Jon and Kate Gosselins's feud over their son, Collin, explained: What all 3 have said

It’s been 16 years since Jon and Kate Gosselin first introduced TLC viewers to their hectic home life in the hit reality series “Jon & Kate Plus 8” in 2007.

Following 10 years of marriage and eight kids, the couple divorced and the show was rebranded as “Kate Plus 8,” running from 2015 to 2017.

The family is back in the spotlight now following several explosive accusations from Collin Gosselin, one of the former couple’s sextuplets, and his sister Hannah Gosselin. Both Hannah and Collin Gosselin live with their father, Jon Gosselin.

Below, find the latest happenings synthesized.

Who are Kate and Jon Gosselin?

Kate and Jon Gosselin were married from 1999 to 2009, per Kate Gosselin‘s book “Multiple Blessings,” and have eight children.

The couple’s twin girls, Cara Nicole and Madelyn “Mady” Kate, were born in 2000. Their sextuplets — Joel, Collin, Aaden, Alexis, Hannah and Leah — were born in 2004.

In 2007, TLC premiered a reality series called “Jon & Kate Plus 8” that followed the family’s lifestyle.

Following the couple’s contentious divorce in 2009, Kate Gosselin was granted full custody of her children.

In 2018, Jon Gosselin was awarded sole custody of Collin Gosselin, then 14, after he returned from a program for children with special needs. Hannah Gosselin also lived with her father, he confirmed to reporters at a panel for WE tv’s Real Love: Relationship Reality TV’s Past, per People.

As of 2023, Jon Gosselin says he is estranged from six of his eight children.

Why are Kate and Collin Gosselin estranged?

In 2016, Kate Gosselin revealed that she had sent her son to a residential program for kids with special needs. In an interview with People, she said it was “helping him learn the skills he needs to be the best him he can be.”

Kate Gosselin did not specify Collin’s diagnosis, saying, “(There’s) a fairly fluid diagnosis of what those needs are, but he needs to learn certain strategies to help him deal with things. This has been a struggle we’ve had for a very long time, and it’s one I’ve dealt with on my own. I’ve felt very alone in this. By the same token, it’s not something that has only impacted me or him — our entire family has been impacted.”

While appearing on the “Dr. Oz Show” in 2019, Jon Gosselin criticized his ex-wife for sending their son away to the program.

“Kate institutionalized him without a diagnosis and then created a diagnosis,” he alleged at the time. “He did not need to be in an institution. Just because he was a difficult child did not mean he needed to be sent away against my will, against my rights. I did not know where he went. It took me two and a half years to find him. It took me another year to get him out.”

In a 2022 interview with ET, Collin Gosselin opened up about the negative effects he said this experience had on his relationship with his mother.

“After being there, I didn’t have a relationship with her,” he said at the time.

Collin Gosselin said it’s “unfortunate” that he’s not close to his mother but said his experience with Kate Gosselin was “worse than what you would say the average kid goes through with their parent.”

Collin and Hannah Gosselin shared their experiences with their mother in a recent interview

In July 2023, Collin and Hannah Gosselin shared new details about their fractured relationship with their mother Kate Gosselin while appearing in VICE TV’s series “Dark Side of the 2000s.”

Looking back on their reality TV experience, Hannah Gosselin said her brother Collin was treated differently than his siblings.

“He would be separated from us,” she said. “Like, he would not get to come and play outside with us. He would eat dinner at different times than us.”

Hannah Gosselin continued her reflections, saying, “I don’t think effort was made in the home to help him learn what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not acceptable.”

Collin Gosselin then elaborated on the situation in the VICE series.

“I’m not going to say I was a perfect child. But I’d say my misbehaving was no different from my siblings’,” he said.

The teen then said he understands that this mother was undergoing a divorce and working hard to take care of eight children.

“And, you know, I want to think that she needed someone to take out her anger and frustration on, and it was just kind of me. I was in the way and I was there. So she chose me,” he said.

Filming a reality TV wasn’t easy for Collin Gosselin, who said in the VICE series that the cameras were around constantly. Sometimes, he would choose not to cooperate with producers if he didn’t feel like filming that day.

“I was quiet. I would just be there and be completely silent in interviews and not interact or do what I had to do,” he said.

Collin Gosselin says being in an institution 'took a toll' on him

In his VICE TV interview, Collin Gosselin said that being sent away from his family negatively affected him.

“Being in an institution really took a toll on me mentally,” he said. “It was a really dark place. You know, all I had was myself. I didn’t have anybody else. You know, I had no support system. I was confused. I was lost.” TODAY.com has reached out to Fairmount Behavioral Health Institute, where Collin Gosselin was institutionalized.

Hannah Gosselin also alleged that she did not see or talk to her brother for years while he was away. “We didn’t even know where he was,” she said.

Kate Gosselin addressed her son's claims

Following Collin Gosselin's statements featured in “Dark Side of the 2000s,” Kate Gosselin took to Instagram to respond to his claims.

Kate Gosselin said her son has received “multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years."

"For the safety of myself, his brothers and sisters and for his own well-being, he was placed in a facility following years of outpatient treatment which proved insufficient for his needs,” she wrote.

“The decision to admit him was made by emergency room doctors following one of his many attacks/outbursts — this one involving his use of a weapon. Fast forward to the present day, and following Jon’s removal of Collin from treatment, my son’s unpredictable and violent behavior has sadly continued regularly towards Jon, Hannah and others around him,” she continued.

The mother of eight wrote that her son has a "distorted perception of reality" and emphasized that she worked with a pediatric psychiatrist and a team of specialists to take action when he was younger.

“Unfortunately, I believe Collin remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help,” she wrote. “His brothers and sisters and I have not been directly involved in his life due to his history of unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies towards us."

Mady Gosselin said that she experienced 'trauma' due to her brother's behavior

Collin and Hannah Gosselin's older sister, Mady Gosselin, responded to her estranged siblings' comments about their mother in July 2023. In an Instagram story post, the former reality star discussed her family's very public drama.

“I’m not the authority on what trauma others have experienced, but I am the authority on what I have experienced (and I’ve reluctantly shared that with you today),” she wrote. “To those of you saying my brother was a child who experienced trauma and so I must swiftly forgive and forget, please remember that I was a child too. I have empathy for him and what he’s been through, but that doesn’t erase the trauma I’ve suffered at his hands."

Jon Gosselin's ex-girlfriend has spoken out in support of Collin Gosselin

In response to Kate Gosselin's comments, Jon Gosselin’s ex-girlfriend Colleen Conrad posted a lengthy message of support for Collin Gosselin on Instagram.

"I recently learned of derogatory statements made about Collin Gosselin and felt compelled to defend him. These statements were made by family members who have been estranged from his life since he was 12. Collin is not only someone I love dearly but has also been a significant figure in my family’s life. He is currently at boot camp for the Marines and he’s unable to defend himself," she captioned the post.

Conrad explained that Collin Gosselin lived with her until he turned 18 and was always "kind and respectful."

"He never talked back to me. He was never violent and is far from being considered dangerous. He is there for me when I need him, even bringing me white roses every time he visits," she wrote.

Conrad applauded the teenager for overcoming "more challenges than any one person should ever have to endure."

"He sought private psychiatric evaluations as an adult that disproved all the previous diagnoses. It was his determination that led him to the Marines, where he’s now fulfilling his dream. He wouldn’t be there if he hadn’t proved those diagnoses wrong," she wrote.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com