Kate Gosselin is defending herself after two of her children, Collin Gosselin and Hannah Gosselin, claimed that Collin was treated unfairly by her and alienated from his siblings growing up. Although Collin, 19, admitted to having behavioral issues (which led him to be institutionalized as a pre-teen), he claimed his mother would routinely “take out her anger and her frustration” on him in an upcoming documentary titled Dark Side of the 2000s by ViceTV. Kate, 48, said she never wanted to speak out regarding her tumultuous relationship with Collin, but she told PEOPLE on Friday, July 21 that she felt she had “no other choice.” HollywoodLife‘s attempts to reach Collin for comment were unsuccessful, and we did not get an immediate response from a rep for Jon Gosselin.
“I have never wanted to have to do this, but I feel I have been backed into a corner and left with no choice. Although it saddens me to do so, I need to speak out now,” Kate began in her statement to PEOPLE regarding the drama. “My son Collin, whom I love with all my heart, has received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years,” she alleged. “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 also alleged that 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.”
Kate then said that Collin’s alleged “unpredictable and violent” behavior started up again as soon as Jon removed him from treatment, and claimed that Jon has experienced it. “Collin’s distorted perception of reality is one of the many issues that he has always struggled with. As many people who have family members grappling with mental health issues can attest, it is rarely and sadly surprising when complete fabrications occur, and this is just another heartbreaking facet of this fight,” Kate claimed. “All parent-child relationships are complex, but when mental illness is involved, it is incredibly complicated and painful, let alone easy for others on the outside to understand.”
The Kate Plus 8 star went on to claim that she raised Collin to the best she could as she followed “explicit recommendation[s] of his pediatric psychiatrist and/or his team of specialists.” She added that anything she did within their home when Collin was a child was to “safeguard” any person or animal living in or entering their household.”
Kate concluded, “Unfortunately, I believe Collin remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help. 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. What his sister Mady posted on social media recently is completely accurate and I deeply appreciate her bravery in doing so.” She signed off by confirming that she has nothing left to say on the matter.
Mady, Collin’s 22-year-old sister, took to social media to call Collin out after the remarks he made about his mother were released by ViceTV. “I never wanted to have to speak up about this in order to allow my brother the ability to live privately after the conclusion of our family’s TV show, but I’ve been overwhelmed by hate messages in the last few days and I feel I must set the record straight,” the college graduate began. “I do not owe my allegiance to any person(s) who has physically threatened me and every member of my immediate family (some incidents as recent as last year). Further, I will never allow someone who has exhibited hateful and even violent behavior toward others based on their racial identity, gender identity, or religious beliefs to be in my life.”
She went on to say that she and Collin are very different people and that she does not have room for him in her life. “Kindness, tolerance, love, and acceptance are core values in my life and I refuse to compromise them for ANYONE, even my brother Collin, who has unfortunately made his opinions very clear in private,” she firmly stated. She went on to confirm that she does not feel the need to have a relationship with anyone who is okay with “physical violence and hate speech.”
Collin has been estranged from his mother since his father, Jon, had him released from the Fairmount Behavioral Health facility outside Philadelphia in 2018. Collin went to live with his father, and Hannah followed shortly after. Collin remains estranged from his six other siblings as well. His other siblings include 22-year-old Cara and four other sextuplets, Aaden, Alexis, Joel, and Leah.
Jon has remained supportive of Collin and even hit back at Mady’s claims in a statement to PEOPLE. “It took courage for Collin to sit down and speak about his past. And the last thing I would have expected was more abuse to come his way from a sibling that hasn’t seen or spoken to him since he was in sixth grade,” the Jon & Kate Plus 8 alum said. “Collin has grown into a wonderful man. I love him and am proud and excited to see him grow into a young US Marine.”
As for Collin’s behavioral issues, there have been different things said by both his parents. In 2016, Kate said she sent him away because he has “special needs.” In 2019, Jon claimed Collin has been diagnosed with ADHD, but nothing further in an interview with the Daily Mail.