With his 14-year-old son Collin now in his custody, Jon Gosselin is denying past claims made by his ex-wife Kate regarding Collin’s health and the reason he was sent to live in a facility.
When asked by a fan on Instagram if Collin actually has “special needs” (as Kate has always maintained) the former Jon & Kate Plus 8 star stated that his son did not.
“He is not on any spectrum or special needs,” Jon responded to the fan’s comment. (Us Weekly was the first outlet to report the comment exchange.)
While Jon’s response doesn’t conflict with any comments he’s made about Collin in the past, it does dispel the story the Kate has always given when asked about Collin’s placement into the treatment facility.
“Collin has special needs,” she told People in 2016. “[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.”
That same year, Kate defended sending Collin away on an episode of ABC’s Nightline, during which she said the move was done on the advice of Collin’s doctors and that it “had to happen.”
“He’s plodding along and we are too,” she said. “This is the best thing I can do for him right now and that comforts me.”
Kate also stated in the past that Collin was in the facility for behavioral issues.
As The Ashley previously reported, Jon was awarded sole custody of Collin this month during a hearing at which Kate was a no-show. Jon had filed for custody earlier in the fall, claiming that he felt Collin would be better off with him than with Kate.
In addition to Collin, Jon and Kate’s daughter Hannah also resides with her father full-time, though remaining sextuplets Alexis, Leah, Joel and Aaden continue to live with their mother, along with the couple’s 18-year-old twins, Mady and Cara.
On Christmas Day, Jon posted a photo of himself with Hannah and Collin, as well as his girlfriend Colleen Conrad and her children. Fans commented on how healthy and happy Collin looked in the photo.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br1Erl6Du6s/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
While attending a red carpet event earlier this month, Jon revealed that things between he and Kate remain combative and also that his other children no longer speak to him.
“The other four [sextuplets] aren’t talking to me, but they’re talking to Hannah,” he said. “It’s what the kids want to do. If they don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine, as long as they keep up with their sibling connections.”
Kate has not responded publicly to Jon’s comment about Collin’s lack of special needs. She has been relatively silent on social media in the last few months.
RELATED STORY: Jon Gosselin Says Six of His Kids No Longer Speak to Him But He’s Thrilled to Have Sole Custody of Son Collin
(Photos: Instagram, TLC)
26 Responses
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hell yea, remember that interview where the twins pretty much shut down.. you could see how livid kate was in her face and her body language… i think those kids are afraid of her. she’s a manipulator. that’s how she got the sextuplets in the first place.
good for jon for sticking up for his son.
does It really matter? As long as he’s happy, healthy, and thriving then a label shouldn’t be John’s concern to announce to the world. Just go be a parent, and leave the public declarations regarding your children out of it!
Your right but Hannah isn’t one of the twins. She is a sextuplet.
Why doesn’t John just shut the hell up and parent the 2 kids that he has. It’s real easy for him now to come in and act like the savior now that they’re almost grown. This is why the twins don’t speak to him, he’s always running to the media about family problems. Say what you want about Kate, when was the last time that she’s spoken out about anything. Since Hannah and Colin have moved in with Jon he’s been in the media almost every week. Just shut the hell up and parent
For the record, this wasn’t him talking to the media. If you read the article, it’s clear that he posted a family picture on Instagram for Christmas. Someone asked if Collin had special needs. He replied that Collin does not. I get the general criticism about Jon, but this just isn’t a good example. Kate is the one who put it out there that Collin has issues when she did an interview in 2016. She said he had fluid special needs, that the diagnoses kept changing, that she felt all alone in this, etc. That was all Kate. She exploited Collin for personal gain. She is also the only parent who, in recent history, has forced the kids to do interviews and photo shoots. Kate posts pictures of the kids on Instagram all the time (including one with an empty chair where Collin should have been) so why is this different?
It seems to me after watching the show for years, that yes Kate is controlling but someone had to take control when it came to raising 8 kids. 8 kids!! What does he do for a living? That’s why she wanted to continue the show, money for the kids. She is silent right now, so this is only one side of the story. And how long was Colin in this place? Seems to be a real issue there. He’s no hero, take a seat and talk to us in a year. Give us an update then if you can do it with two kids for longer than 5 minutes.
Kate is controlling AF. She is so neurotic and OCD’d. I bet he got tired of all her bullshit and wasn’t having it anymore. So Kate send him away. I’m glad the children are getting older and they can finally choose who they want to live with.
When Kate sent him away, my first thought was that he was a danger to the other kids. You never know…
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Kate needs medical attention for her mental issues. She obvisouly cannot handle being a mother in the limelight
Why is he still talking? Doesn’t he have 2 kids he needs to be taking care of instead of talking to the media and being an instagram dad? I hate when parents talk bad about their kids other parent (that they decided to procreate with)….Their children are going to read every bad, negative thing that was said one day, and it’s not cool…and don’t give me that “Kate did it” mess…doesn’t make it ok for him to do it.
Saying Colljn isn’t on any spectrum or have special needs isn’t bashing Kate. Jon responded to a question and it had nothing to do with Kate. Not saying he hasn’t spoken negatively about her because he has, but this wasn’t one of those times. And yeah, it’s odd that it’s fine for Kate do a highly publicized interview saying that Collin has “fluid” special needs and that she’s all alone in it, but Jon can’t respond to a question to say Collin is fine.
