After struggling with infertility, a couple unexpectedly learns they’ll add sextuplets to their family, which already includes adorable twins. From the onset, Jon & Kate Plus 8 had the elements of a reality show that would tug on viewers’ heartstrings. But by the fifth season, the on-air bickering between Jon and Kate Gosselin had sparked rumors that America’s favorite family would soon split. And when Jon and Kate eventually announced their divorce, bloggers had already taken away most of the shock value. Those pictures of Jon and other women in gossip magazines didn’t help either. Nonetheless, the episode featuring the couple’s official statement, broadcast on June 22, 2009, became the most watched episode of the beloved series, drawing in 10.6 million viewers. Misery sure loves company.
32 Epic Moments in Reality-TV History
From American Idol mania to The Real World's first spat, TIME looks at the best, the worst and the most tasteless episodes of the genre that's been a national obsession for nearly 30 years
Jon & Kate Plus 8: The Gosselins Announce Their Divorce
Full List
Reality-TV Moments
- Jersey Shore: Snooki Gets Punched
- Deadliest Catch: Captain Phil Harris Dies On Air
- Punk’d: Justin Timberlake Cries
- Toddlers & Tiaras: A Preschooler in a Madonna Cone Bra?
- The Hills Is Revealed as Fake in the Series Finale
- Survivor: Kelly Wiglesworth Gets Slammed
- The Real World: Puck vs. Pedro
- America’s Next Top Model: Tyra’s Big Tantrum
- The Bachelor: Jason Picks Melissa, Then Molly
- An American Family: The Louds Split Up
- American Idol: Kelly Clarkson Becomes a Star
- Celebrity Big Brother: The Racism Scandal
- The Real Housewives of DC: White House Gate-Crashers
- Dancing with the Stars: Tom DeLay’s ‘Wild Thing’
- Extreme Makeover: The First Shocking Transformation
- Top Chef: The Head-Shaving Incident
- Newlyweds: Jessica Simpson and the Chicken of the Sea
- Jon & Kate Plus 8: The Gosselins Announce Their Divorce
- Fear Factor: Rat Smoothie Anyone?
- 16 and Pregnant: Lori Gives Up Her Baby
- The Osbournes: Defining Modern Celebreality
- Project Runway: A Cheating Designer Is Kicked Off
- The Girls Next Door: The Bunny Swap
- Britain’s Got Talent: Susan Boyle’s Singing Stuns Judges
- Flavor of Love: Pumpkin Spits in New York’s Face
- The Apprentice: Omarosa Gets Fired and Hired and Fired
- The Simple Life: Walmart Mystifies Paris
- Rock of Love: Bret Michaels’ First Annual Mudbowl
- 19 Kids and Counting: Baby No. 19 Goes Home
- Jackass: Scott Plamer Skydives Without a Parachute
- Queer Eye: The Nudist Episode
- Celebrity Rehab: Jeff Conaway Breaks Down
