TLC: ‘Kate Plus 8’ No Longer ‘In Production’

As the series finale for “Jon & Kate Plus 8” draws near, it appears the reported successor – “Kate Plus 8” – could be over before it even started.

While the original TLC series, which turned Jon and Kate Gosselin into pop culture and tabloid mainstays, will end on Monday night, the future of the “Plus 8” franchise appears to be in doubt, according to TLC.

“‘Kate Plus 8’ is not in production,” TLC spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg told Access Hollywood on Thursday.

In September, TLC had announced the reality series would continue – minus Jon.
“It’s not a huge shift, but it’s reflective of where the show was already going,” TLC president Eileen O’Neill said at the time. “Jon’s going to be involved in the show,” she said, adding that he will be seen less often than before.

However, a nasty battle ensued over the network’s ability to film the children without Jon’s consent, and it appears the reality father’s efforts have changed TLC’s plans – at least, for now.

But that doesn’t mean Kate is hanging up her reality TV hat.

“We are focusing on the launch of Kate’s new series in early spring,” Goldberg added.

No details were available on the new series.

As far as Monday’s finale of “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” which first debuted in 2007, viewers shouldn’t expect a final showdown between the feuding parents.

The final episode will show Jon and Kate taking their eight children – 9-year-old twins and 5-year-old sextuplets – on separate outings.

While dad brings his brood to a fire station near the family home in Wernersville, Penn., Kate takes the kids to a local dairy farm.

In typical “Plus 8” fashion, both Jon and Kate will also spend some time in front of the confessional cam, where they will reflect on the what the family has been through and what lies ahead.

Despite earlier reports to the contrary, Jon and Kate will not join each other in the same room for the finale.

The series finale of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” airs Monday, November 23 at 9 PM EST on TLC.