Jon Gosselin claims he paid $1 million to get son Collin out of psychiatric institute following TV fame
Collin Gosselin is estranged from six of his siblings and mother Kate while maintaining relationships with Hannah and his dad Jon following 'Jon and Kate Plus 8' fame
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jon Gosselin and two of his eight kids are exposing what went down behind the scenes of TLC's infamous "Jon and Kate Plus 8" reality TV show.
Jon, along with Collin and Hannah Gosselin, sat down to interview for Vice's "Dark Side of the 2000s." The trio talked about the impact filming at such a young age had on the family and the abuse allegations Collin brought against his mom.
Jon and his wife Kate Gosselin shot to fame after giving birth to twins and sextuplets using intrauterine insemination. The couple signed on to do two documentaries about their large family in order to make ends meet, but their popularity turned the family into reality TV royalty. However, the couple eventually separated, then divorced, and it was all caught on tape.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Collin Gosselin claimed his mother Kate sent him off to a psychiatric institute after he revealed to teachers she was allegedly abusing him. (Amy Sussman/WireImage for Discovery Communications/Instagram)
Following his parents' split, Collin began to act out and rebel during filming, sometimes giving "completely silent interviews" and refusing to interact.
Collin was allegedly diagnosed with a behavioral disorder and sent away to a separate school at the age of 12. Kate sent Collin to live at the Fairmount Behavioral Health System — a psychiatric hospital located in Philadelphia — without telling anyone in the family.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I was not able, with my own resources here, to meet his needs," Kate said during an episode of "Kate Plus 8."
However, Collin now claims that Kate sent him away because he was telling people about the way his mother was treating him at home, which he labels "abusive." He claimed that she had to put him "somewhere where [he] wouldn't be able to put the secrets out."
In a 2016 interview with "Good Morning America," Kate denied the abuse allegations, saying they were "absolutely" unfounded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jon and Kate's sextuplets were the main focus of the show. (Donna Svennevik/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
KATE GOSSELIN'S CHILDREN EXPOSE ALLEGED ABUSE OF SON COLLIN
Collin's time at the Fairmount took a toll on him "mentally," he explained. "It was a really, really dark place. All I had was myself. I didn't have anybody else. You know, I had no support system. It was scary. I was confused. I was lost."
Meanwhile, "Kate Plus 8" continued to air with the seven other children. Jon claimed he didn't know that Collin had been sent to a behavioral institute until he was eating lunch with the kids one day and Collin was absent.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At the time, Kate had full custody of the children and insisted she didn't have to tell Jon where Collin was because of a court order.
John and Kate Gosselin reached stardom while appearing on TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8." ( TLC)
Eventually, Collin wrote his dad a letter in 2017 asking for help with the address of the Fairmount included. Once Hannah, one of the sextuplets, found out her brother had been sent away for over a year, she requested to move in with her father. Jon was awarded full custody of Hannah as he battled to have Collin removed from a separate psychiatric facility in Pittsburgh.
"I spent $1 million to get my son out," Jon admitted. The reality TV star used testimony and psych evaluations to help build his case. "Everything I had, I spent."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Representatives for Kate did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Jon Gosselin outside of court during his divorce from Kate Gosselin in 2009. (Getty Images)
Hannah is the only sibling that has a relationship with Collin.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They don't talk to Collin," she explained. "Everyone eventually found out what happened to him, but now they've just decided to not have a relationship with him."
Collin hasn't spoken to the other six of his siblings since 2016.
"I think my mom kind of drove a social barrier between us. She told the story one way, and obviously I see the story a different way."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jon also doesn't speak to the other kids. He said he has no idea why and that he's never been given a reason or "closure."
"At the end of the day, none of us decided to be on TV," Collin explained.
"We didn't get the choice. It was our parents' decision." Hannah added, "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 nobody saw it turning into."
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