After years of reality TV fame, Kate Gosselin has returned to the career she had before she stepped in front of the cameras.
The Pennsylvania native worked as a labor and delivery nurse when her family’s Discovery Health/TLC series, Jon & Kate Plus 8, first aired in 2007. However, she ultimately left the nursing field to be a stay-at-home mom to the eight children she shares with ex-husband Jon Gosselin: twins Mady and Cara and sextuplets Collin, Hannah, Joel, Aaden, Alexis and Leah, as seen on the show. (Jon & Kate Plus 8 became known as Kate Plus 8 following the eponymous couple’s divorce in 2009.)
During her time on Kate Plus 8, Kate was also a contestant on Dancing With the Stars in 2010. Her family also appeared in a 2013 episode of Celebrity Wife Swap. Additionally, two years after Kate Plus 8 came to an end in 2017, Kate starred in a dating show spinoff called Kate Plus Date. It aired for one season on TLC in 2019.
In 2021, Kate, Alexis, Aaden, Leah, and Joel moved to Troutman, North Carolina, where she obtained her multi-state, registered nurse license. Though the license expired in 2023, Kate revealed in August 2025 that she had once again returned to nursing after another brief reality TV stint.
Kate Gosselin Confirms She Joined TikTok: ‘This Is Actually My Account’
Below, Us Weekly breaks down everything we know about Kate’s job:
What Is Kate Gosselin’s Job?
Kate shared more about her current job via a TikTok video in August 2025, revealing that she works as a pediatric home health nurse.
“I’m working with one family right now. I used to work with two, but I couldn’t balance the schedule. I work part-time to full-time with them, I go in there, I do all the medical care, obviously, as well as bathing, feeding, dressing, all the things. We play and have a lot of fun. It’s actually a lot of fun.”
In another video, Kate addressed whether her patient’s family recognizes her from her reality TV days.
“The patients already know my name and some things about me, so before I come into their home, they know who I am, and I imagine they already know it’s me,” she said. “They’ve been very lovely and very happy to have me and asked me advice, in fact, on their older kids that are teenagers. So it’s been actually a really rewarding and fun job.”
Kate renewed her nursing license in 2025 after she briefly returned to reality TV in 2023, appearing on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. She was eliminated in the first episode due to an injury.
How Much Is a Salary for a Pediatric Home Health Nurse?
The average salary for a pediatric home health nurse in North Carolina is $69,385 per year, according to ZipRecruiter.
Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin’s Family Album With 8 Kids Through the Years: Photos
Why Kate Gosselin Works 12-Hour Shifts
In another TikTok video, Kate candidly explained why she had been working 12-hour shifts, revealing via the comments section that “reality TV doesn’t pay as well as it should when you have to provide for 8 kids on your own.”
“Honestly? Providing for 8 kids, college funds which I am proud to say covered all of their college and more and LAWYERS,” she wrote. “Sickening but I was drug [sic] into court constantly and that costs A TON. Sad bc my kids could have a lot more saved and I could have a retirement saved if it weren’t for lawyers :(. It’s okay. I’m helping other families and I feel needed and I enjoy helping.”
