Jon Shuts Down Kate Plus 8 *UPDATED* TLC’s Comeback!

Jon 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. He fired off two letters to TLC demanding they immediately shut down production on the reality show and posted 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 noninvasive 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 and clearly unspell-checked notice signed by “Johnathon Gosselin,” we’re guessing such newsworthy events are numbered.)

And while the letters 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.

“This isn’t about money,” Heller told E! News. “This isn’t a negotiation tactic. This is about his kids. He’s worried about what impact the show is having on them and is taking action.

“He’s done with the show.”

And apparently wants his kids to be, too. But not because he’s jealous, mind you. Au contraire.

“He hasn’t been fired. As TLC said in their statement, they have an ‘exclusive’ contract with him. He has been trying to get out of that contract for a long time.

“TLC has issues with the Pennsylvania department of labor, they’ve got issues with Jon saying he thinks the kids are starting not to like the cameras. He’s taking action to protect his children.”

As for those issues, Heller 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.

He went on to tell The Insider 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.”

The network, 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.”

TLC, as you would expect, has come out swinging against Gosselin’s claims.

“We are aware of Jon Gosselin’s recent statements and remain deeply disappointed at his continued erratic behavior,” a spokesman for the broadcaster told E! News.

“He and the family were shooting as recently as last Friday, without incident, and his latest comments are grossly inaccurate, without merit and are clearly opportunistic. 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.”

Which seems to be exactly what Jon wanted in advance of next month’s planned Kate-centric relaunch of the show.

“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 here we thought the Gosselins were overdramatic.

As for the reality dad, he 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.

Credited Source: E Online

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And now TLC is striking back! Here is there official statement!

“Sources on both sides tell us Jon Gosselin has been asking for his exit papers from the show for several months. Production sources say they were willing to continue giving Jon a full paycheck and not put him on the show, but there was one string attached — that he couldn’t do any other show without the permission of TLC. BTW, that’s a standard condition in TV-land.
Production sources say Jon’s lawyer was demanding that TLC let Jon do any show he wanted but TLC wouldn’t budge. Production sources say Jon’s lawyer then threatened to shut down production by claiming the show wasn’t good for the kids, and that’s just what happened.
But sources connected with Jon tell us Jon had been complaining for months about his kids being on the show and that the kids themselves were complaining. These sources say Jon was blindsided when TLC released a statement that the show would be called “Kate Plus 8″ and that the result would be that the kids would have to be on camera a lot more.”