After weeks of tumbling ratings and a never ending barrage of tabloid stories, TLC announced today that they have decided to take the show in a different direction – minus Jon!

“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.”

Also in the works is a project with Kate for 2010, possibly the talk show we’ve heard rumors of?

“Kate Plus Eight” will continue to focus on the eight Gosselin children — 5 year-old sextuplets and 8 year-old twins — but now “include a deeper focus on Kate’s role…and her journey as a single mother.”

Last week, only 1.7 million viewers tuned in to “Jon & Kate,” nearly 80 percent down from the season premiere.

TLC also said that they would continue their “exclusive” relationship with Jon Gosselin and that he would continue to appear on the series but on a less regular basis.

“Kate Plus Eight” will premiere Nov. 22.

Will you watch?

Related Articles:

• Kate Gosselin To Co-Host On ‘The View’
• Jon and Kate File For Divorce

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It’s hard to believe that its been 2 years since Karoline and Ben Byler welcomed Florida’s first set of surviving sextuplets.

Brady Christopher, Eli Benjamin, Ryan Patrick, Jackson Robert, Charlie Craig and lone girl MacKenzie Margaret arrived more than 2 months early on September 1, 2007 weighing between two and three pounds each.

At the time, the babies arrival drew worldwide media attention, including an exclusive contract with Inside Edition for Karoline and her husband, Ben.

Their births were so high profile, they helped inspire the design of Bayfront’s new Baby Place, set to open this December.

Two years later Ben and Karoline have their hands full.

Now the fenced back yard looks like a preschool, with big kid swings, ride-on toys and stray sippy cups scattered across the lawn. Florida’s first surviving sextuplets have become toddlers. “That was our stimulus check,” mom Karoline said of the playground equipment. “But it was a good investment.”

For the most part, the children are healthy. All get therapy for speech delays, which is common for multiples, who often are premature and who copy each other’s mispronunciations, a phenomenon known as “twin talk.”

Charlie, who required oxygen even when he came home from the hospital, has asthma. He also has a condition that makes him unable to tolerate food textures, so he still eats the pureed stuff.

Ryan, whose condition was critical at one point shortly after the birth, has mild cerebral palsy and was the last to walk. He began taking steps in June. He wears special shoes and gets therapy to help with a slight limp.

They all excel at different things.

• MacKenzie is the agile one, climbing on everything at Gymboree.
• Eli has the best fine motor skills and enjoys puzzles and small toys.
• Charlie can already perform a broad jump.
• Brady can completely undress himself without assistance, sometimes to his parents’ embarrassment.
• Jackson, whom his parents call “the professor,” has to thoroughly investigate anything before he’ll get involved in it.
• Ryan is the biggest eater. Karoline calls him the human garbage pail.

Karoline’s meeting with Kate Gosselin connection:

Earlier this year, Karoline loaded up the sixpack and took them to meet reality television star and fellow sextuplet mom Kate Gosselin at a book signing in Sarasota.

She spent 45 minutes in line, hoping for a nugget of wisdom from the star of Jon & Kate Plus 8.

When her turn came, Karoline said, Gosselin barely looked at them.

“She asked me why I brought all the kids,” Karoline said. “Then she just moved onto the next person.”

Karoline later wondered if Gosselin’s snub had anything to do with revelations about Jon’s relationship with another woman. Or perhaps it was just her celebrity.

“Maybe she forgets that she was in my position four or five years ago,” Karoline said. She used to watch the show but refuses now “because it’s all about their divorce.”

While the Bylers realize they could have pursued their own show, they say they value their privacy and they want the kids to grow up as normal as possible.

Related Articles:

• Byler Sextuplets Celebrate 1st Birthday!
• Byler Sextuplets Update
• The Bylers All Together

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ABC is adding Kate Gosselin to the list of guest co-hosts who will sit at the table when “The View” returns in September.

The Jon and Kate Plus 8 star will be subbing in for regular “View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Sept. 14 and 15. Elisabeth is on maternity leave after giving birth to her third child, Isaiah, earlier this month.

Kate may have a bonding experience with the 4 other ladies on ‘The View’. They are all single moms like herself and all, but Barbara, are divorced.

ABC has previously announced Meghan McCain, E.D. Hill and LaToya Jackson as guest co-hosts for the daytime talk show.

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Even though they recently filed for divorce, Jon and Kate Gosselin showed a united front yesterday by celebrating the Fourth of July as a family.

The Jon and Kate plus 8 stars spent the day picking berries, playing games and light firecrackers.

People reports the couple agreed weeks ago to set aside their differences for the holiday.

“Jon pointed to the July 4 holiday and said, ‘What are we going to do about that?’” Kate told the mag in a recent cover story. “I absolutely cannot imagine not spending every single holiday with my kids. I don’t care what it takes. I will be there.”

