Jon and Kate Minus All the Hate?
"Jon & Kate Plus 8" will be rechristened "Kate Plus Eight." Will anyone watch?
Sept. 30, 2009 -- Kate Gosselin has always made it clear that, despite her divorce from Jon, the show must go on -- and it will, but mostly without Jon.
All that tension that drove viewers to TLC will become a thing of the past when the show changes its focus from married with children to single mom raising eight kids.
Starting Nov. 2, "Jon & Kate Plus 8" will be rechristened "Kate Plus Eight." In a press release sent to ABCNews.com on Tuesday, TLC announced that it was adapting the show to evolve with the changes in the Gosselin family.
"Parents of multiples have triple the divorce rate," Kate said on her TLC show in May when the couple announced the separation. "I'm thinking we were going to beat that, but I don't know if I can say that anymore."
The release said TLC will continue its exclusive relationship with Jon but that he would appear on the show less often. The relaunched show will focus more on Kate Gosselin and her journey as a single mother of eight -- 5-year-old sextuplets and 8-year-old twins.
Jon Gosselin will make occasional appearances on the show.
"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 the statement. "The family has evolved and we are attempting to evolve with it; we feel that Kate's journey really resonates with our viewers."
"Essentially I am doing it by myself at this point," Kate said on "The View" earlier this month. "At this point in life, I can't exist with the lack of a paycheck."
Critics say the divorce drama seems to be playing out more on the talk show circuit than on the actual show. The show's ratings have plummeted 84 percent since the record-breaking season premiere in June.
America seems to be tuning out.
Related Stories
ABC News Live