How did 'Jon and Kate Plus 8' get started?

Answer 1

The Gosselins were approached by TLC to do a "one " time special on sextuplets. Due to the over whelming viewers of the special, they turned it into a reality show. I personally think the show is great and wish the parents would iron all of their differences out and get back on with the show.

During an appearance on Oprah, Kate said they wanted to be part of a reality series to show the world what their lives are really like.

Initially, the Gosselins agreed to shoot an hour-long special for the Discovery Health Channel. At the time, Jon had just lost his job, and Kate says they were feeling very misunderstood. "People were saying, 'Oh, goodness, they're unemployed, and they have eight kids.' There was a lot of yuck," she told Ms. Winfrey.

By letting people see how they lived day-to-day, Kate says she hoped to clear up any confusion. After the first special aired, they were asked to do another hour-long show. Then, TLC approached them to be a part of a series. They agreed. "By this time, we had been doing this for a year [with the] same crew, and our kids loved them," Kate says.

This series is also helping Jon and Kate document the special moments in their kids' lives. "It was, for us, memories that we didn't have time to videotape" Kate says.