The eight children of Jon and Kate Gosselin, of TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8, are already subjected to absentee parenting and severed family relationships, and the situation could worsen if the couple decides to split, relatives tell RadarOnline.com in an exclusive new interview.
Kate Gosselin's brother, Kevin Krieder, and his wife Jodi, were featured on the reality show until a falling-out caused a rift that has yet to be patched up. Now, they have broken their silence in response to recent reports that Jon and Kate's marriage is all but over.
"It's a very sad situation," Jodi said. "This is going to affect these children terribly, if she goes for a divorce. I think right now Kate is very lost and very blinded by her actions and what she is doing -- she is not being a mother that is nurturing and hands-on."
Kevin Krieder, said that his sister's June Cleaver-esque onscreen persona, showing her cooking and cleaning for the eight children is just a show for the cameras. Krieder and Jodi said that the couple's reported problems could have a terrible impact on the young children, though, out of respect for the kids, they declined to specifically mention issues they claim to have witnessed in the past.
The couple's twins, age 8, might have an inkling of the changes going on, but their 5-year-old sextuplets have no idea, according to Kevin.
The Krieders said that their time on the show came to an end after TLC officials told them they were working on getting them a contract for an undisclosed amount.
The couple said, when Kate found out, she was furious about the development and put the kibosh on it with TLC officials.
Kevin said, in retrospect, he feels he and his wife were used as a vehicle to get Kate's agenda across, and discarded once their goals were out of sync with hers.
"If they're wanting to pay us, great," Kevin said. "I just can't believe my sister would stop this ... it wasn't about money, just control."