Rumors of Kate Gosselin’s recent pay raise have her ex-husband and former co-star Jon Gosselin begging for a cut. Following reports that Kate and her brood of eight would be earning $40,000 per episode for the return of their reality series “Kate Plus 8,” Jon, who quit the family’s original series in 2009, is now trying to get a slice of the profits, Radar Online is reporting.

Jon, 36, who in recent years has jumped from waiting tables to IT work, is so desperate for a cut of Kate’s income, insiders say, he is considering blackmailing his former wife of 10 years into paying up. “[Jon] has no stable job, no steady income and now he’s trying to tell Kate that if she doesn’t give him a cut of the money, he will claim the kids hate filming and they are being forced to do it,” said an insider. Despite Jon’s alleged threats, a source close to Kate says she is unfazed by his demands. “He’s all bark and no bite,” said a source. “Kate has absolutely no intentions whatsoever of giving him any money.”

Jon spoke out about his children, 13-year-old twins Mady and Cara, and 10-year-old sextuplets, Aaden, Collin, Leah, Hannah, Joel and Alexis’ dislike for filming the series earlier this year. “I don’t think being on TV is good for kids. A lot of them do not want to film and they come to me and tell me that,” Jon told InTouch in January. He said Kate uses the children "as her props."

“It’s so unfair to them," he said. "I work really hard to keep my kids safe, and then she just goes and tweets about them all the time.”

Despite his sniping at the series, Jon is rumored to have waived his rights over his children’s television appearances in January in exchange for not having to pay child support. “He’s being so hypocritical acting like he only wants the best for his children by keeping them off TV, but really, he basically sold them,” a source told Radar Online of the deal.

“Kate Plus 8” returns to TLC in December. The unofficial third season will follow the family of nine on a vacation to New England and their preparations for the new school year.

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