Jon & Kate Plus 8: The Announcement

Last night Jon and Kate Gosselin, stars of TLC's hit reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus Eight announced that they are separating.

I don't have an eloquent or witty response to my reaction to all of this. It's just makes me really sad.

Aside from the fact that I am..scratch that...was an avid fan of the hit show, I am also a child of divorce.

When my parents marriage began to deteriorate, I was thirteen years old, and my younger sister was not much older than the Gosselin's twin daughters, Cara and Mady. At that young age, we endured some of the most painful, darkest days we will probably ever experience in our lives. Days that still play out in our minds, and that will follow us forever.

My heart is bleeding for Jon and Kate's "plus 8." Not only are they facing a long, hard road ahead, they are going to have to do it in front of the entire nation. They may be too little to understand what is going on now, but someday these kids are going to get on the computer and Google their family. They will be able to read, and watch all the drama and gossip that is out there, and it is going to scar them forever.

While last night's announcement did not come as much of a surprise, it did come as a disappointment. Honestly, it seems the split was inevitable. But as I tuned in last night, I was still holding out a bit of hope that Jon & Kate would say that they were ending taping so that they could take care of their family.

Behind the cameras, TLC execs are drooling over some of the highest ratings they have ever seen. Season 5 debuted on Memorial Day with over 10 million viewers. Ratings for the rest of the season have decreased, with last week's episode being seen by 2.9 million viewers. That's down 31% from the previous week, which was down 41% from the season opener.

I'm sick of watching these kids get dragged through the mud, and it seems America is too. Today, TLC has offered Kate's blog as a place for fans to offer their thoughts:

"I never thought that I would feel so turned off by this show that I once enjoyed watching so much. A part of me is really happy that Jon is moving on from Kate. The other part of me wishes that this wasn't televised for people's amusement." -Dina

"This was a long time coming, but it is now time to move on and that includes the end of the show. Why do the children need to be put through a show supporting divorced parents? It just shows money doesn't buy happiness and this has destroyed a family that should still be together." -Shelly

"TLC really needs to take another look at its supposed code of ethics and end this show. I won't be watching any more TLC programs. I am disgusted by what has become of this family and the damage it has done to their poor children. All they care about is $$$." -Brittany