Jon Gosselin Reveals Collin Has Offered an ‘Olive Branch’ to His Siblings
Jon Gosselin is hoping 20-year-old son Collin Gosselin can mend his relationship with his siblings through a peace offering.
"Collin will hopefully repair that [relationship]," Jon, 47, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, October 15, at the release party for The Unofficial Vanderpump Rules Ultimate Trivia Book by Thea De Sousa at SUR in West Hollywood. "It's a two way street. You know what I mean? He's offered the olive branch, so hopefully the olive branch will be returned."
Jon added that his 20-year-old daughter Hannah "talks to all her siblings" and noted that he hoped for the same outcome for himself.
"Every time I'm in New York or whatever, I reach out and try to get some stimulation from my twins or whatever," he told Us. "Maybe one day it'll just happen, but we'll see. We talk about it a lot. Holidays are coming and maybe that'll happen."
Jon Gosselin Gives Update on Son Collin After Kate Abuse Allegations
The Gosselin family rose to stardom in 2007 with the premiere of Jon & Kate Plus 8, which aired for 11 seasons. Following his divorce from Kate Gosselin in 2009, Jon became the primary guardian for Hannah and Collin until they turned 18. Jon has been estranged from his other children : 23-year-old twins Mady and Cara and 20-year-old sextuplets Leah, Joel, Alexis and Aeden.
While reflecting on his relationship with Collin and Hannah, Jon gushed that he's "super proud" of the duo.
"Well, when I got custody of them, I was always focused on making them as independent as possible. I knew they would get trust funds. I knew they [would] get their TV money and I wanted to make sure they were mature and ready to handle that," he told Us. "Just get jobs and pay taxes and just be contributing to society and just be a normal adult. I didn't want my kids living at home. I wanted them to go experience the world. If you don't want to go to school, then travel, join the Marines or do all these wonderful things the world has to offer. So that was always focused on."
Jon continued, "They've done all that. They're super independent. They come home." He also noted that his girlfriend, Stephanie Lebo, "misses" Collin and Hannah "a lot" while they are in college.
Is Collin Gosselin 'Open' to Reconciling With Mom Kate Gosselin?
Last month, Collin made headlines when he claimed that Kate was "physically aggressive" and "verbally" abused him as a child. "My mother had a room built in our unfinished section of the storage basement. She had a room put up with cameras in it, a tiny window in the corner and it was bolt-locked from the outside," Collin alleged to the U.S. Sun in September. "It was like a containment room, literally, and it had a mattress on the floor and that's how I lived."
Collin claimed that Kate "zip-tied my hands and feet together and bolt locked the door." While in the room alone, he alleged that she "turned the lights off and had cameras there just watching me." Collin called his childhood "rough," alleging that he was "100 percent treated differently" than his siblings. (Us reached out for comment at the time.)
Kate has yet to address the claims, but her lawyer Richard Puleo told The U.S. Sun in a statement that she would never "intentionally harm" Collin. "She did what she did to protect herself and her family," the attorney added, alleging that Collin showcased "troubled behavior" as a child.
Weeks later, Jon said Collin is "moving forward" but likely wouldn't have a conversation with Kate because there's "so much animosity." Jon told TMZ in September, "He's doing really well. That was like closure for him, I believe."
With reporting by Mike Vulpo
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
This story was originally published October 16, 2024, 12:28 PM.
