Jon Gosselin posed for a selfie with his brother, Tom on Saturday night to celebrate Tom’s 50th birthday. The rare look into Gosselin’s family life delighted fans, who sent their own well-wishes to the smiling brothers. Gosselin’s children were missing from the late-night photo.
“Happy 50th bday to my brother Tom!!!” Gosselin wrote, adding: “I know we don’t age, hahaha.”
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Fans agreed with that latter sentiment. In the comments, they marveled at how similar the two brothers looked and how young. Some questioned whether Tom could really be as old as 50.
“He looks 40!” one person wrote.
“Happy Birthday Tom! Wow sure don’t look 50! Are you sure? Have a great one,” added another.
“Is Tom single??” asked a third person, boldly, with an upside down smiley face emoji.
Tom himself posted a small collage, showing what appeared to be a surprise birthday party. This included a “happy birthday” banner adorned with soccer balls, balloons spelling “50,” and a selfie with a smiling woman on a twilit patio. In the caption, Tom revealed that his brother had helped organize the party.
“Yep. Totally surprised,” he wrote. “Dena, Mark, mom, Jon, Jordan et al pulled it off. I feel so blessed and loved. This old guy is not worthy. Saw so many people who mean so much.”
“Dena thank you for everything,” he went on. “You have made me feel so special. Not just today, but everyday. So much more to do. Bring on the next 50!!!! Much love to everyone.”
Gosselin and his family are a tight-knit group centering around suburban Pennsylvania. Tom is one of his two brothers, the other being Mark. Gosselin is the middle child, and famously added eight members to the family during his marriage to Kate Gosselin.
Jon and Kate Gosselin first got together in 1997. They married in 1999, and the following year they welcomed twin daughters, Cara and Madelyn. With some trepidation, Jon agreed to try for a third child. This time, instead of twins, they had sextuplets. Kate was miraculously able to deliver all six children, despite the fact that they were 10 weeks premature.
The Gosselins went on to have a booming reality TV career. It started out relatively clinical with the Discovery Health special Surviving Sextuplets and Twins in September of 2005. There was a follow-up special to check in on the family, and eventually, Discovery Health opted to pick up a regular series. Before long, they moved to TLC with Jon and Kate Plus 8.
Unfortunately, the Gosselins had a heated divorce in 2009. The separation shocked fans, who had grown attached to this massive family. In recent years, the Gosselins appear in headlines often thanks to their custody battles and contentious relationship. Starting in 2018, the former couple communicates exclusively through their attorneys.