Jon Gosselin’s rep slams ex Kate’s 'callous lies,' says Collin is training to be a Marine
Members of the Gosselin family are feuding after allegations have been thrown from both sides.
Members of the former happy family showcased on TLC's "Jon and Kate Plus 8" have taken their grievances public. Kate Gosselin has responded to both her ex-husband Jon and her son Collin's allegations against her, claiming Collin is "a very troubled young man."
Collin has previously accused his mother of abusing him when he was younger, saying she sent him away from home at the age of 12 after she alleged he had been diagnosed with a behavioral disorder.
Kate Gosselin calls son Collin "a very troubled young man" amid abuse allegations. (Getty Images/Collin Gosselin Instagram)
"I have never wanted to have to do this, but I feel I have been backed into a corner and left with no choice. Although it saddens me to do so, I need to speak out now," Kate said in a statement to People magazine.
"My son Collin, whom I love with all my heart, has received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years. For the safety of myself, his brothers and sisters and for his own well-being, he was placed in a facility following years of outpatient treatment which proved insufficient for his needs. The decision to admit him was made by emergency room doctors following one of his many attacks/outbursts, this one involving his use of a weapon.
"Fast forward to the present day, and following Jon’s removal of Collin from treatment, my son’s unpredictable and violent behavior has sadly continued regularly towards Jon, Hannah and others around him.
Kate Gosselin says Collin "has received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years." (D Dipasupil)
"Collin's distorted perception of reality is one of the many issues that he has always struggled with," Kate claimed. "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, let alone easy for others on the outside to understand.
"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.
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"Unfortunately, I believe Collin remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help," Kate added. "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. What his sister Mady posted on social media recently is completely accurate, and I deeply appreciate her bravery in doing so.
"This is all I have to say on the matter, and I will not be discussing this subject any further at this time."
Collin Gosselin, son of Jon and Kate Gosselin, previously accused his mother of abuse. (Jon Gosselin Instagram/Getty Images)
In response to Kate's statement, a rep for her ex-husband, Jon, shared a statement with Fox News Digital.
"Kate posting cruel false accusations regarding Collin seems to be just another way for her to justify her inexcusable horrific past behavior toward him," the statement began.
"True love for a child wouldn’t include a mother attacking their son to the public. Collin had to be cleared by the Marines with a full background check, including mental, physical and medical clearance through the U.S. Marine Corps. The government's full diagnoses clearly reflects the truth.
"Do not forget that a judge awarded sole legal and physical custody of Collin to his father. Kate never even showed up to court and lost full custody of her own son. Regarding these brand new false accusations, it seems clear that even today, after not seeing her son since the sixth grade, she is unable to control her abusive words towards him. At this point, Collin is training to be a Marine in order to serve his country and is unable to respond to his mother’s callous lies."
In response to Kate's statement, a rep for her ex-husband, Jon, shared a statement with Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)
The exchange of words between Kate and Jon is the latest development in the Gosselin family drama after Collin's sister, Mady, took to social media to accuse her brother of "physically" threatening the family after his bombshell interview for Vice’s "Dark Side of the 2000s" dropped.
Mady, 22, aired her grievances on social media in a lengthy post claiming she’s been "overwhelmed" by hate messages.
"I do not owe my allegiance to any person(s), who has physically threatened me and every member of my immediate family (some incidents as recent as last year)," Mady began her Instagram statement.
Kate Gosselin's daughter Mady accuses brother Collin of recent violent threats against family (Mady Gosselin/Instagram)
"I will never allow someone who has exhibited hateful and even violent behavior toward others… in my life, and I refuse to compromise for ANYONE, even my brother Collin."
She continued to make it clear that she doesn’t intend to make any efforts "rebuilding relationships" after the situation "reach[ed] the point of physical violence and hate speech."
Mady ended her message "asking for peace and privacy (and no more hate mail) going forward."
Kate Gosselin's twin daughter, Mady, accused her brother of being "physically" violent toward the family in the past. (Donna Svennevik/Disney General Entertainment Content)
The Gosselin twin’s comments come after Collin recently pinned abuse allegations against their mother, Kate. When Collin was 12, his mother allegedly sent him to live at the Fairmount Behavioral Health System, a psychiatric hospital located in Philadelphia, without telling anyone in the family.
"I was not able, with my own resources here, to meet his needs," Kate said during an episode of "Kate Plus 8," the title of the family's show after she and Jon divorced.
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However, Collin now claims Kate sent him away because he was telling people about the way his mother was treating him at home, which he labels "abusive." He claimed she had to put him "somewhere where [he] wouldn't be able to put the secrets out."
Kate and Jon Gosselin divorced in 2009. (Brad Barket)
In a 2016 interview with "Good Morning America," Kate denied the abuse allegations, saying they were "absolutely" unfounded.
Collin only has a relationship with his sister, Hannah, and hasn't spoken to the other six of his siblings since 2016.
In addition to twins Cara and Mady, Jon and Kate share 19-year-old sextuplets — Aaden, Collin, Joel, Hannah, Alexis and Leah.
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.
Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.