Jon Gosselin, the former star of Jon & Kate Plus 8, has found love again more than 10 years after he divorced the mother of his eight children, Kate Gosselin. After dating a few women since his failed marriage to his costar, the television personality is now ready to settle down. But who is Gosselin’s fiancée Stephanie Lebo and how did the two meet?
How Gosselin and Lebo met
Don’t even assume that Gosselin, 47, jumped the gun with this one. He and Lebo started seeing each other three years ago, with the former TV star telling The Sun in August 2023 that they met for the first time in 2021 while at a “hillbilly” barbecue hosted by their mutual friends.
“We met at a backyard barbecue at a mutual friend Dean’s house. It was a hillbilly thing we let fireworks off, it was fun,” said Gosselin, who impressed Lebo right away.
“It was a graduation party and birthday party for our mutual friend’s nephew’s birthday, but he knew it was my birthday too so he got me a special lotus candle so when it spun around it opened up,” revealed Lebo, who was also present during her then-boyfriend’s interview with the outlet.
After that, the two started DM-ing, and they “just never stopped talking,” according to Lebo. Before they realized it, they were already serious about dating each other.
Lebo’s life before and after meeting Gosselin
Before dating the reality star-turned-DJ, the 37-year-old struggled to find a career that would work for her. Based on her Instagram profile, she started as a beautician. However, after spending some years directly providing cosmetic services to clients, she ventured into research and analytics. She now works as a research analyst for the Dutch multinational corporation AkzoNobel.
Like Gosselin, Lebo was already a parent before they met. She is a proud mom to her 14-year-old daughter, Giulianna. All of Gosselin’s children with his ex-wife — twins Mady and Cara are 24 while sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah, and Joel are 20 — are now adults, so he is reportedly doting on his partner’s daughter, even referring to her as his “ninth child” on multiple occasions, as per ComingSoon.
Since getting together with Gosselin, Lebo has been proudly sharing their romantic moments on her Instagram, a stark contrast to how she would fill up her feed with travel photos and selfies in the years before meeting him.
The couple’s proposal and wedding plans
Seven months since Gosselin told E! News that he considers Lebo his “best friend” because he can “confide in her with everything,” he popped the question and she said yes on Nov. 23. The DJ reportedly staged a “private and sweet proposal” at Lebo’s favorite restaurant, Willoughby’s on Park in Wyomissing, Pa., according to Entertainment Tonight.
Gosselin spent months preparing for the romantic moment, telling celebrity publicist Domenick Nati in July that he was thinking of proposing around Thanksgiving, and he lived up to what he said. He made sure to get down on one knee in front of his soon-to-be bride’s parents, making their engagement even more special.
Shortly after their engagement, Lebo showed off her new sparkler by sharing a snap of her kissing Gosselin while flashing her ring to the camera. She also included a close-up shot of her engagement band in another photo. “Of course I said yes,” she wrote in the caption.
Gosselin and Lebo’s engagement marks a new beginning not just for the couple but for the reality star once defined by his family issues and falling out with some of his children. Now, he’s ready to embrace his happily ever after. The pair reportedly wants to have an intimate wedding ceremony before planning a big reception, hopefully with all of his kids.
Published: Nov 30, 2024 04:55 pm