Collin Gosselin may be estranged from his mother, Kate, but he has another mom in his corner — his dad’s former girlfriend, Colleen Conrad.
Jon’s ex took to Instagram on Friday to share her thoughts on Collin, who has been described by his sister Mady as “hateful” and “violent,” and “a very troubled young man” by his mother, as The Ashley has reported. In a long post to Instagram, Collin clapped back at Kate and Mady’s claims about Collin, disputing their claims and pointing out that they haven’t interacted with him since he was a pre-teen.
“The truth about Collin’s character deserves praise, not unfounded accusations from those estranged from his life,” Colleen wrote in one part of the statement.
“I recently learned of derogatory statements made about Collin Gosselin and felt compelled to defend him,” Colleen’s post began. “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,” Colleen continued. “He is currently at boot camp for the Marines and he’s unable to defend himself.
“After Jon and I separated, and Jon moved out, Collin lived with me until he turned 18 so I saw him every day. He thrived 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.
“I could tag a multitude of people who have spent time with Collin, and they would all attest to what an amazing person he is,” the mother of two shared.
Colleen went on to point out how far Collin has come, despite having been put into a residential facility by Kate, who claimed he had “special needs.” (Collin and Jon have long-disputed Kate’s claims.)
“He has overcome more challenges than any one person should ever have to endure,” Colleen wrote of Collin, who is now 19 years old. “Despite being institutionalized for 3 years alone with only 3 visits from his mother and not receiving proper education, he achieved a 4.0 GPA and won the highest GPA award at his ROTC banquet. I’m so incredibly proud of his accomplishments.
Fans have questioned how Collin was able to join the Marines Corp., despite his alleged mental health issues. In her post, Colleen revealed that Collin’s “diagnoses” from his childhood have been proven to be inaacurate.
“Collin’s dream to join the Marines seemed impossible given his background, but he never gave up,” she wrote. “He went off all medication two years ago and continued to thrive in school and working jobs. 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.
“I have received letters from Collin during his time in boot camp, and he admits that it is challenging, but he is happy and proud to be there,” the post continues. “He is a testament to strength and courage, and I am honored to have him in my life. Collin will always be part of my family, and I’ll support him, no matter what comes our way. That’s what family does.”
Back in June, Collin showed his gratitude to Colleen in a graduation post, writing on Instagram, “I’d like to thank Colleen for rooting for me day in and day out. When you think of someone you want by your side, you think of Colleen. And as I’ve told her many times, she is my motivator for being successful in this world.”
(As The Ashley previously reported, Kate attended the graduation ceremony– due to the fact that Collin’s sister Hannah was graduating, too. Kate reportedly ignored Collin during the ceremony and was only there to support Hannah, whom she recently reconnected with.)
While Collin can’t publicly comment because he’s currently in boot camp, his father did release a statement via his rep regarding Colleen’s post.
“Jon is very pleased to see that Colleen has finally come out to support his son Collin to the public,” Jon’s rep told People. “Jon and Colleen have remained friends and he will always be appreciative of Colleen’s participation in co-parenting Collin.”
(Photos: Instagram; TLC)
22 Responses
Amazing what happens when you show a kid you love them and are rooting for them instead of abusing and ignoring them and basically saying they’re a lots cause at age 12. Colleen seems awesome and I’m glad he has her! Jon kind of has a lot of nerve to say that he’s glad Colleen “finally” said something…you could have left it at he’s glad she spoke up for Collin…no need to say “finally” as if she was required to do so. Jon is just so tacky. His ex is basically a mother figure to his son…and appears to be a better PARENT than either of Collin’s bio parents.
Congratulations Collin you have come so far in life and have good people on your side continue to thrive and keep reaching for the sky nothing is impossible with God by yourside I’m so happy for you
Kate and Maddy know best! Listen to them as they lived with this boy. If they say he’s a train wreck then he a train wreck. Feel me
@traffic stop (aka obvious troll) ~ it’s ‘mady’, champ.
and they last lived w/collin like ten yrs ago.
I’m so glad Collin had a decent parent in his life. Blood and DNA aren’t the only way to make family–its all about love. I truly hope Collin is successful in life because that’s the best middle finger to Kate and his other siblings.
I don’t like though, the dig at Colleen made my Jon’s rep. She Finally spoke up? Since when is it her job to publicly defend your son? She knows Collin and loves him0–she doesn’t have to do anything more than continue to love and support him. Normal families don’t take to social media to speak on another’s character. This feels like Jon is more worried about “winning” and beating Kate than supporting Collin.
That said, I stay off social because I know that if someone was coming after my family member, I would fight to the death to defend their name. I can say what I want about my family, but you saying something and its on.
