Jon Gosselin is engaged to longtime girlfriend Stephanie Lebo. The couple shared the exciting news on Thursday, November 28, five days after Jon popped the question with an emerald cut engagement ring.
The former Jon and Kate Plus 8 star, 47, proposed at Willoughby’s on Park in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, they told Entertainment Tonight. He asked Stephanie to marry him after they shared a private dinner at their favorite restaurant. Afterward, they were joined by family and close friends to celebrate the exciting occasion.
After the proposal, Stephanie’s father whispered in her ear, “You don’t know how long I waited for this day for you, and there was a time where I thought it was never going to happen for you. I’m so very happy for you and Jon. My best advice is never stop being in love. Love comes first.”
ET shared photos of Stephanie’s stunning new bling, which featured a giant emerald diamond on a gold band. Afterward, Stephanie shared photos of the ring on Instagram and captioned her post, “Of course I said yes.”
Jon, who was previously married to Kate Gosselin, the mother of his eight children, started dating Stephanie in 2021, but they kept their relationship a secret for two years before going public in August 2023.
In July, he teased plans to propose to Stephanie. When asked if he was going to propose and if his girlfriend would have a ring by Christmas, he responded, “Yes and yes.”
“I think we’ll just have a very intimate wedding and then a big home reception or something like that,” he teased, adding that Stephanie would be taking the reigns on wedding plans since she hasn’t ever been married before and he has.
Jon is estranged from six of his kids — he has a relationship with Collin Gosselin and Hannah Gosselin — but said he’s willing to extend and invite to the children he no longer speaks to. “I don’t see why they wouldn’t get an invite,” he admitted. “Whether they come or not, that’s going to be up to them since they’re adults now and they can make their own adult decisions.”
In the same interview, Jon revealed that Stephanie has spoken to Kate and his other kids. “Just, like, through FaceTime and Hannah’s phone and stuff,” he shared. “Everything seems copacetic.”
However, he added, “My other kids haven’t talked to me, though, Maybe it’s just easier to talk with someone who is with me but not me. I feel like I’m a pretty open person since I do eight million interviews and people always ask me stuff, but I just feel that maybe under the scrutiny of everything that transpired, that it might just be easier for them to talk to a third party individual that’s totally integrated into my life.”
