Custody battles, estranged children, and an unexpected passion. Jon Gosselin might not be
on TV anymore, but he has no problem airing his dirty laundry in public.
It appears that Jon Gosselin's children had mainly lived with their mother, Kate Gosselin,
following their divorce. That's because in 2016, Jon told Entertainment Tonight that he
hadn't seen all his kids together in years, and only a few would occasionally visit his home.
That began to change in 2017, after one of his daughters insisted on going home with him
after an orthodontist appointment. In addition to sparking a heated argument between Jon and Kate,
this situation may have also led to some major changes for the family.
The daughter in question was presumably Hannah, since months later, Jon gained custody of her and
she moved in permanently with him. The DJ posted about her "new beginning" on Instagram, writing,
"I admire your bravery starting fresh!!!"
As of April 2023, Hannah still lives with her father. In 2022,
she even discussed her decision with ET, saying,
"I have always been closer with my dad and we've always had a strong good relationship."
She also admitted that it was hard to feel seen when living with all of her
siblings at her mother's home, and that she felt it was easier to have a stronger,
more individuated relationship with Jon.
Jon shared on Instagram in March 2022 that Hannah plans on going to college
in Florida following graduation. While he made it clear he is a proud dad,
it seems that he can't believe how fast she's growing up.
Jon Gosselin isn't just taking care of his daughter, Hannah,
either. After spending several years in a treatment center for
exhibiting behavioral issues, Collin Gosselin is now living with his father
as well. Jon discussed Collin's return with Entertainment Tonight in late 2018, saying,
"We're really excited to have him home for the holidays. And to enjoy the rest of his childhood."
Jon later told the Daily Mail that he hadn't even been aware that Collin was sent to a
facility until he was told by police who were investigating abuse claims Collin made against
his mother. Kate was also the person to put Collin in the institution to begin with.
"Have you picked up the phone and tried calling her and saying,
'Where is Collin? Where's our son?'"
"She doesn't answer — I mean I ask but she doesn't tell me."
Jon told the Daily Mail,
"I raised the money to get a lawyer and went through the courts to get joint
legal custody. While I'm going through the process I get this shocking letter
from Collin. It was so upsetting, it made me even more determined to get him out."
Collin seems much happier with Jon, and no longer has a relationship with his mom. Like his dad,
he blames reality TV for most of their family issues. As Collin explained to ET,
"I think it tore us apart. It gave us less time to actually be together as a family."
Jon might not be seeing as much of Collin anymore,
though, since in 2021, he revealed on "The Dr. Oz Show" that Collin enlisted in the military.
While Jon Gosselin is clearly happy to be raising Collin and Hannah, it seems he still
wants to maintain a better relationship with his other children. He shared with
ET in 2020 that he would very much like for all of his children with Kate to spend
more time together, seeing as the former partners live fairly close to each other.
A year later, he revealed to Hollywood Life that despite his and Collin's
estrangement from the rest of the family, Hannah still communicates with them.
It's safe to say that Jon blames his ex-wife Kate Gosselin for creating that divide between him
and the children who live with her. In another interview with ET, he explained that he feels,
quote, "alienated" from the rest of his children. Even so, he has pushed for a family reunion,
televised or otherwise, on multiple occasions but all family members have yet to agree.
Jon isn't just pushing for the siblings to come together — he reportedly wants Hannah and Collin
to repair the rift they have with their mother as well. Hannah has hinted at tension with Kate,
while Collin claimed he no longer speaks with her. However, a source told Us Weekly that
despite the distance, he hopes his children can rebuild their relationship with their mother.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Jon Gosselin still has a bad relationship with his ex-wife Kate
Gosselin. He's been pretty vocal with his disdain for her ever since their 2009 divorce. While Jon
usually blames reality TV for creating problems in their marriage, he told "The Dr. Oz Show" that
he doubts their clashing personalities would have allowed them to stay together regardless.
Jon has said that he thinks Kate has narcissistic personality disorder,
putting her needs before everyone else. He also told the Daily Mail that she was abusive,
forcing their kids to do chores and participate in filming, saying,
"Kate's all controlling [...] They have all said they have
to film because they feel they need to provide a lifestyle for their mother."
"This show should be called 'Kate + Kate', because Mommy does everything."
He often discusses his beliefs that Kate has always had an obsession with being a TV star,
despite her children's feelings. He told ET that he believes she should have just
kept going with her television career on her own, leaving the kids out of it.
"It's a shame that we can't co-parent, and I know the whole world wants us to."
While Jon sees little of the majority of his children, he is completely estranged from his
twins, Cara and Mady. In 2021, the former TV star confirmed on The Dr. Oz Show that he hadn't spoken
with either twin in eight years, despite them now being in college and out of their mom's house.
Yet, Jon says he hasn't stopped reaching out to them. He claims that he texts them
annually, though they have yet to respond to him. Not surprisingly,
Jon blames the twins' mother for their issues with him, telling Daily Mail,
"I think Kate has really poisoned my children's
minds against me. She's put stuff in their minds about my personality."
However, Jon believes that Cara and Mady could one day change their mind and contact him. He
explained to Hollywood Life that he continues to keep the door open for his daughters to re-enter
his life, and that he tries to make it clear his love for them is still strong and unconditional.