@curious ~ i noticed the same thing re: the rep’s statement. seemed a bit…IDK, aggressive? passive aggressive? oh well.
Kate gosselin is a narcissist she could have pulled a Lori daybell but she had too many witnesses you could clearly see she was crazy by the show thankfully she had Colleen on his side
Good for her!
I hope Collin thrives in the Marines. I’m sure it’s tough, especially for a young man like him with what he’s been through. But I hope it works out well for him so he can have a successful accomplishment to be proud of himself for.
Glad Collin has a real mother figure in his life, and not a controlling & hateful woman who only cares about herself.
Ok, but why didn’t he go live with his Dad? Why did he stay with her after his Dad split from her? I definitely think there is more to the story. I do wish him well and all his siblings too!
Maybe his dad had to move into a one bedroom place or 2 bedroom place when him and Colleen first separated and he didn’t want to share a bedroom with his sister. Or maybe, as the post reads, he had such love for Colleen he wanted to stay with her a little while longer because he was doing so well and I’m sure he had his dad’s blessing to do so. It doesn’t have to mean anything bad.
I dont get why you are getting downvoted. It’s a good question. Jon has made it seem as though he has had Collin all this time, clearly not the case. And honestly might go against court orders. The only stable parent in this scenario seems to be Colleen, though.
It is a valid question. He stayed there so he could stay in the same school, and most likely his therapist(s) recommended it because it is a known stable environment for him. Since he’s been in therapy the entire time, it’s highly unlikely there is anything else “to the story” besides that.
After everything Kate put him through, constant (or even major) changes are not good for someone who is trying to counteract the effects of childhood abuse. It’s really hard on children, especially those who have been told their entire lives that there is something wrong with them and they are “bad” to find stability anywhere. Moving him away from that environment would likely cause regressions and other issues directly related to all of the abuse Kate heaped on him.
It’s not as if Jon just left him there and walked away. They split amicably and were always in contact. Jon was still taking care of Collin and ensuring he had everything he needed. Not to mention financially, something he has done for ALL of the children their entire lives, despite Kate trying to lie and say he didn’t (that was proven in court, and Kate has since admitted to).
Very interesting. I didnt see any of that in the article. I would love to read where you got that information from. Is it the doc that recently came out? I havent seen it yet. It’s very unheard of that a minor stay with an exgf or exbf of their parent so im assuming this was done through the courts (as they are not a bio parent or even a step parent).Im sure he helped finacially with Collin, however I have read that he didnt help with all of them. I read an article last year that he owed nearly 100,000 in child support for the other kids. And then I believe Kate maybe owed him some as well?
It’s not at all unheard of in cases where abuse is involved. Collin was abused, emotionally, physically and psychologically (not always the same as emotional abuse) most of his childhood by Kate-and then institutionalized. Stability is important for all children, but in cases like that, it’s definitely a necessity.
It doesn’t necessarily have to go through courts, as Jon is the only parent involved here (the only one with parental rights), and he let Collin stay there. That is really all that would be required. As long as both adults-Jon and Colleen, plus Collin were on board, that’s all that matters. Jon had full parental rights by that point.
Also, he never owed any child support, that was proven, quite a while ago, in the court case he and Kate had. Kate had to admit that he did in fact pay child support, and more, but that she took it and spent it on herself-the same way she did the money the kids made from the show.
It was thought he owed support at one time, because Kate told everyone he did and that he didn’t take care of them at all. She did that after being confronted about the money she stole from the kids. As per usual, though, she was lying. Kate did owe him support though. I’m pretty sure she only just in the last few months finished paying him what she owed.
@kirby81 ~ since colleen stated that ‘jon moved out’, presumably collin stayed with her in order to finish high school at the same school. there isn’t necessarily ‘more to the story’.
#notthatdeep ??♀️
it speaks well of both collin and colleen that she attended his graduation even after splitting with jon.
Although is kinda sad that his former stepmom loves him more than his own mom, it’s good to know that he has her love and support.
She seems to truly know Colin and has stepped in as a mother figure. I questioned the validity of Mady’s statements. Nothing she said had a ring of truth to it. How can you be fully estranged and admit that you’ve had zero contact with Colin and then flip it like he comes out of the woodwork to threaten you? I will never believe anything out of Kate’s mouth. She is a nasty abusive individual who I have zero respect for. Everyone needs a Colleen in their life.
I want to know Kate’s first RAW thoughts as she read THIS!!!
She has to be fuming from jealousy. Another adult has stood up to Kate and the ridiculous crap she spews on her ‘son’.
Probably What any narcissist would think.. that she is still the victim in this..
she’s always the victim
I’m so glad to hear he has a real mother figure in his life. That kid has been through so much, he deserves a loving mom and I’m glad Colleen can be that for him.
Good for her for standing up for Colin!