reality TV star Kendra Wilkinson. Kate and the kids returned to TLC for a two-part where-are-they-now special, "Kate Plus 8: Sextuplets Turn 10" (TLC 2014), which was successful enough that "Kate Plus 8" was brought back for another season beginning in January 2015. That same month, Gosselin appeared on the seventh series of "The Celebrity Apprentice" (NBC 2008- ); she was the ninth contestant to be fired by Donald Trump that season, after raising $40,000 for her charity, Camp Barnabas.