Jon Gosselin, TLC Call a Truce: Is He Coming Back to TV?

Reality dad and former network home reach settlement to end dueling lawsuits

Jon Gosselin and TLC shared a little, well, TLC today, announcing an amicable end to what had been acrimonious dueling lawsuits.

And by the sound of it, the deal not only will allow Kate Gosselin to resume her reality antics with an in-the-works spinoff show, but it seems to pave the way for the octodad also to make a return to TV.

"Jon has expressed his desire to close the litigation chapter of Jon & Kate Plus 8...He's hoping that TLC will move forward with the best interest of the Gosselin family," Jon's attorney, Mark Heller, said.

"Sometimes litigants kiss and make-up, finding their relationship is much better the second time around. As Jon's attorney, I truly hope that this new adventure for TLC and the Gosselins is a much more joyful journey."

The network also confirmed the confidential settlement, stressing "the whole Gosselin family remain under contract with TLC."

As the TV show fell apart, TLC launced the first salvo in October, suing the Jon & Kate Plus 8 patriarch for misrepresentation of the facts and breach of contract after he accepted paying gigs from the likes of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider and made several unauthorized disclosures about behind-the-scenes behavior on the Jon & Kate set.

He fired back with a $5 million countersuit in November, accuing the cable net of violating child labor laws during filming of his brood and forcing him to sign a  "one-sided contract" that kept him from capitalizing on his fame. Finally, he claimed TLC still owed him at least $175,000 from the show.

Things grew nasty, as TLC deposed several of Gosselin's former inner circle, including flings Kate Major and Hailey Glassman, and one-time potential partner Michael Lohan. Jon's stonewalling, meanwhile, kept the network from filming his children for Kate's new reality excursion.

Had the two sides failed to reach a resolution via mediation, the case was scheduled to go to a jury trial in April. But last week, Team Gosselin signaled that they were willing to make a deal and had softened their stance.

Heller tells E! News that another show is under consideration but nothing is official: "I assume that time is money and TLC likes to enjoy the profits of good programming, so I assume that they won't wait too long to make some decisions.

"We'll just have to wait to see what unfolds."

(Originally published Feb. 17, 2010, at 10:15 a.m PT)