In a stunning announcement, TLC announced Tuesday morning that as of November 2nd, Jon Gosselin would no longer appear on the popular reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8.

The program will undergo a name change, to simply Kate Plus 8.

The series first debuted on April 16, 2007, and experienced a ratings spike once the Gosselin marriage became troubled earlier this year. This past season the couple announced they would divorce.

The fifth season premiere attracted a record 9.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched show of that evening including those on broadcast TV.

But after a six-week hiatus from new episodes, only 4.2 million viewers tuned in to see Jon & Kate on Aug. 3, and only 1.7 million reportedly watched last Monday.

Kate Gosslin recently completed a stint as a guest host of The View, sitting in for Elisabeth Hasselbeck during her maternity leave.

Gosselin has also reportedly taped a pilot for a talk show costarring Food Network star Paula Deen.

Not surprisingly, Jon has become desperate and is now seeking to save his marriage. PopEater is reporting,

Jon Gosselin is trying to slow down — if not halt altogether — his divorce from Kate Gosselin, telling In Touch Weekly exclusively:

“I regret my conduct since Kate and I separated … I used poor judgment in publicly socializing with other women so soon.” He’s filed paperwork looking to stall the divorce for 90 days “to regain control over the future of our family.” (read more at PopEater)

The poor thing. He’s going to be broke and alone.

source: So long, Jon Gosselin! TLC announces ‘Jon & Kate Plus 8′ will be relaunched as ‘Kate Plus 8′ [NY Daily News]