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According to People.com Jon and Kate filed documents to initiate a legal split at the Bucks County Courthouse in Reading, Pa., this afternoon.

This will not come as a surprise to anyone who has watched the show. The pair, who long maintained a tense relationship, have recently been divided on whether or not to continue their TV show, with Jon wanting a less high-profile life, while Kate appeared to remain committed to staying in the public eye.

Today, Jon told RadarOnline.com that he has “no idea” when Kate would be coming home.

“I’ve been by myself for four days,” he said. But when asked if he’s happy she’s gone, he said: “No, because I’m down a person.”

He did say the kids were anxious for their mom to return, although when asked if he knew where she is and when she’d return to their $1.1-million estate, he answered “nope” to both.

Additionally, Jon gave another impromptu press conference to fans and reporters Sunday afternoon in fron of his property.

He told onlookers that he wasn’t speaking to Deanna Hummel — the school teacher with whom was reported to have had an affair with — “as much” since “the things went down.”

Very Sad. No one wants to see a family torn apart.

PHOTOCREDIT:SPLASH

The Gosselins are once again at the center of the media limelight, after Kate was seen allegedly spanking one of her eight children.

In pictures obtained by In Touch Magazine, The mom of 8 is seen grabbing her daughter, Leah, by the arm and smacked her rear end before walking away from the crying child.

The photos show Kate holding her squirming child by the arm, and the next image of Leah crying and holding her rear. The photos do not actually reveal her hand touching her daughter.

According to the magazine, Leah had been asked to stop blowing a whistle and was not listening.

“The girl was screaming and crying. Kate just pushed her away and walked off with her coffee,” a witness told the magazine. “Her older sisters were trying to make Leah feel better.”

In response to the recent controversy, Gosselin is defending her actions.

“Whether the paparazzi are there or not, I am a mother first,” Gosselin told Life & Style Weekly. “I love my children and when they misbehave, I discipline them as I deem appropriate for the situation.”

As a mom, I know that it can be very frustrating when one of your children won’t listen, especially when the others kids are watching.

I guess for most people, its just uncomfortable to see someone punish their child whether they scream at them or tap them on the butt. This is something that she should have dealt with privately.

One thing that Kate needs to remember is that because she allowed cameras into her home for the last 3 years, the world is now watching all of the time – and scrutinizing everything she does.

This may be the cost of Reality TV…

Related Articles:

• Kate Plus 8 Enjoy Bald Head Island
• Kate Plus 6: Portrait By The Sea
• The Gosselins Get Ready To Party

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Even though I know that many of you are sick of seeing Kate and the kids on vacation, this pic was just too cute to pass over.

It was taken by the nanny on Kate’s phone.

What I like is that everyone looks legitimately happy (even if there is a camera probably filming it all to the right).

A bikini clad Kate Gosselin enjoyed the beach on Bald Head Island, SC this weekend with her eight children, nanny and two security guards.The family has been spotted all over the island that features upscale cottages, a golf course and lighthouse with the only modes of transportation being golf carts and bicycles.

They are staying in a rental cottage while they shoot scenes for their reality show.

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Just ‘Kate plus 8′ head to the party store yesterday to get some supplies during the filming on an upcoming TLC episode of their hit TV Show, most likely for the sextuplets’ birthdays, which was last Sunday.

In true Kate fashion, all of the kids, Cara, Mady, Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah and Joel are dressed the same right down to the shoes.

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The saga of Jon and Kate Gosselin of Jon and Kate plus 8 rolls on…

In an exclusive interview with People Magazine Kate Gosselin admits that she and Jon ‘have been privately struggling for months’.

Here are some highlights:

On first hearing Deanna Hummel’s name:

“I don’t know that we’re in the same place anymore, that we want the same thing,” she says quietly. “I’ve been struggling with the question of ‘Who is this person?’ for a while. I remember where I was the first time I heard her name. It’s one of those things where you can try to make it go away, but there’s blaring, red flashing lights.”

On a possible split:

For Kate, who has referred to her husband as “my balance, my strength and my stability,” to now consider a future apart has been heartbreaking but not impossible. “You can’t imagine yourself in a certain position when all this first happens, but you can do it over some months,” she says.

“It’s a lot like when I was first pregnant with the babies, and it was pure shock and denial. But over time I imagined six cribs in my house, and six car seats. When your mind is ready to go there, you can accept any number of scenarios.”

Kate does have hope, however, that her marriage can be saved. “I will never give up hope that every member of our family can be absolutely happy again,” she says.

This really is a shame. I hope for the kids sake that Jon and Kate and get back on track.

I wonder if any of this will appear in the season premier next week…