INFphoto.comJon Gosselin can't play nice, so he doesn't want his kids to play at all.
The 10th-most liked member of Jon and Kate Plus 8 is attempting to not only take his ball and go home, but make off with the entire playground as well, firing off two letters to TLC demanding they immediately shut down production on the reality show and posting a sign at his home warning camera crews to stay away.
The cease-and-desist action comes, not-so-coincidentally, in the wake of the cable net's announcement that the octodad has been dropped from the soon-to-be rebranded reality hit—and hours before Gosselin launches his media blitz on, we suspect, a largely uninterested nation.
Ironically enough, while Gosselin was quick to defend the production's non-invasive presence in his children's lives for the many years he was involved in the show, now that he's been ousted, he seems to have suddenly developed a few moral problems with their participation. Go figure.
"Effective immediately, no production crews are to enter Jon's family home for any reason," one of the letters, sent to TLC by attorney Mark Jay Heller, read. "In the event that anyone enters the marital property, Jon Gosselin will notify the local authorities to effectuate police action against any trespassers."
The family's Wernersville, Pa., home has long served as the backdrop of the reality show and, you'll recall, many a makeshift paparazzi photoshoot and press conference for Jon himself. (Judging by the newly erected notice signed by "Johnathon Gosselin," we're guessing such newsworthy events are numbered.)
And while the letters, obtained by several outlets, were dated Tuesday, the same day of TLC's Jon-dumping announcement, he claims the decision to pull the kids was made several weeks ago.
"Jon realized his family was like a trainwreck, so he decided to put the brakes on the divorce and on the show…because if he didn't the family would be in a mortal accident…the victims of a trainwreck," Heller told The Insider.
And we thought the Gosselins were overdramatic.
Heller further claims that TLC may not have a leg to stand on if they wish to fight Gosselin's legal action, saying their contract with the family "may very well be 'null and void' and unenforceable."
He claims the cable net not only never followed through on obtaining the special permits required by Pennsylvania Child Labor Law to legally film the eight-strong brood, but they failed to properly pay the kids.
The channel, Heller claims, "failed to designate the appropriate compensation to be allocated to the children…it may ultimately be determined that TLC has not provided for compensation for the eight children over the past four years."
Which is only part of the reason why Gosselin doesn't want his children participating in next month's Kate-centric relaunch of the show.
Gosselin has not and will not, per his lawyer, give the required consent for his kids' involvement and "if necessary, Jon is prepared to seek court intervention to make sure his children's best interests are protected."
"Jon Gosselin unequivocally believes that his children's continued participation in your client's television production is 'detrimental' to his children," a second letter sent to the cable net and obtained by The Insider read. "Accordingly, Jon expects that your client will cease and desist from any and all further production which includes his eight children."
His parental concern would seem much more genuine if only it had come before his pay cut.
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Get all the dirt—and man, is there a lot—on the Gosselins.