Jon Gosselin Goes Public With His Girlfriend of Two Years

Jon Gosselin has officially gone public with his girlfriend of two years, Stephanie Lebo. The 46-year-old father of eight went public in an interview with The Sun, revealing that he met the 35-year-old through their mutual friend, Dean, at a backyard barbecue. “It was a hillbilly thing,” Jon told the outlet. “We let fireworks off. It was fun. I had been single for a few months after Colleen [Conrad] and I broke up.”

“Jon and Stephanie have been quietly dating for almost two years. Jon wanted nothing more than to respect Stephanie’s privacy,” the former reality star’s rep told ET, in a separate conversation. “They are very much in love and have been dating for almost two years. Stephanie adores Hannah and Collin and they have already been on numerous family trips together.”

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Speaking to The Sun, Lebo revealed that she and Gosselin started messaging after the party, and “never stopped talking.” They eventually met up for their first official date, but not before Gosselin talked it over with their mutual friend. “I called Dean because he is like Steph’s brother and I said, ‘Did you ever hook up with Stephanie?’ and he said, ‘No, man, she’s like my sister,’” Gosselin recalled, “and then I called Stephanie and asked her the same. She said, ‘No way he’s like my brother.’”

Gosselin continued, “So I called Dean back and said, ‘Do you mind if I ask Steph out?’ And he said, ‘No, I don’t mind, but if you hurt her, I’ll kill you. I’ll snap you in half.’ And he’s a big guy.”

Regarding Gosselin’s reality TV past, Lebo confessed, “I did know who he was when I first met him, although I haven’t watched the show as faithfully as some others have, but I knew who he was and I had seen him DJing before.” She added, “So I knew about his past and everything, although I was never Team Jon or Team Kate because I just didn’t know enough or watch the show that much.”

Gosselin then added that he’s been happy to settle into a relationship that is not as rocky as the one he shared with his ex-wife, Kate, with whom he shares eight children. “I never thought relationships were easy,” he said. “I always thought my relationships were going to be a struggle and people would always have a chip on their shoulder where they’d say, ‘Screw you, you’re famous and I don’t have anything and I’ve had to give up this or that.’ But this time, it’s not like that at all. It’s easy.”