Kate Gosselin Denies Child Abuse Claims, Addresses Reports Son Collin Is Missing

Kate Gosselin is no stranger to criticism. In the years since she and now-ex Jon Gosselin emerged on the scene in TLC’s breakout hit “Jon and Kate Plus 8,” she’s had her parenting style critiqued on more than one occasion. As such, she’s learned how to handle it like a champ.

Most recently, rumors began circulating that Kate had been abusive to her son Collin. She addressed those claims and more in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday, telling the network that there was no truth to those stories. Kate said that she has been investigated multiple times since becoming a well-known reality TV star for parenting sextuplets and twins, and each claim has been “unfounded.”

As if that wasn’t enough drama, her ex-husband recently asserted that Kate has been keeping Collin from her. When asked about those claims, the mother of eight said she tries not to “really pay attention” to anything Jon says. She told “Good Morning America” that she was told by court officials not to disclose the whereabouts of her son, who is being treated for educational and social disorders outside of the family home, with anyone. Kate assured those concerned that Collin is not missing.

“I’ve known all along where he is. But the world doesn’t know. And I’ll leave it at that,” she said.

Kate first opened up about the challenges her son was facing in an August interview with People magazine. She explained that he did not have a solid diagnosis, but that the 12-year-old had “special needs.” Kate told the publication that this was something that had been affecting their family for quite some time, adding that it had a major impact on their dynamic. The facility aimed to help Collin learn to “deal with things,” according to his mother.

“Collin has special needs,” Kate said. “[There’s] a fairly fluid diagnosis of what those needs are, but he needs to learn certain strategies to help him deal with things. This has been a struggle we’ve had for a long time, and it’s one I’ve dealt with on my own. I’ve felt very along in this. By the same token, it’s not something that has only impacted me or him, our entire family has been impacted.”

The interview indicated that Jon had not been present for much of Collin’s struggle. This should come as no surprise, as several of his children have disassociated with him. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, released around the same time as Kate’s sit down with People magazine, Jon revealed that his two oldest daughters have stopped coming to see him.

“Everybody used to come to my house,” he said. “You know, it was great and then Madelyn and Cara just stopped coming, around 12-13 [years old]. I didn’t question it. I was just like, ‘Hey, do what you want, be with your friends,’ and then it just became they’re not coming.”

Jon has not yet responded to his wife’s latest statement about him.