The Gosselins have been in the middle of their fair share of controversy over the years, all starting in 2007 when the show Jon and Kate Plus 8 aired. After a few one-off episodes about their large family, the Gosselins were given their own TV show which became a sensation.
The Gosselins welcomed sextuplets through IVF after already have a set of twins just four years earlier. The show focused on how this young family was going to manage raising eight kids all under the age of four. As the seasons went on, we saw the kids grow and develop their own personalities, but we also watched as Jon and Kate's marriage completely crumbled. Kate became more and more controlling as things progressed, while Jon was either completely passive or totally defiant. This couple that once shared so much love between each other had totally fallen apart.
In 2009, Jon and Kate split, leaving fans to wonder what would happen with the show. It was ultimately cancelled in November of 2009, but in 2010 it returned as Kate Plus 8 and things were a little different. Because of the drama surrounding the split, we saw a stressed out Kate trying to navigate her new life as a single mom to eight kids. She retained custody of the kids and got to keep the marital house, but it soon became clear that her over-controlling ways were going to take over.
Since the split, Kate has continued her streak of blaming Jon for everything. In 2015, she accused her ex-husband of kidnapping their daughter, Hannah. She called the police, saying that he was a drug dealer who was having an "inappropriate" relationship with their daughter. These claims were completely false, of course, but police had to do a full investigation anyways.
Police in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania were called to respond to a "verbal domestic dispute over child custody involving one minor (Female/13 years old)," meaning it was one of the sextuplets. According to the report, the daughter was taken to an orthodontist appointment by one of her parents (it does not state who), and the argument erupted over who would be taking her home.
"The call came in at 1:10 this afternoon for a verbal domestic argument ... over the custody of one of their 13-year-old daughters," a Wyomissing Police Department spokesperson told Entertainment Tonight. "No one was arrested and the daughter did go home with the father after she expressed that was her desire to do."
"Jon had no idea at the time that she accused him of having an inappropriate relationship with Hannah," says one insider. "He was upset when he found out."
Then, of course, the rules from Kate surrounding visits with Jon came out, and we got a glimpse into just how controlling she is.
A source close to Kate Gosselin has now revealed the strict rules Kate keeps when her kids visit their dad at his home.
"Kate says no clothing or belongings can be brought from her house to Jon's house, so the kids arrive for visitation [at Jon's] in their school uniforms and change into clothes Jon has for them when they get to his house," the insider explains. "Then they put their uniforms back on before heading to their mom's house."
Kate also prohibits her kids from having cellphones, which one source describes as a "Kim Jong-Un" type stance on communication devices.
"So after they visit with their dad, she lines the kids up and pats them down for cell phones," the source says. "She has these insane practices and rules to ensure she has total control of everything her kids do."
According to the crew, it's not just the kids she has rules for, either. There's a laundry list of rules she leaves with them, some of which make sense, like not discussing or disclosing the family's address. These are some of the others:
- Completely Close doors!!!! Every time and quickly!! No exceptions.
- No shoes in house or apt at any time. Shoe booties (that have NOT been worn outside!) or no shoes. Period.
- Approved bathroom for crew use is in apartment. This is the ONLY bathroom for crew usage. (Do not use bathrooms in house please)
- Do not help yourself to tools, our equipment etc. (including product placement items) Please ask before using things that are not yours.
- Please remember, this is not a "˜set' (or a college dorm!)"“ its our home!!!! We are very proud of this house, please treat it with care!!!!!!!
"She treats us like sh*t. She treats the kids like sh*t," a crew member, who wished to remain anonymous, said. "She's rude to everyone. Nothing surprises me anymore with her."
And it's not like Jon can control this, either. He's barely even allowed to see his own kids.
In a past interview, Jon Gosselin says his custody agreement with Kate is pretty unconventional. He apparently only gets to see 4 of his 8 kids at a time, and he never gets to choose which ones. It's all dependent on who Kate decides he gets to see.
"Now all the secrets are coming out because I'm not afraid to say anything," Jon said.""˜How come you only get four kids?' Because who I get is who I get. Whoever comes through that gate or gets off that [school] bus is who I get."
This story was somewhat corroborated by Mady Gosselin, one of the twins, on her 16th birthday.
