On the final episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8, the reality show that chronicled the daily drama (and diaper changes) of raising a set of twins and sextuplets, Kate Gosselin seemed crestfallen. "I never had a clear picture of how it would end, but I think it's too soon," she said. The 34-year-old could have been discussing her marriage. On June 22, she announced that "Jon's activities" had led her to file for divorce after 10 years of marriage, after which followed allegations that he had an affair with a third-grade teacher. TLC and Kate planned to rebrand the show as Kate Plus 8, but in October, Jon took legal action to halt filming. The children remain at the family's $1.2 million Pennsylvania home, where Jon and Kate take turns living. This Christmas they plan to celebrate together. But a recording of a phone conversation between Jon and a potential business partner that surfaced on Nov. 24 suggested that the Octodad may not be in a festive mood: "I put my kids out there to every pedophile on the planet, and they never got paid for it," he said of his experience with TLC. So much for happy holidays.
The Top 10 Everything of 2009
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Art Exhibitions
- Top 10 Awkward Moments
- Top 10 Best Business Deals
- Top 10 Breakups
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Children's Books
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Editorial Cartoons
- Top 10 Facebook Stories
- Top 10 Fashion Faux Pas
- Top 10 Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Ideas
- Top 10 Heroes
- Top 10 iPhone Apps
- Top 10 Late-Night Jokes
- Top 10 Magazine Covers
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Movies
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 News Stories
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Oddball News Stories
- Top 10 Pariahs
- Top 10 Pictures of the Year
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Scientific Discoveries
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 T-Shirt-Worthy Slogans
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Tweets
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Untruths
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 Worst Biz Deals
TIME charts the highs and lows of the past year in 50 wide-ranging lists