'No Kate Plus Eight' Without Jon?

Oct. 2, 2009— -- Jon Gosselin, the embattled dad of the children on TLC's smash hit "Jon & Kate Plus 8," wants off the show and he wants his kids off camera for good.

"I don't think it's healthy for them, and the reason I don't think it's healthy for them is that we're going through a divorce right now," Gosselin told CNN's "Larry King Live" Thursday night. "And I don't think it should be televised, and I think my kids should be taken off the show."

TLC shut down filming of the children on "Jon & Kate Plus 8" after receiving a cease-and-desist order from Gosselin's attorney Thursday. A sign has been posted outside the family home in Pennsylvania ordering all film crews to back off the property.

"At this point, both parents have joint custody," Jon Gosselin's lawyer, Mark Heller, said. "So, clearly, without the consent of both parents, this cannot go forward."

TLC has fired back, slamming Gosselin's erratic behavior. But his wishes are apparently being granted.

"Despite Jon Gosselin's repeated self-destructive and unprofessional actions, he remains under an exclusive contract with TLC," the cable-TV network said in a statement. "Direct filming of the children has been currently suspended."

Gosselin told King that he'd had an epiphany in recent weeks, and that he "didn't want to be this person anymore."

He acknowledged that he'd made many mistakes in dealing with the intense media glare amid the public dissolution of his 10-year marriage.

Gosselin has not spoken to his estranged wife in more than three weeks, he said, despite his efforts to contact her through phone and text message.

Kate Gosselin issued a statement saying she is confused by her husband's actions. "Jon has never expressed any concerns to me about our children being involved in the show and, in fact, is on the record as saying he believes the show benefits our children and was taping on Friday with the kids."