Jon Gosselin Reacts to Kate Gosselin’s Claims About Collin Gosselin’s Mental Health: ‘Categorically Untrue’ 

Collin Gosselin has the full-throated support of one of his parents as he opens up about his difficult childhood.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my son’s heartbreaking memoir and his mission to help other victims of abuse,” Jon Gosselin, 49, star said in a statement shared with Us Weekly.

Jon Gosselin defends son from Kate Gosselin: ‘You will be held accountable’ 

Collin, who starred with his seven siblings in the TLC reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8, looks back on his upbringing in his new book, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood. In it, he describes physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his mother, Kate Gosselin, who eventually had Collin institutionalized at the age of 11. 

In comments on social media, Kate has pushed back against Collin’s story of his childhood. 

“I know rational logical [people] or anyone who has dealt with mental illness understands what’s going on here :),” Kate, 51, replied to a supporter on a TikTok she posted on October 10.  

But according to Jon, Kate’s claims that Collin is mentally ill have no basis in reality. (Kate and Jon divorced in 2009, and Kate received full custody of the children; Jon obtained custody of Collin and his sister Hannah in 2018. Collin has not seen his mother since he was 12 years old.)

“[L]et me be very clear: If you continue to falsely label my son Collin as ‘mentally ill,’ you will be held accountable,” Jon said. “As you know, Collin has been evaluated by multiple independent psychiatrists, and that narrative is proven categorically untrue.”

“Repeating false claims about his mental health is damaging to his reputation, his credibility and his future,” he added. “Consider this fair warning: The days of using mental health to discredit and silence my son are over.”

Collin Gosselin has questions about the diagnoses he received as a child 

Over the years, Kate has said repeatedly that Collin had behavioral and mental health issues that required in-patient treatment. In a 2023 Instagram post, she said he had “multiple psychiatric diagnoses” and that he eventually had to be “placed in a facility” for the safety of himself and his family. The former reality star also claimed that her son had a “distorted perception of reality” who was prone to “complete fabrications.” 

However, Collin – who is currently competing on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test – disputes his mother’s statements about his health. During his time as a patient at Fairmount Behavioral Health System, he says he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). But when he had a psychiatric evaluation done as an adult, a doctor found that he had no signs of any psychiatric or behavioral disorders, he writes in his book. 

In an interview with Us Weekly, Collin said that he still has questions about the diagnoses he received as a child. 

“I don’t know exactly how they came about, but I have my own assumptions about money and power. You can call a kid anything and put him away … I’m curious about how I was diagnosed with autism and bipolar [disorder],” he said. “I’ve tried to research some of the medications I was on from age 11 until 14. It’s insane. So that’s what I’m still questioning today.”

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