Despite Jon's hope and determination for a reconciliation, the current lack of a
relationship with his eldest children hurts him. He admitted to ET in 2022 that he misses them,
and that he posts older content of their younger selves on Instagram to help cope with the loss.
Jon Gosselin has managed to remain a public figure by giving interviews about his family
situation, but he's not interested in returning to reality TV. In fact,
when asked about it by InTouch, he flat-out said no, stating,
"There were times probably five years ago where I thought,
'I am young enough maybe I could.' But I'm exhausted."
Gosselin apparently doesn't want his children to do reality TV either,
and tried to prevent them from filming when they were underage because he felt it didn't benefit
them. He told the U.S. Sun that until they turned 18, he believed he should have the right to keep
his children from the public eye, and he claimed the Department of Labor supported this decision.
Conversely, Kate Gosselin has continued to do reality TV. In 2019, she starred in her own show,
"Kate Plus Date". Jon threw shade at her for that, telling Morning Express with Robin Meade that he
prefers to work a, quote, "normal job" to pay his bills, and that he thinks it's somewhat sad to see
his ex-wife trying to cling to her "Kate Plus 8" fame so many years after leaving the limelight.
It's safe to say that Jon Gosselin's fame didn't lead to riches, considering that he
apparently has some legitimate concerns when it comes to finances. The "Voicemail" singer seems
to be worried mainly about his children's money, after their mother, Kate Gosselin,
admitted to making two $50,000 withdrawals from her children's trust funds. While The
U.S. Sun reports Kate did this to cover living expenses, Jon isn't buying that.
"There are so many single parents out there. Single moms,
single dads and — and we're all just, kind of like, trying to pick up the pieces together."
Instead, Jon asserts that Kate was actually stealing from their kids. He dished,
"It makes me feel disgusted. She has been on TV telling the world
she has saved her children's money when she's actually been stealing from them."
Kate's lawyer upheld his client's "integrity" when speaking to Us Weekly,
instead blasting Jon's by claiming he owes Kate more than $100,000 in child support.
As for Jon's personal finances, The U.S. Sun reports that he's not doing great either,
working two jobs to stay afloat. Additionally a source claimed that,
since leaving "Jon and Kate Plus 8", he's received no money from the show.
Jon Gosselin seems to have a big hand in his daughter Hannah's beauty line,
which she launched on her 18th birthday in May 2022. Jon gushed about it on Instagram, writing,
"I'm so proud of you @hannahjgosselin and all that you will achieve with @gosselingirlbeauty !"
The brand was seemingly supposed to be all about Hannah, who had told
ET she wanted to build her own company for the satisfaction of seeing it succeed on her
own. However, Jon made it clear that he was heavily involved too, claiming to have worked
closely with Hannah on starting the company and assembling a team for her to work with.
However, just a few months later, Jon began butting heads with that team.
The CEO of Gosselin Girl Beauty, Diane Simon, told The U.S. Sun that he caused
the company problems with his behavior. For example, he reportedly bashed Kate publicly
in an interview that was intended to focus on the brand. As Simon stated,
"I've witnessed some concerning behavior from him and I became
frustrated. Just the dynamic on how he operates with Hannah."
Despite the public criticisms from the Gosselin Girl Beauty Team,
Jon's representative claims these accusations are false.
While Jon Gosselin works an IT job to pay the bills,
he told Hollywood Life that music is what he's most passionate about, saying,
"I love playing music. That's my passion and release,
but IT is my care and how I provide for my family."
Gosselin told InTouch that he learned to DJ over a decade ago when he realized he
couldn't work in TV after the "Jon & Kate Plus 8" implosion. However,
he's still putting his TV fame to use as a DJ; he even admitted that he often
thinks that venues he plays see him more as a celebrity guest than a musical performance.
"Without my celebrity, or whatever you wanna call it, um, I woulda never met these people."
Regardless, Gosselin appears to really enjoy DJing, and often posts about his gigs on his
Instagram, often accompanying the posts with captions about how much music means to him.
The aspiring artist even revealed on "The Dr. Oz Show" in 2021 that he was working on an
album to tell the story of his life. Months later, Gossselin released his first single, "Voicemail."
Jon Gosselin is living the single life these days after splitting with his longtime girlfriend,
Colleen Conrad, in 2021. The two had been together since 2014,
with Gosselin confiding to ET a few years into their relationship,
"It's like reliving my past but with someone I really love and care about."
Despite their longtime relationship, it did seem that Gosselin never had plans to
marry Conrad. In a separate interview with ET, he explained that they were perfectly
content with cohabitating with their blended family without tying the knot.
In the end, though, the couple just couldn't make it work. Gosselin told
The U.S. Sun that they tried to persevere through some challenges in their romance,
but they just couldn't fight any longer. Further complicating things was the fact
that around the same time, Conrad was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Some fans even speculated from her Instagram posts that Gosselin had dumped her in her time of need.
However, Gosselin clarified that he was still supportive of her despite their split and that
their separation was mutual and unrelated to the diagnosis. Gosselin apparently just
wants to finally put himself and his music career first, as he hopes to eventually tour his album.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse,
please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.