Also, posting a picture once every few weeks is being an Instagram parent? Lol sure.
His “special needs” were probably that he had zero tolerance for putting up with Kate’s BS. I’m glad him and Hannah got out, I wonder why the others haven’t tried to escape yet.
Kate has them brainwashed.
The only thing sad to me here is that a family is basically torn apart. I never watched this show so I can’t comment on their relationship but it sounds like she is the bigger problem.
Also woman, whatever it is, don’t talk publicly about your son’s health. He is old enough to speak for himself if he wants to.
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What a scumbag. Does he really think his kid was in a mental health facility for 2 years for no reason? That the doctors just kept him there for fun?
Special needs can mean a lot of things. It doesn’t have to mean he is on the spectrum or even that he has a learning disability. It could literally mean anything. While I am by no means a fan of Kate Gosselin, for any mother to send their child away probably means that she was struggling to meet those needs whether they be psychological or physical. I don’t think Jon Gosselin is a hero father like he is trying to make himself out to be. Where was he when this whole thing went down in the first place? It’s real easy to be a father to one or two kids. Kate had to parent all 8 of them by herself, and while I don’t like her personality, she is still a good mom who provided for her kids. I don’t see that Jon provided much for any of them, but instead trying to jump in like a savior at the end.
AMEN.
Kate has NEVER parented on her own, not a single day in her entire adult life. She had help before the twins were even born and has continued to have help ever since (they have hired help, donated help, family and friends), quite a lot of help actually. She struggled with someone who she couldn’t control, period. She is a horrendous mother (yes, there are worse out there, doesn’t make her mommy of the year). It has been proven time and time again that Collin was NEVER diagnosed as being on any spectrum, nor does he have special needs. She sent him away because he didn’t want her controlling his behavior, period. She claimed he was angry and a danger to her and his siblings. That is why he was sent where he was… a BEHAVIORAL center, he wasn’t there being treated for any disorder at all. His mother made claims that he was an angry child she couldn’t deal with, but she also didn’t want her ex to have access to him. Because she had physical custody of Collin at the time, she, and she alone, got to make that decision. Jon was around, he just had no say, he had to go to court just to get visitation with Collin.
What she did was awful, and all of her children, even those afraid to talk back to her or challenge her, are going to one day realize she was a mommy dearest from moment one, and hasn’t changed. She is NOT a good mom, she has never been a good mom. She screams, she yells, she treats them like shit. I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest you’ve never seen the way she treated the older girls, even on LIVE tv, when they were supposed to do an interview but were afraid to speak out against their mom, or even look interviewers in the face on the very few instances they were allowed to speak to anyone at all.
Jon never claimed to be a hero father, or even a good one, it’s one of the only things he’s ever said I actually agree with. He was a shit husband, and did very little for his kids when he was still living with Kate, because of it. Their marriage was awful and shouldn’t have even lasted as long as it did, neither one of them was right for each other, and they both brought out the worst in one another. But he is by far and large, a better parent than she is. She wanted to get rid of Collin permanently, which is precisely HOW Jon got him. Kate couldn’t be bothered to give a shit anymore, Collin no longer brought in a paycheck, so, he was worthless. The twins are nearing an age where they too, will no longer bring in a paycheck, which is why one of them lives with Jon now. It won’t be long before even more of them come to the realization that their mom is a shitty mom. None of them wanted Collin to go away, none of them thought he should have, none of them agreed with their mother when she lied about Collin’s behavior and the reason for sending him away. Sadly, all it takes is one parent to say “my kid is a shit, I can’t deal, here…take him” and send him along with the money to cover it. It doesn’t take an actual medical diagnosis. Collin was angry when he first got there, but he was always a perfectly well behaved child, the entire time he was there. His behavior got bad anytime she threatened to come visit him. I would too if she were my mom.
Whoah…take a deep breath there before you hurt yourself!
I know, words are hard, you probably expect that most people can’t type more than a few sentences, right? You might get easily winded reading or typing, but most normal people don’t. You should get that looked at 😉
I agree with you 99%, but Hannah is not one of the twins, she is one of the sextuplets. Other than that, you’re totally correct.
Was John a total mess for a couple of years? Yes. But the fact Kate didnt even show up for the hearing says a lot.
I never thought he was special needs, he was just the most defiant one that wouldn’t bend to Kate’s dictatorship style parenting. Everything she does is to benefit HER.
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Exactly! The special needs was he wasn’t following her nazi regime. He did not listen to her and would challenge her bullshit constantly. He was in the FACILITY for two years. TWO YEARS! She shipped him off and dumped him there. Didn’t even bother showing up to the hearing. She was long done with Colin.
One step further: He was the one that reminded her of Jon the most. They constantly mentioned on the show how Colin took after Jon. So with him being the most defiant AND reminding her of the husband she couldn’t control? Poor kid never had a chance. And this moved also showed the rest of the kids that this is what happens when you don’t listen to Mommy Dearest.
It’ll be interesting to see what these kids say as they get older. Hopefully their stories can also shed some light on how these “documentary” reality shows affects kids as they get older and how they feel about being in the limelight before they even got out of the womb.