Jon Gosselin: TLC a "Monster"

Jon Gosselin sees TLC as a "monster" that has greedily cashed in on his family and even partially caused the breakdown of his marriage with Kate, his lawyer says.
TLC stopped filming the Gosselin children on the recently renamed Kate Plus Eight after the production staff was banned from the family home.
Jon Gosselin asked TLC to stop filming his children and to leave his property just days after the network renamed Jon & Kate Plus 8 and announced it would focus more on Kate Gosselin.
"Jon is resolved not to allow the TLC corporate machine to devour his family and promote the monster's best interests over those of his family," Jon Gosselin's lawyer, Mark Jay Heller, said Thursday in a statement.
He expressed confidence that Jon "will be completely successful in his quest to take back control of his family and preserve, protect and ensure their future well-being by putting the brakes on his divorce and pulling the plug on TLC, the media giant that he perceives as a monster that has exploited and manipulated his family and has been partially responsible for the breakdown of his marriage.
"TLC and Discovery have been reputed to have generated approximately $186 million dollars for the quarter — compliments of the Gosselin family, and Jon firmly believes that their greed to continue that cash flow will be trumped by his courage and determination to protect his family," Heller concluded.
The cable channel said in a statement: "Despite Jon Gosselin's repeated self-destructive and unprofessional actions, he remains under an exclusive contract with TLC. Direct filming of the children has been currently suspended, pending further conversations between both parents."

Rep: Jon Gosselin "not fired" from Kate Plus Eight

A sign posted at the gate of his family's home in Wernersville, Pa., reads, "Notice: No film crew or production staff from TLC is permitted on this property under penelty [sic] of trespass."According to Heller, TLC never secured special permits required by Pennsylvania child labor laws as a "prerequisite" for the Gosselin children's involvement in Jon & Kate Plus 8. Heller says that without these permits, the agreement between TLC and the Gosselin family "may very well be 'null and void' and unenforceable."

News: Kate Gosselin on new talk show: "I've been given the gift of gab"

The attorney claims that TLC "failed to designate the appropriate compensation to be allocated to the children" and "it may ultimately be determined that TLC has not provided for compensation for the eight children over the past four years." Heller also alleges the network "never secured location permits" to film on the Gosselins' property.In May, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor began an investigation into whether Jon & Kate Plus 8 violated child labor laws; on Thursday, department spokesman Christopher Manlove told TVGuide.com that there is no new information about the probe.TLC fired back at Gosselin, saying it was "deeply disappointed at his continued erratic behavior.""[Jon's] latest comments are grossly inaccurate, without merit and are clearly opportunistic," the network said Thursday.

News: TLC introduce Kate Plus Eight

Heller also said the production deal for Jon & Kate Plus 8 does not carry over into the newly titled Kate Plus Eight, and it therefore requires "the acquiescence and consent not only of Kate Gosselin but Jon Gosselin."For her part, Kate said she was "saddened and confused by Jon's public media statements," adding he never expressed any concerns to her about their children's involvement in the show."I do the show for my family because I believe it provides us opportunities we wouldn't otherwise have," she said. "Jon used to share that belief until as recently as the day the network announced the name change of the show and indicated that Jon would have a lesser role in the show. It appears that Jon's priority is Jon and his interests. My priority remains our children and their well being."