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Jon Gosselin Slams the Brakes on His Divorce!?!

Suddenly dispensable reality dad files paperwork to suspend proceedings for 90 days in a legal and PR maneuver designed to give him more time to work out deal with Kate

By Gina Serpe, Ken Baker Sep 29, 2009 7:09 PMTags
Kate Gosselin, Jon GosselinDonna Svennevik/ ABC; Joe Coomber/Sipa via AP Images

It's not what you think.

On second thought, it's exactly what you think: The Gosselin who found himself on the losing side of the public sympathy battle is taking a stab at some crafty legal (not to mention PR) maneuvering in a bid to save a little face and not get completely short-shrifted in his divorce.

Which, with Kate as our witness, will go through as planned.

While Jon Gosselin's rep confirmed to E! News that the octodad did in fact cop to In Touch Weekly that he "used poor judgment in publicly socializing with other women so soon" after his divorce—sorry, Hailey, that was his plural, not ours—and that he would "like to get back with Kate as a partner in parenting," that's about as far as his plans for reconciliation span.

And that's despite his submission to a court-approved Pennsylvania arbitrator this morning seeking to suspend his divorce proceedings for 90 days.

A source close to the situation told E! News the legal move, which—coupled with his oh-so-sincere tabloid quotes—may give the outward impression of a desire to reconcile, was "not an emotional or romantic decision."

Yeah, no kidding.

Instead, the source said, it was "both a legal and PR strategy meant to force Kate to deal with Jon on many important issues relating to the welfare of his children."

That the legal move was made the same day TLC confirmed it had severed ties with the suddenly title-stricken reality patriarch is, we're sure, just a coincidence. (Though, devil's advocate, a story about a seemingly remorseful husband would play better in Peoria than a story about a publicly grousing, cavorting, dog-abandoning and, as it turns out, dispensable father. We're just saying.)

As for Jon, he'll be telling his side of the story on Larry King Live tomorrow.

(Originally published Sept. 29, 2009, at 11:11 a.m. PT)

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