Former reality TV star Kate Gosselin has returned to her pre-fame nursing career, working 12-hour shifts in pediatric home healthcare due to financial pressures following her television career. The mother of eight attributes her financial downfall primarily to the high costs of supporting her children and extensive legal battles that consumed her earnings from ‘Jon & Kate Plus 8’ and its spinoffs.
Gosselin, who recently relocated to Troutman, North Carolina, renewed her nursing license earlier this year and now specializes in pediatric in-home care. She currently works with one family providing medical support for their ‘medically challenged’ child, enabling parents to spend time with their other children. Through TikTok updates about her daily routine, Gosselin has shared details of her return to healthcare work.
The financial necessity stems from what Gosselin describes as the ‘sickening’ costs of raising eight children, funding their college education, and particularly the extensive legal fees from ongoing court battles. She revealed that attorney costs consumed a significant portion of her reality TV earnings, leaving insufficient retirement savings and impacting potential savings for her children. Gosselin noted that reality TV income proved inadequate for single-handedly supporting such a large family.
Despite financial frustrations, Gosselin expressed professional fulfillment in her nursing role, stating she feels ‘needed’ and enjoys helping other families. This career return follows years of financial strain after her divorce from Jon Gosselin in 2009, which led to prolonged custody disputes and family separation. Her comments came shortly after her estranged son Collin posted emotionally about the family’s fragmentation on social media.
The situation highlights the financial volatility of reality TV careers, even for prominent figures. Gosselin’s case demonstrates how legal expenses can rapidly deplete television earnings, particularly when supporting a large family. Her transition back to nursing represents both a practical solution to financial pressures and an emotional return to work she finds meaningful.
Moving forward, Gosselin appears committed to her nursing career while maintaining a social media presence documenting her daily life. The ongoing family dynamics, including public statements from her children about the family separation, continue to draw public attention to the long-term impacts of their reality TV experience.