Jon And Kate Gosselin's 8 Children Hate Each Other After The Reality Show Sparked The Bitter Divorce
Highlights
- The Gosselin family's reality show caused tension in their marriage, leading to Jon and Kate's divorce.
- Six out of the eight kids have chosen to have no relationship with their father, Jon.
- Collin, one of the children, blames his mother for his strained relationship with his siblings.
Leave to a reality show and 15 minutes of fame to make delicate family dynamics even more challenging. This is precisely what happened to the Gosselin family after Jon and Kate became famous for having eight children. The TLC show premiered in 2007 but by 2009, the couple were already divorced.
Jon and Kate Plus 8 has been blamed for being one of the reasons for Jon and Kate Gosselin's divorce. But the fallout of that divorce has been even more devastating to the family. Not only is Jon estranged from six of his eight kids, but the children themselves have little or nothing to do with their siblings. Here's the truth about the fractured relationship between the Gosselin siblings following their parents' ugly divorce.
Why Did Jon And Kate Gosselin Get Divorced?
According to Us Weekly, the tension between Jon and Kate was apparent on TV by August 2008. The pair, who got married in 1999, started to receive national attention for giving birth to sextuplets (Alexis, Collin, Joel, Hannah, Leah, and Aaden) and earning two specials on Discovery Health in 2005 and 2006 respectively. The couple, who also had twins (Mady and Cara) got their own show in 2007, which eventually moved to TLC.
Despite tensions between the couple being apparent on the show, mostly in terms of how they raised their 8 kids, accusations of Jon cheating were the reason their marriage fell apart. The story was broke by Us Weekly in May 2009. They separated a month later and their divorce was finalized in just over a year.
And that was just the beginning of their problems...
Why Jon Gosselin Doesn't Have A Relationship With Six Of His Eight Kids
In 2016, Jon Gosselin revealed that he hadn't seen six of his eight kids in over three years despite having joint physical custody with his ex-wife Kate. According to the U.S. Sun, the divorce became exceedingly contentious with allegations against Kate that she had taken money directly from her children's bank accounts. Kate later claimed that this money was borrowed. But, throughout the divorce, the children were forced to take sides.
Kate Gosselin seemingly won over six of her eight children, who have lived with her throughout their childhood and adolescence. The remaining two (Colin and Hannah), however, have sided with their dad. While Jon isn't banned from seeing his six other kids, they have chosen not to have a relationship with him.
"Whoever comes down the driveway, that’s who I get," Jon said, according to Us Weekly. He later claimed that there is no contact between him and his estranged kids, who have chosen to solely have a relationship with their mother, Kate.
"I have no access to the kids I'm estranged from. I have no idea why they stopped coming, I have no answers, like none, it's the worst" Jon told VICE TV. "I'd rather they be like, 'you're an a**hole, I hate you, you did this to mom...' I have nothing, I have no closure."
Collin Gosselin Blamed Mom Kate Gosselin For His Relationship With His Siblings
Without a doubt, the most complicated aspect of the Gosselin family drama is the fact that Collin Gosselin was sent to a behavioral institution. According to The Daily Mail, this was done without Jon Gosselin's knowledge. Given that Collin was originally one of the eight Gosselin children to live with his mom, Jon had little access to him. But when Collin was released, he went to live with his dad.
Since Jon and Kate Plus 8 ended, Collin Gosselin has lived a tragic life. And he blames much of this on his mother.
"I was in a dark place mentally. I think being in a place like that does more damage than it helps you," Colin said to Entertainment Tonight about his mother's choice to send him to Fairmont Behavioral Health Institute in Philadelphia.
Jon Gosselin agreed with his son, claiming that Kate had "caged" him at the institute for three years.
After Collin was moved out of the institute, Jon waged another custody battle against Kate. He ended up winning full custody of Collin as well as Hannah. Since then, neither Collin nor Hannah has had anything to do with the rest of their siblings, Mady, Cara, Alexis, Joel, Leah, and Aaden.
During an interview on VICE TV's series Dark Side Of The 2000s, Collin Gosselin said the following about his mother's impact on his relationship with his siblings:
"So, my mother, she's very controlling. She's determined, she knows what she wants and she gets what she wants," Collin said. "I think my mom kind of drove a social barrier between us. She told them the story one way, and obviously, I see the story a different way."
Hannah further confirmed Collin's story, adding further detail to what happened when Kate sent her brother away to the institute.
"We did not talk to Collin for years while he was in the facility, we didn't even know where he was," Hannah stated. "That was a big thing for me because I couldn't comprehend why my mom would do that to one of our siblings, her own kid."
Hannah claimed to be furious with her siblings for cutting Collin out of their lives: "That is like a really dark part of our past. They don't talk to Collin. Everyone eventually found out what happened to him but now they decided to just not have a relationship with him."
As for whether the kids blame Jon and Kate Plus 8 for turning their family into a circus, Hannah said the following to VICETV:
"'I don't resent my parents for putting us on TV because I understand why they did it. It was a good opportunity and it just turned into something that nobody saw it turning into."
According to The Daily Mail, Hannah has been making an effort to repair her relationship with her mother. they have started to talk to each other, but have no mended their fractured relationship yet. This doesn't appear to be something that Collin wants for himself.
As for Jon, he just wishes his kids would all come together regardless of his relationship with their mother.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGihqKZdoK61sYygpqyrlaG2r3mXZpqhoZyZv6a6jJ6qraqRo7SmsIyfnK6cXZaztbHRZpuirp%2BnsKZ7