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Collin Gosselin may still be estranged from his mom Kate Gosselin, but his dad Jon Gosselin, for one, is “so proud” that he spoke out about her in his recent interview with Entertainment Tonight. “Jon is so proud of Collin for having the courage and the strength to stand up and speak his truth,” a source close to the reality star, 45, told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “Jon never asked or suggested Collin to do this. It was completely his own idea. But Collin did approach his dad with the idea before making any final decisions.”
The source added that Jon was exceptionally supportive of Collin as he embarked on the task of opening up with such personal information. “Jon let Collin know he completely supports him no matter what he decides to do or say, and he’s hoping the entire experience will be cathartic for him,” they continued. “Jon couldn’t be more proud of the man Collin has become.”
Collin, 18, was one of the sextuplets featured on his parents’ hit TLC show Jon & Kate Plus 8. In the Entertainment Tonight interview, which was released on November 28, Collin revealed that after Kate, now 47, sent him to an institution for alleged “behavioral issues” in 2016, he ceased to have a relationship with her. “After being there, I didn’t have a relationship with her,” Collin told ET. He added that even before that point, “I don’t think we had much of a relationship, and I think that just kept tearing it even more down.”
Jon ultimately obtained custody of then 14-year-old Collin in 2018, but Collin said he believed the pressure of being in the public eye came between him and his mother. “I want to believe it was because of TV and what being in the public eye does to a family. I think it tore us apart,” he told the outlet. “It gave us less time to actually be together as a family, [and] more time to be in the public eye.” The famed couple split in 2009, and drama has followed the entire family since.
Still, the teen says it would be “ideal” to reconcile with his mom. “Yes, it would be ideal,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t have a relationship. I think every son wants to have a relationship with their mom. But I’m doing very well.”
