"Jon & Kate" Ratings Record: 9.8 Million For Season Five Premiere

The tabloid attention to Jon and Kate Gosselin's troubled marriage drove a record audience Monday night to the season five premiere of TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

Broadcasting & Cable's Alex Weprin reports that the show drew its best ratings ever, averaging 9.8 million total viewers and 4.3 million viewers in the Women 18-49 demographic, and beating everything else on television Monday night. Further, the premiere delivered the highest ratings in TLC history in three demos (Women 18-34, Men 18-34, and Persons 18-34).

Read a summary of the premiere episode here.

Kate's sister-in-law Julie had urged viewers not to watch the show Monday night, suggesting that TLC would be stringing along the Gosselins' marriage drama in an effort to boost ratings:

They will only show what they think people want to see and it isn't real anyway. They will probably drag this out (J&K's 'relationship') for the entire season. They just string the viewers along hoping that they will come back for more."

Comments

[fchongrutherford]

Consider me unshocked ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/21/jon-kate-sneak-peek-separ_n_206357.html?page=5&show_comment_id=24618311#comment_24618311

[RegularEinstein]

Thank you Jon & Kate: you've taught me how to lock out shows like yours off my cable box!!

[whinenot]

Ah the good life...Jon and Kate pimping the kids for money.

If Jon plays his cards right, he can get the producers to find a woman to have an affair with this season. Then Kate can 'walk in on the cheating Jon...through a hissy fit on air and fly off to Newark with her body guard...leaving Jon with the kids.
Now that's entertainment.

Look, TLC is in the business to make money. They love this stuff. Jon and Kate..using their kids....that is a different matter. The kids should be protected from these two pimps...ooops, I mean parents.

[JustMe133]

OK, I don't know who these people are and don't want to. Now can the media please stop plastering them all over the place and cover real news!!! This has gotten out of hand! No one cares about these people!!

[ruffmama]

who ARE these people and why should we care about their problems?

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

I agree. If people really like this family they would stop watching the show. These kids will have to live with their parents mistakes. I don't respect the parents for putting their family out there like this. Shame on them. Its time to get off the stage and go find a real job and stop feeling you are entitled because you had several children. You chose to do that. I don't feel sorry for any of them.

[trinidadgirl]

What exactly is the point of this show? Anyone?
Who needs to watch these two no personality,empty and shallow individuals, and their unruly children?.
Kate is so controlling and bosses around this man...and he is as weak as ever.
I feel sorry for him...and the children being exposed to this foolishness time and time again.
The mindless substanceless reality shows on the tv screen just exposes just how these execs/producers are lacking in creativity and .....dwell in mediocrity, at our expense!

[VeroucaSalt]

It seems that you are one of the viewers, yet you ask what the point of the show is.

Stop watching it if it doesn't have any substance.

[Grannysue]

If these people were truly worried about their marriage or children they would cancel the show and start focusing on their family, but of course the almight dollar is more important.

[JoeBlough]

Just wait 'till Octomom goes on the air. 20 million at least.

[whatthel]

And that's just her kids.

[souris]

............one can only hope that there is an entirely separate fund created for all the "8" who are going to need tons of psychotherapy to undue the trauma of what their mother, the dominating, emasculating, I-want-my-$100- hair cut, vacations, free surgery [tummy-tuck, dental, you name it free ride on the kid's ticket]] control freak to end all control freaks. If you have watched the "Kate Plus 9" [9 being her hapless "I-haven't -got-a -clue husband, Jon]. Pimping the kids was like winning the lottery. Love it when the phonies like Kate call in vitro a "miracle"...........they shun medical intervention except when it serves their cause. I always wondered how Kate and Jon ever thought they could/would provide for their "litter".........a computer tekkie, and a nurse.........the only thing that separates Kate and the Octo-mom is a better agent.
P.S. With Kate having severed Jon's "jewels" and kept them in her purse long ago, how in the world did he have the equipment to pursue an affair???
P.S. #2 Boycott watching this phony show......!!!

[souris]

......oops, should read "undo"......not undue..........sorry.............

[Sweetie4Obama]

I had never heard of them or the Duggars until people on Huffpo mentioned them during the Octomom's drama.

[ddb]

I think this whole thing is a fake to boost ratings and keep their show. After all, once the sextuplets hit 5, they're no longer all that interesting. And these people will have 8 kids to put through college. I think they are doing anything to keep this thing going.
(And if you saw the show, you know the "decision" is going to stretch through the whole season!)

[felixculpa]

Things never change. This is nothing but the 21st century version of the 5 cent g e e kshow.

[Giada]

I'm another one of those ... who hasn't seen it. Sad to say this last week it's been Kate and Farrah, no thanks.

[sisterdebmac]

Well, gee, I guess that'll just mean things will get even sleazier. I wouldn't watch this junk if you paid me, but it's unavoidable to note all the articles about these two geniuses. Guess they'll be in the public eye forever now. Ahem.

[Mattie]

How sad that so many people watch this trash. We'll never get good programing back as long as people keep tuning into this garbage. Now I know who is watching Dancing with the Stars.