Kate Gosselin marks sextuplets' 20th birthday with rare photo: 'My forever babies!'
Kate Gosselin posted a rare photo of four of her sextuplets to mark their 20th birthday.
In the picture, Alexis, Leah, Aaden and Joel pose in front of a chocolate-frosted cake decorated with candy hot peppers and a pickle. Hannah and Collin, who live with their dad, Jon Gosselin, are missing from the snap.
“No more teenagers in this house!” Kate wrote. “Happy 20th birthday, my forever babies! I love you! Who feels old? I know I do!”
Kate isn't alone.
“No way! I remember when you had two 6-year-olds and six 2-year-olds!!” one fan wrote in the comments.
Added another, “20!? Holy cow! That happened really fast!”
Kate and her ex-husband, Jon, are also parents of 23-year-old twin daughters Mady and Cara.
"Jon & Kate Plus 8" first premiered on TLC in 2007, giving a glimpse of Jon and Kate Gosselin's life at home with eight children — one set of twins and another set of sextuplets.
It's been years since the couple divorced and the show is no longer on the air, yet fans of the reality TV family are as curious as ever about the family's life, especially following a string of explosive allegations from two of the Gosselin children.
Wondering what the Gosselin twins and sextuplets are up to these days? We're taking a walk down memory lane to see where they are in recent years.
The twins
Mady Gosselin
Jon and Kate Gosselin's twin daughters, Mady and Cara Gosselin, were born in 2000.
In 2014, the then-13-year-old sisters appeared on TODAY with their mother, who described them as “really regular, every day, awesome teenagers.”
During the interview, TODAY's Savannah Guthrie asked Mady Gosselin if people have the wrong impression of her siblings and their family.
“I wouldn’t say wrong. I would just say not the full story,” she said. “A lot of people think that filming our show has damaged us, but it’s only really helped.”
In honor of Korean American Day in 2022, Mady Gosselin spoke candidly about her mixed-race identity and admitted that she was "hyper aware of my ethnicity from a young age." Although she struggled with her identity for a while, Mady Gosselin said she is now "proud to celebrate being Korean American."
The following year, Mady Gosselin spoke out about her experience growing up in the public eye and said she's been the recipient of judgmental messages for years.
“I’ve been getting hate mail since I was 6 but that doesn’t mean you need to keep sending it,” she captioned a TikTok post. “Learn how to respect people’s boundaries and practice kindness. I bet your life will be so much more enjoyable because of it!”
In July 2023, the new college graduate responded to her estranged brother Collin Gosselin's claims that his mother was "abusive" to him.
“To those of you saying my brother was a child who experienced trauma and so I must swiftly forgive and forget, please remember that I was a child too. I have empathy for him and what he’s been through, but that doesn’t erase the trauma I’ve suffered at his hands,” she wrote in her Instagram story.
According to Jon Gosselin, Mady is now living in New York with her sister twin sister, Cara. He told E! News that both of the girls have “really great jobs" in the city.
“They’re healthy, wealthy, and they have a career,” he said, “so I can’t really complain. And I think we did a really good job getting them there.”
Cara Gosselin
Born in 2000, Cara Gosselin is one of Kate and Jon Gosselin's twin daughters. On "Jon & Kate Plus 8," she was always a bit more shy than her twin sister, Mady Gosselin.
In 2017, Kate Gosselin shared the following tribute to her daughters when they turned 17.
"My heart hurts because you’re almost adults and will soon leave for college, yet it smiles because I am seeing who you’ve become: brilliant, beautiful, kind, caring, logical, responsible, empathetic, honest, amazing individuals! I love you both SO VERY MUCH!" she captioned the post.
The following year, Kate Gosselin honored her daughters for their high school graduation, writing, "These girls are going places and I can’t wait to see where they end up! Cara and Mady, I love you so very much and I’m just so so proud of YOU!"
Like her mother, Cara Gosselin was also excited for her future. When she was 16 years old, she told People that she wanted to go "far away" for college to "be a doctor."
As it turns out, Cara Gosselin ended up attending Fordham University, where she studied mathematics and economics. After graduating in 2023, she now works as an analyst at Bank of America in New York, per her LinkedIn profile.
The sextuplets
Alexis Gosselin
Alexis Gosselin was the first of the sextuplets to be born, in 2004, per the initial writeup from Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Her mother has shared several photos of her with their pets over the years, including many sweet snapshots of her with the family’s dogs.
In 2017, Alexis Gosselin spoke to People about her career aspirations and said she was “definitely going to work with animals someday.”
Two years later, Kate Gosselin shared a photo of her daughter with the family’s pet bird.
“Alexis and Zorro. The best of friends,” she captioned the post.
Hannah Gosselin
Hannah Gosselin was the second sextuplet to arrive. She is one of two sextuplets to have a relationship with their father, Jon Gosselin.
In 2022, she launched her own skin care brand and thanked Jon Gosselin for “being (her) biggest support.”
