Early Promotion for the Next Episode of ‘Jon & Kate’

By Brian Stelter

Brace yourself for a long weekend of speculation about “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”

Jon and Kate GosselinKaren Alquist/TLC Jon and Kate Gosselin, in happier times.

The cable channel TLC is promoting Monday’s “special” episode of the reality show amid continuing speculation that Jon and Kate Gosselin, the TV stars and parents of eight children, have filed or will file for divorce.

The season premiere of the show catapulted TLC to the top of the ratings heap on Memorial Day as almost 10 million viewers watched a confessional about the couple’s troubled marriage. Rumors about infidelity have plagued the couple for months.

In a commercial posted on YouTube on Thursday, Ms. Gosselin is heard saying: “Recently, we’ve made some life-changing decisions; decisions that will affect every member of our family; ones that we hope will bring each of us some peace.”

On screen, the graphics say: “Where do they go from here? Jon & Kate have an announcement.”

TLC may be hard-pressed to top the 10 million-viewer mark, but by releasing a commercial for the episode so far in advance, the channel is doing its best to draw a big audience. “Jon & Kate” is one of the most popular programs on the cable channel, which is a unit of Discovery Communications.

TLC has ordered 40 episodes of “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ this season. If the couple does announce a divorce, it is unclear whether the producers would show marriage counseling sessions or divorce proceedings as the season progressed. Asked last month whether TLC would encourage the reality show stars to seek counseling, a spokeswoman for the channel said, “That’s their private business.”

Comments are no longer being accepted.

marion June 18, 2009 · 5:59 pm

If there is no marriage, there is no point in watching this family. What I enjoyed most about the show was seeing the relationship each parent had with the children and the children with each other. With one parent missing, that dynamic is destroyed, so what’s to see? What American TV doesn’t need is to see more dysfunction.

Judy June 18, 2009 · 6:30 pm

Mightn’t they be announcing that they’re quitting the show? The publicity has been so toxic, they might have found a way to get out of their contract.

Dee Genna June 18, 2009 · 7:16 pm

If as suspected, Jon and kate announce on TV that they are divorcing, Al their attempts at making people think that they care about their kids will go down the tubes. By announcing publicly do they not realize the hurt and embarrassment they will inflict on their children? They do not think the children know anything, but why would that darling little girl say at the sextuplets birthday party ask her daddy to please not go? Whatever their private problems are, they should be keot private. If divorce is their choice they should cancel further appearances on the show and discuss this in private with the children. I’ve always felt that Kate is a domineering person who cared little for anyone other than herself and I sympathized with Jon over the way she treated him publicly. Well they should both take a cue from that and not humiliate their children publicly.