Jon Gosselin has issued a public plea to his six estranged children, urging them to read their brother Collin’s explosive memoir and to reconnect with him after years of silence.
The former “Jon & Kate Plus 8” star, 49, told Entertainment Tonight that he still loves the children he no longer speaks to and wants them to reach out. “I hope you understand that I still love you,” he said in the interview. “I hope one day you reach out to me.”
Jon has not spoken to twins Mady and Cara, 26, in 13 years, and he told the outlet he has “no idea why” the estrangement began. His relationships with four of the sextuplets — Aaden, Leah, Joel and Alexis, all 22 — collapsed more recently. “And then the other four, I haven’t seen them since before COVID, maybe,” he added.
He insisted he has “tried to reach out” to all six children, but they keep ignoring him. “It’s not about the book stuff,” he said about Collin’s memoir. “I just want to know how their life is going. I mean, we’re perfect strangers now.”
Collin, 22, published his memoir this month, leveling severe accusations against his mother, Kate Gosselin, 51. In the book, he accused her of severe child abuse, child exploitation and emotional abuse during his childhood. Kate has denied her son’s claims.
Collin said earlier this month that he has not talked to his siblings, with the exception of Hannah, in 10 years. “I love them very much, and I want them to know that what was done to us as children is not normal,” he said.
He described the family dynamics in stark terms. “It’s horrible how much triangulation occurred in our home and that we were, we were pitted against each other,” the “Special Forces” star added. “I mean, how do you do that to siblings that were all born together on the same day? It’s horrible.”
Jon shares all eight children with his ex-wife. He maintains relationships only with Collin and Hannah, both 22, while the other six remain aligned with Kate.
Jon urged his estranged children to approach Collin’s book with open minds. “And please read your brother’s book because I think that will explain a lot,” he said in the Entertainment Tonight interview. “Be your own person. You are all adults now.”
He pressed them further to gather information independently before forming judgments. “Form your own opinions and try to take in as much information before you talk ill will or anything about anyone in this family,” he continued.
Kate responded to Collin’s accusations in a TikTok comment, insisting that her “kids know who I truly am and to me, that’s all that matters.” She did not directly address the specific abuse allegations in her brief statement.
Jon, meanwhile, has taken a more aggressive stance against his ex-wife following Collin’s revelations. “She needs to stop. He is not mentally ill,” Jon said last week. “I would definitely have grounds to sue Kate for defamation and libel.”
The Gosselin family became a fixture of American television in 2007 when TLC launched “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” documenting the Pennsylvania couple raising their twins and sextuplets. The show ran for multiple seasons before Jon and Kate’s bitter 2009 divorce splintered the family on camera. Kate continued with a spinoff, “Kate Plus 8,” while Jon faded from regular television appearances. The children grew up with divided loyalties, and the family fracture deepened over the following decade and a half.
Collin’s institutionalization at age 11 became a pivotal and disputed chapter in the family’s history. Kate sent him to a behavioral institute, a decision Collin has now characterized in his memoir as rooted in his mother’s desire to control and silence him rather than genuine mental health concerns. Jon has consistently supported Collin’s version of events and rejected any suggestion that his son was mentally ill.
Jon indicated he would pursue legal action against Kate if she continues to challenge Collin’s account.