The same year, Jon Gosselin shared a tribute to his daughter on social media, writing, “I’m so proud of you @hannahjgosselin and all that you will achieve with @gosselingirlbeauty!.”
Hannah Gosselin graduated high school in 2023 and shared several photos with her bedazzled red graduation cap. “On to the next,” she captioned the post.
She and boyfriend Lennon Johnson created their own YouTube channel in 2023 and posted a video to celebrate their one-year anniversary.
Hannah Gosselin also has been pursuing a higher education. In an April 2024 interview with E! News, Jon Gosselin revealed his daughter was in college and has been using his house to store her things. He noted that Collin Gosselin also does the same.
“They don’t really live there. But it’s a different time for me in my life only because one day they’re in my house, and then the next day they’re not," he said while giving an update on his life.
Aaden Gosselin
Aaden Gosselin was the third sextuplet born. From an early age, he won over viewers of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” with his sweet smile and adorable glasses.
In 2017, Kate Gosselin penned the following tribute to her son alongside a photo of him as a child.
“I’m sorry ... but where has this little guy gone? My 4 year old little professor is all grown up! Talk about ‘edible’! I adore his sweet, kind, loving, sensitive self! And he’s so thoughtful and helpful! OH-and his love of HIS dog, Mak, especially melts my heart every single day!” she captioned the post.
From the looks of his mother’s Instagram channel, Aaden Gosselin is a huge dog lover and has a sweet bond with the family’s dog Mak.
In 2017, Kate Gosselin revealed that her son started asking for presents for Mak for every holiday because “he is such a skilled and entertaining present opener!”
Three years later, the mother of eight revealed that her son had become the last sextuplet to have his braces removed. In honor of the momentous occasion, she made him a cake with glasses on the face.
Collin Gosselin
Like his sextuplet siblings, Collin Gosselin was born in 2004. After his parents' divorce, he lived with his mom when she got full custody of her children.
In 2016, Kate Gosselin sent her son to a residential program for kids with special needs. While she didn't reveal his diagnosis, the reality star did tell People that Collin Gosselin needed to learn "certain strategies to help him deal with things."
Flash forward two years and Jon Gosselin was granted sole custody of his son, then 14, when he returned from his program.
In 2022, Collin Gosselin spoke with ET and revealed that he was estranged from his mother.
“After being (sent away), I didn’t have a relationship with her,” he said.
The following year, both Collin and Hannah Gosselin appeared in Vice TV’s series “Dark Side of the 2000s” and spoke about their fractured relationship with their mother.
Hannah Gosselin said her brother would often be "separated" from his siblings while they were filming their reality series.
“I don’t think effort was made in the home to help him learn what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not acceptable,” she said.
While talking about his time at the residential program, Collin Gosselin offered the following statement.
“Being in an institution really took a toll on me mentally,” he said. “It was a really dark place. You know, all I had was myself. I didn’t have anybody else. You know, I had no support system. I was confused. I was lost.”
Kate Gosselin replied to her children's statements on Instagram and said she sent her son away "for the safety of myself, his brothers and sisters and for his own well-being."
In June 2023, Collin and Hannah Gosselin graduated from high school. On Instagram, Collin Gosselin thanked his sister for "standing by me and supporting me," calling her his "number 1."
The teen also revealed on Instagram that he was involved in the Army Junior ROTC and planned to study mechanical and industrial engineering in college.
In August 2023, Jon Gosselin said Collin was in boot camp for the U.S. Marines.
Leah Gosselin
Like her siblings, Leah Gosselin was born in 2004 and was the fifth sextuplet to arrive. Her mom has chronicled several of her life milestones on social media and in 2017, she shared a photo of Leah after she got her braces off.
Kate Gosselin has shared several of her daughter’s culinary creations on Instagram over the years.
Leah Gosselin also has her own TikTok channel, @bakingbyleah, where she shares videos of her baking escapades. In one recent video, she walked viewers through the process of making a coconut creme pie, which she described as her "Joels favorite dessert" (presumably her brother, Joel Gosselin).
Joel Gosselin
Joel Gosselin was the last of the sextuplets to be born in 2004.
Kate Gosselin shared the following message for her son and his five siblings when they turned 13 in 2017.
“At this moment (7:51-7:53 am) 13 years ago, my life and heart were completed with your births! I love you all and NO MATTER WHAT it requires of me, I will ALWAYS be there for you,” she captioned the post.
In 2019, Kate Gosselin shared a photo of Joel Gosselin when he got his braces removed and added the hashtag #HandsomeLilGuy.
The same year, Kate Gosselin shared a photo of her children on a go-kart outing and revealed that Joel Gosselin won.
In honor of the sextuplet's 15th birthday in 2019, Kate Gosselin shared several photos on Instagram and described her children as "wholesome, loving, insightful, wise humans."
"I’m so very thankful for my ‘babies’... somehow they are 15 already?! I’m amazed by them each day! I’m so proud of the positive qualities I’ve seen developing as they edge closer to adulthood," she captioned the post.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
