Kate Gosselin 'separated' son Collin from other siblings, his sister claims: Here's where the fractured family stands
Hannah and Collin, two of Kate and Jon's sextuplets, make troubling allegations in upcoming doc.
Kate Gosselin's strained relationship with two of her children, Hannah and Collin Gosselin, is explored in a new documentary — and they make some heartbreaking claims about the reality-TV matriarch.
The Gosselin family launched to fame in 2007 on TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8. When the parents went through their rocky divorce in 2009, it sent a ripple effect through the family. In a preview for Vice TV's Dark Side of the 2000s, Hannah alleges that Collin "would be separated" from his siblings, presumably after Jon moved out. (Kate and Jon Gosselin share 19-year-old sextuplets Aaden, Joel, Leah, Alexis, Collin and Hannah. They are also parents to 22-year-old twin daughters Cara and Madelyn.)
"[Collin] would not get to come outside and play with us," Hannah continued in the clip. "He would eat dinner at different times than us."
Collin stated, "I'm not going to say I was a perfect child, but I'd say my misbehaving was no different from my siblings."
Hannah exclaimed she doesn't "think effort was made in the home to help him learn what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not acceptable."
"I know my mother was going through a lot of things. I mean a divorce and plenty of different things that can't be easy to go through. 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," Collin added. "I was in the way and I was there. So, she chose me."
A rep for Kate did not respond to Yahoo Entertainment's request for comment.
Collin Gosselin shares his experience on the reality TV show "Jon & Kate Plus 8," growing up in the spotlight and his estranged mother.
More on the season premiere of Dark Side of the 2000's airing July 18, 9P on VICE TV. pic.twitter.com/riCUNN3Hom— VICE TV (@VICETV) July 7, 2023
The rift within the Gosselin family is nothing new. Jon has publicly accused Kate of mentally and physically abusing Collin. Here is a look back at the turbulent family relations over the years.
Kate sent Collin away to a facility
Collin was institutionalized at age 12 as his mother enrolled him in a program to address his "special needs." In June 2017, a letter was leaked to The Daily Mail in which the teenage boy begged his father for help.
"I'm counting on you to get me out of here. Daddy, I love you. Save me. Please come FAST. I love you. Help me. BYE," it read, in part.
In 2018, Jon was awarded sole legal and physical custody of Collin — neither Kate nor her lawyer showed up to court — so Collin moved in with Jon.
Collin does not have a relationship with Kate
In a November interview with Entertainment Tonight, Collin confirmed he's estranged from his mother.
"After being [institutionalized], I didn't have a relationship with her," he explained. "Even before then, I don't think we had much of a relationship and I think that just kept tearing it even more down so."
Collin said he "was in a dark place mentally" as he spent time at two places: "I think being in a place like that does more damage than it helps you."
Collin also blamed their hit TLC show (which eventually turned into Kate Plus 8 after the couple's nasty divorce) for family dynamics.
"I want to believe it was because of TV and what being in the public eye does to a family," he told ET. "I think it tore us apart and it gave us less time to actually be together as a family, but more time to be in the public eye."
Hannah moved in with Jon in 2018
Last year, Hannah opened up about the "difficult decision" to leave her siblings and live with her father and Collin.
"I chose to live with my dad, I feel like I just made the choice for myself. I have always been closer with my dad and we've always had a strong good relationship," Hannah told ET. "It's a lot, growing up in a very busy household with lots of kids. And there's not really a one-on-one relationship, for attention, that you have with your parent. I felt like my dad gave me that attention and a feeling like I had a good solid relationship with a parent."
Similar to her claims in the forthcoming documentary, Hannah alleged "there was unfair treatment in my mom's house and I just wanted to live with my dad."
Kate and Hannah recently reconnected
Jon revealed to The Sun that Hannah "spoke with her siblings and her mother" on her 19th birthday on May 10.
"It was nice," Jon shared, praising Hannah and Collin who've "matured a great deal in the last few years."
Jon is estranged from his other children
During the same interview two months ago, Jon told The Sun he "didn't speak" to the other sextuplets on their birthday.
"The last time I spoke to Alexis, Aaden, Leah and Joel was in 2018," he shared. "I will never give up trying to talk to my children. I'm hoping with social media that maybe they might reach out to me at some point."
Jon added, "The door is always open to rekindle any kind of relationship. I've tried for years for any interaction with any of my other kids, but nothing yet."
The Gosselin episode of Dark Side of the 2000s airs July 18 on Vice TV.