Reality TV star Jon Gosselin is speaking out in support of his son Collin after the 22-year-old accused his mother Kate Gosselin of abuse.
The Gosselins famously had eight children (now 22-year-old sextuplets Aaden, Alexis, Collin, Hannah, Leah and Joel, and a set of 26-year-old twins, Mady and Cara), and their TLC reality show, Jon & Kate Plus 8, premiered in 2007.
Collin recently released his memoir, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood, and spoke about what he alleged took place behind the scenes of the popular reality TV show that he grew up on.
“First and foremost, I couldn’t be more proud of my son’s heartbreaking memoir and his mission to help other victims of abuse,” Jon told Us Weekly in a statement on Thursday.
Jon also appeared to respond to Kate’s recent comments on TikTok, where she spoke about Collin and mental illness.
“Also, let me be very clear: If you continue to falsely label my son Collin as ‘mentally ill,’ you will be held accountable,” he continued. “As you know, Collin has been evaluated by multiple independent psychiatrists, and that narrative is proven categorically untrue.”
“Repeating false claims about his mental health is damaging to his reputation, his credibility and his future,” Jon added. “Consider this fair warning: The days of using mental health to discredit and silence my son are over.”
On Oct. 10, Kate shared an update about her dog in a TikTok video, which was flooded with comments about Collin’s new book.
“Thank you so much. I know rational logical ppl or anyone who has dealt with mental illness understands what’s going on here,” Kate said in response.
During an appearance on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, Collin spoke more in detail about the abuse he alleged he experienced as a child.
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“When it was Jon & Kate Plus 8, even though it looked like America’s happiest, biggest family, behind the scenes it was not like that,” Collin said.
“My mom would be physically and verbally abusive to me,” Collin alleged.
When asked about some of the earliest memories he had, Collin said he began to face his mother’s “wrath” when he was eight-years-old.
“She had a room specifically built in the storage part of our unfinished basement that was cinder block walls and cement floors with a bolt lock on the outside of the door, where she would keep me” the In The Shadow Of Eight author continued. “She’s denied that previously, publicly, saying that she has never done any of that.”
Gosselin claimed that he has documentation where his mother admitted that she “does in fact have a room where she locks me in.”
Kate has previously denied her son’s allegations of abuse.
In a statement shared to Instagram in 2023, Kate wrote, “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.”
“All parent-child relationships are complex, but when mental illness is involved, it is incredibly complicated and painful, and certainly not easy for others on the outside to understand,” the Kate + Date star added.
“All measures that were taken in our home were at the explicit recommendation of his pediatric psychiatrist and/or his team of specialists and were put into place to safeguard every member of our family, our friends as well as our family pets,” she wrote.
“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,” the post concluded.
Collin has been estranged from his mother since 2016.
His father Jon was awarded sole legal and physical custody of Collin in December 2018.
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