"This year I'm going to turn 16," said Mady. "I'm going to be learning to drive, taking the PSATs, thinking about college...so much is going on in my life. And the last thing I have time for is a toxic relationship."
Jon later confirmed that at the time he did not see his daughter "that much, or often", then added that they were "kind of not talking right now." However, the love a father has for his daughters knows no bounds, and he still posted a sweet message for them on their 17th birthday.
"I'm a regular dad trying to spend as much time with my kids as possible," Jon confessed. "I love all my children and hope they all know I'm there for them unconditionally."
Some people chalked up the tension to the girls being blinded by fame, but they made it clear that they're in their right minds.
"People expect us to be damaged," Cara said, as Mady chimed in: "People think we're supposed to be messed up, like, "˜Oooooh, the poor Gosselin kids, they're going to be scarred for life, waaaaah.' Here's the big news: we're not messed up."
While this stuff may be a little crazy, Kate sending her son away to a "facility" took the cake.
Kate Gosselin announced that one of the sextuplets, Collin, was sent away for his "special needs" in 2016, after a long battle with his social and educational development.
"This is a work in progress for him that we've sought many specialists help on," Kate confessed on an episode of Kate Plus 8. "There are changes coming for him. I think it will result in a change of school for him for this upcoming year and beyond that, we'll see."
That "change" was sending Collin away from the entire family.
"[There's] a fairly fluid diagnosis of what those needs are," Kate said at the time. "But he needs to learn certain strategies to help him deal with things. This has been a struggle we've had for a very long time, and it's one I've dealt with on my own. I've felt very alone in this. By the same token, it's not something that has only impacted me or him "” our entire family has been impacted."
According to Kate, the program was working for her son, and there were already improvements in Collin's life.
"Kate doesn't want Collin on camera very much because all the stimulation can be difficult for him," a source close to the Gosselins said. "Kate decided to send him to a facility because she thought it was best for him. Now it seems that Collin is flourishing, and he's responding very well to one-on-one instruction. He definitely finds it easier to function and cope better without all the chaos that his home life entails."
The decision to send Collin away raised a lot of eyebrows, even though it seemed to be working. Kate's vague answers and secrecy made others think there was more to the story. The single mother was also accused of forgetting about her son, especially during the holidays and their birthday when he still was not present.
"You can't do anything without realizing he's missing. So we may not say it, but it's always there," she said.
It's not just us that are in the dark, either. Jon doesn't know what's going on with Collin.
After Collin was sent away, Jon didn't receive any information about where he went.
"I have an idea where he is but I don't really know where he is," Jon told ET. "[Kate] says that Collin is in a special school for special needs kids with behavioral problems." However, Jon says he's been told otherwise by law enforcement officials, but he would not clarify what that meant.
"I mean, I ask but she doesn't tell me," Jon said about Collin's current whereabouts. "She doesn't answer any of my texts."
Now, t's been over two years since Jon has seen his son. Jon says he never saw any behavioral problems in Collin, but said he was always really smart and incredibly intuitive.
"I could see my kids getting annoyed with that because he's the smartest and he does this, and he does that, and he always wants it his way," he said. "He's very particular, which could be bothersome. But, he's very loving too. He was a cuddly kid as a baby."
Jon also took offense to the notion that Kate had been by herself while struggling with Collin. He said it was Kate's decision to lock him out and keep him in the dark. If it were up to Jon, he's be as involved as he could.
"I love my children very much. I've always been there for them and I always will be. It's shocking."
While away at his program, Collin apparently had some revealing news for his therapists.
According to multiple reports, Collin Gosselin accused his mother of abusing him while away at his treatment.
"Collin said something to the facility's staff and it was reported to Children and Youth Services [CYS], which started an official probe," a source said.
To people close to the family, this information wasn't news.
"Jon used to have to grab Kate by her wrist to stop her from beating Collin and some of the other kids with a wooden spoon," the insider said.
Kate even admitted to treating Collin differently for a "long time" because she "struggled" to control him. A source close to the family revealed that Collin slept in a completely different area than the rest of his siblings, and even had a different meal time to avoid interaction with them.
The investigation through Children and Youth Services came up negative, and it was ultimately dropped. But it's not hard to see that this family clearly has a lot of issues they need to figure out between themselves.
Did you ever watch "Jon and Kate Plus 8"?