Jon Gosselin
countersues TLC
Accuses the network of violating child labor laws
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Nov 16, 2009
The TLC-Jon Gosselin separation may be even messier than the Jon Gosselin-Kate Gosselin separation.
After TLC filed suit against him last month, Jon has filed a countersuit against his former network accusing it of violating child labor laws, an accusation that comes months after TLC decided to drop him from a revamp of "Jon & Kate Plus 8."
Gosselin says the network took advantage of his family, goading them to sign a contract four years ago without consulting an attorney. The contract offered the family of 10 $2,000 per episode, which he and Kate agreed to because they needed "revenue to meet the needs of our eight children."
The suit was filed in Maryland's Montgomery County Circuit Court Thursday, where TLC earlier filed a suit claiming that Gosselin had breached his contract.
Gosselin's suit also accuses the network of failing to secure the proper child work permits and blames it for his unemployment. He claims he can't find a regular job because of the paparazzi that follow him around, a result of the fame he found on "J&K."
Gosselin served TLC with a cease and desist order to stop filming his kids a couple months ago, saying he now sees that they should not have been on television.
This burst of conscience came after TLC decided to drop Gosselin from the next phase of "J&K," following the couple's separation in June. TLC said it would continue to film the show as "Kate Plus 8," bumping Jon down to an occasional guest.
Those plans were busted when Jon served the cease and desist, which many saw as sour grapes in his messy divorce with Kate.
Meanwhile, TLC has run out of episodes of "J&K," with "Cake Boss" slated to take its place Mondays at 9 p.m.
Viewership for "J&K" has fallen to roughly a tenth of what it was at its peak, when 10.6 million viewers tuned in to see Jon and Kate announce their separation in June.
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