Jon Gosselin: I Spent $1 MILLION to Free Collin from That Institution!

Jon Gosselin is about to make a return to the small screen.

The former TLC personality, who rose to fame (or infamy perhaps) after starring for years opposite his wife and kids on Jon & Kate Plus 8, is taking part in an upcoming documentary from VICE titled “Dark Side of the 2000s.”

In an excerpt from the program that went viral on Wednesday, Jon delves into the circumstances that led him to rescue son Collin from the Philadelphia-based psychiatrist hospital Fairmount Behavioral Health in late 2018.

collin
Collin and Jon Gosselin pose for a selfie. They remain very close. (Instagram)

“I spent $1 million to get my son out,” Jon says during the series, explaining that he used testimony and psych evaluations to help build his case and adding:

“Everything I had, I spent.”

For those who need a refresher:

Jon and Kate Gosselin split up in 2009, with Collin and his siblings residing under the roof of their mother afterwards.

Years later, Kate claimed that her son was diagnosed with some sort of behavioral disorder… and she then sent him to live at this psychiatric hospital without telling any of her family members.

Kate Gosselin no longer speaks to son Collin. It’s very sad. (TLC)

Kate never elaborated on the basis for this decision — and then Collin wrote his dad a letter in 2017, begging to be freed from the facility.

“Dear Dad, I’m not trying to trick you, but I still love you,” Collin wrote in this message, which was eventually obtained by DailyMailTV.

The letter continued as follows:

“I told Mom I want to live with you, she said no. But right? She can’t choose for me. I’m old enough now, I’m YOUR son, not hers.

“She was abusive to me after I left your house. I’m sorry. Take this to court because … you’re my dad, my savior.”

Jon Gosselin and Collin Gosselin, First Day of High School
Collin and Jon Gosselin have joined forces against Kate. (Instagram)

As he cites in his documentary interview, Jon was able to bring his son home after several months back then.

He was granted temporary custody after Kate failed to show up for a court hearing; and Collin and Hannah have been living with their dad ever since.

Neither really speaks to their mom.

While Jon hasn’t spoken to his other six children in years.

Jon Gosselin and Just 2 Kids
Jon Gosselin poses here with kids Hannah and Collin. They’re the only children who seem to like him. (Instagram)

“I was in a dark place mentally,” Collin told Entertainment Tonight in November 2022 when asked about this institutionalization.

“I think being in a place like that does more damage than it helps you…

“I spent my 13th and 14th birthday there, so I was young. I didn’t have a lot of life skills.

“I didn’t really know even what to expect, what to think of being there at the time, so I was hopeless.”

Collin Gosselin posted this photo on his personal Instagram page in the summer of 2023. (Instagram)

Collin, for his part, also has a role in this VICE documentary.

“I know my mother was going through a lot of things,” the 19-year old says on camera, referring to their estrangement and what led to it.

“I mean, a divorce, and plenty of different things that can’t be easy to go through.

“And, you know, I want to think that she needed someone to take out her anger and frustration on, and it was just kind of me. I was in the way and I was there.

So, she chose me.”

Jon Gosselin: I Spent $1 MILLION to Free Collin from That Institution! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

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