We have previously written that the economic recession has had a substantial impact on child support in nearly every state, including here in Florida. Layoffs and a lack of employment opportunities have left many child support obligors unable to make court-ordered payments.

It is a problem that is not just limited to average Americans. In fact, some celebrities are feeling the pinch as well. For evidence of this, we need only to look to one former reality TV star who became famous for the size of his family.

Many Florida residents know the name Jon Gosselin, or are at least familiar with the TV show "Jon & Kate Plus 8." After five seasons of raising twin girls and a set of sextuplets together in front of the camera, the couple went through a very contentious and highly publicized divorce in 2009.

Kate went on to continue a version of the show by herself, but things have reportedly not gone as smoothly for Jon. According to recent news interviews, the 35-year-old's finances are so severely depleted that he allegedly must choose between paying rent and paying child support.

Gosselin added: I need to support my kids, but I could lose my house, and I need my home to continue to have custody. I decided to take the high road and quit reality television and now look, I'm going to end up in jail because I can't afford to pay child support to Kate, who has plenty of money."

Supporting eight young children at once would be financially challenging even in cases where the two parents were still married and each had their own source of income. It is hard to fathom the costs of paying child support for eight kids or the expenses of raising them as a single parent.

Although reality television often has little to do with reality, this may be one case where the average divorced parent can relate.

Source: RadarOnline.com, "Jon Gosselin Hits Rock Bottom, 'I Can't Afford To Pay My Rent!'" Aug. 1, 2012