If your head has been spinning over all this Jon & Kate Plus 8 business, you might want to go back to bed.
Nearly all the celeb glossies and tabloids are featuring the TLC reality stars on their covers, the most incendiary of which are Us Weekly and People. The former is reporting allegations of Kate Gosselin hooking up with her bodyguard. (She issued a preemptive denial to—who else?—People yesterday.)
In the latter, however, the matriarch finally admits to trouble in the marriage that may or may not break them.
After all the back-and-forth and "just friends" claims between Jon Gosselin and 23-year-old teacher Deanna Hummel, Kate is finally 'fessing up to her problems.
"I don't know that we're in the same place anymore, that we want the same thing," she tells People. "I've been struggling with the question of 'Who is this person?' for a while. I remember where I was the first time I heard her name. It's one of those things where you can try to make it go away, but there's blaring, red flashing lights."
However, despite the mag's dramatic cover declaring, "We Might Split Up," Kate remains optimistic.
"I will never give up hope that every member of our family can be absolutely happy again," she says.
In the meantime, however, Us Weekly contends the mother of the twins and sextuplets may have a dirty little secret of her own. An unnamed witness at a promotional event tells the magazine Kate showed "a lot of open affection" with married bodyguard Steve Neild.
"[They were] very physical, often touching each other," the source says. "She was gently poking him, giving him little love pats, totally unlike the slapping she does with Jon."
Much like Gosselin herself, Neild's wife, Gina, has already refuted the claim, telling the same publication that the accusation is "ridiculous."
Radar Online, for its part, has an "exclusive" interview with Kate's brother, Kevin Krieder, and his wife, Jodi.
"The show is not reality, and has not been for a long time," Jodi says. "This is a train wreck."
"Their family is in shambles," Kevin adds.
There is one thing they all agree upon—affairs or not, the Gosselin marriage is on the rocks in a major way.
"Jon says it's over," an unidentified family source is quoted in Us. "Kate doesn't want to work on it, he doesn't want to work on it."
Krieder concurs. "Six months ago, Kate came to Jon and said, 'Hey, it's over,'" he told Radar.
In case that's not enough Gosselin gossip for ya, the new cover story of Star claims Kate drew up a contract allowing him to have women on the side, the cover of Life & Style depicts the kids begging Daddy to stay and the National Enquirer (hey, you asked!) accuses the matriarch of violence.
All the drama aside, TLC insists the next season of Jon & Kate is a go, with the first episode set to air May 25.
"We are in production for season five and moving forward as planned, while fully supporting the family and respecting their needs as they work through this challenging time," the network said in a statement. "This show has always been about a real family dealing with real-life situations, and that will continue to be the case for the new season."
(Originally published May 13, 2009, at 9:50 a.m. PT)
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