Jon Gosselin claims he’s ‘perfect strangers now’ with six of his kids after years of no contact
Jon Gosselin says he has lost contact with six of his eight children and describes them as “perfect strangers”. He says he wants to hear how their lives are going and hopes they will contact him, amid renewed attention on the family following son Collin’s memoir.
Gosselin said he has been estranged from twins Mady and Cara for about 13 years, and has not seen the other four since before the Covid pandemic. He said he had tried to reach out privately and publicly, and urged his children to read Collin’s book and form their own views. Collin, 22, alleges in the memoir that his mother restrained and hit him and isolated him; the article also reports Kate Gosselin’s response to social media comments, but does not provide a direct reply to those allegations.
In short
- Jon Gosselin says he has not spoken to six of his children.
- He has been estranged from Mady and Cara for about 13 years.
- Collin’s memoir has renewed attention on the family’s history.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Jon Gosselin’s account reflects a parent’s understandable wish to maintain relationships with his children and to know how their lives are going. If he has made sincere efforts to reconnect, speaking publicly may be his way of expressing that hope and inviting contact, while asking his children to form their own views of Collin’s memoir.
The case against
The children may have their own reasons for keeping distance, and years without contact do not by themselves establish who is responsible for the estrangement. Public appeals can place pressure on them or expose a deeply private family dispute to renewed scrutiny; they may reasonably prefer to decide for themselves whether and when to engage.
Explained simply
Jon and Kate Gosselin became widely known through the US reality TV series Jon & Kate Plus 8, which followed them raising their twins and sextuplets. The couple later divorced, and their children grew up amid public attention and reports of family tensions.
Jon says he has been estranged from his twin daughters for about 13 years and has not seen four of his other children since before the Covid pandemic. His son Collin’s memoir has brought renewed attention to the family: Collin alleges that Kate restrained and hit him and isolated him, while the article reports that she responded to social media comments but does not give a direct response to those allegations.
The story concerns the distance between Jon and six of his children, and how the family’s private relationships have played out in public. The children are adults or nearing adulthood, and Jon says he hopes they will contact him and wants them to form their own views of Collin’s account.