Kate Gosselin's New ‘Kate Plus 8’ Salary Revealed, TLC Star Making Over $40K Per Episode: Report

Kate Gosselin is rumored be getting a hefty raise when her reality-TV series “Kate Plus 8” returns to TLC airwaves this December. Following the success of the series’ two-part special which premiered on the network in June, Gosselin is now said to be making more than a whopping $40K per episode Radar Online is reporting.

Gosselin’s new per episode income, similar to the salary of other big television stars such as Taylor Schilling of “Orange is the New Black” ($35K) and Katharine McPhee of “Scorpion” (40K), has almost doubled from the $22,500 per 30-minute episode salary the family, including her ex Jon Gosselin, made during the heyday of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” in 2009.

“Kate couldn’t turn it down. She loves doing TV,” an insider said of Gosselin’s request from the network to bring back her controversial series which follows her eight children, 13-year-old twins Mady and Cara, and 10-year-old sextuplets Aaden, Collin, Leah, Joel, Alexis and Hannah.

While Gosselin, 39, hasn’t been shy about her desire to remain in the spotlight, insiders claim the mom of eight ultimately agreed to return to television because she is allegedly strapped for cash. “It’s basically her only source of income,” a source said of the series. “The twins will be going off to college in five years and then she has six more to put through so she desperately needs these TLC specials… Tuition is expensive and Kate is a single mother. She needs an income.”

“[We have] been very careful these days,” Gosselin told People Magazine of her family’s money troubles last year.

While fans of the Gosselin family have already taken to the Web to praise the network for bringing the Pennsylvania brood back to airwaves, Radar Online’s insider it isn’t clear how long the program will last. “Right now they’re only locked in for one season … It’s not clear yet how many episodes there will be,” said a source.

Gosselin’s longtime bodyguard and rumored boyfriend, Steve Neild, will also reportedly return to the series. Sources say the reality-TV mom specifically requested Neild take on the role of her bodyguard while filming, a request which the gossip site claims producers were more than willing to oblige. “They know the controversy surrounding their relationship will only bring in more ratings,” said the report.

“Kate Plus 8” returned to TLC with two one-hour specials in June. The episodes, featuring the planning and the ultimate celebration of the sextuplet’s 10-year birthday party, raked in a over 2.1 million views according to TVByTheNumbers.com. New episodes of “Kate Plus 8” will reportedly follow the family on a vacation to New England.