Former TLC star Jon Gosselin is reflecting on the deep, ongoing distance between himself and his eldest children.
Years after his high-profile split from ex-wife Kate Gosselin and the end of their hit reality series “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” the father of eight opened up about where things stand with his family today. In a candid update, Jon shared that his relationship with his 26-year-old twin daughters, Mady and Cara, has become so distant after years of estrangement that he wouldn’t even recognize them if they crossed paths on the street.
Jon Gosselin Says He Wouldn’t Recognize His Twin Daughters if He Saw Them on The Street
In an interview for the podcast Legally Goff, Jon Gosselin told attorney Brooke Goff that he hasn’t had any contact with his eldest daughters, twins Maddy and Cara Gosselin, since they were 13.
“Alienation [as in] silence. I’ve never heard their voice. One day, I was an active every day parent and I was just cut out of their lives,” the former reality star shared.
“I don’t care if they call me an [expletive] or whatever,” he continued. “I just want some kind of response.”
He concluded, “Just text me or message me. At least I’ll know. … Walking around for 13 years not knowing has pretty much eaten my soul away.”
Gosselin reflected on all he has been excluded from the past 13 years of his daughters’ lives. He noted that missing out on their major milestones is something he can never get back, making the ongoing silence between them all the more difficult to process.
“I missed graduations, missed proms. I don’t know anything about my twins. If they have boyfriends or girlfriends, or what favorite color they have now, if they drive a car. I know nothing,” he announced.
The former TLC star concluded, “I wouldn’t be able to pick them out in the street. I have pictures of them, but I still wouldn’t be able to pick them out on the street. That’s how much I haven’t seen them.”
Jon Gosselin Currently Has Contact With Son, Collin Gosselin
The former reality star remains connected to his son, Collin Gosselin. The 22-year-old recently published a memoir, “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood.”
However, his relationship with daughter Hannah, who lived with her father for years, has since deteriorated. He also hasn’t seen his other children in many years.
In the wake of her brother’s tell-all book, Hannah posted a story to TikTok that has since expired.
People Magazine shared Hannah’s October 21st statement which read, “I’ve decided to take a step back from the situation going on considering I haven’t lived with my dad in over a year and haven’t spoke[n] to Collin in close to a year. Having said that, I have had a relationship with my mom and other siblings for quite a few years now. And that’s the only thing I’m clearing up.”
However, Collin disputed Hannah’s statement. He told the hosts of The View, “All families are complicated. I’ve seen Hannah many times in the past year. Me, myself, my father, at our house. I have pictures if you want to see them.”
He continued, “That statement sounded like a lot of the words of my mother, especially the last part. What I do believe has happened is that Hannah’s caught in the middle — and nobody deserves that.”
Collin claimed, “I know what it feels like to have to fight to have a relationship with your siblings. I don’t have one with my siblings, and I know how much that hurts. Not only is she caught in the middle, but I do believe my mom is either leveraging finances or Hannah’s relationship with our siblings over Hannah.”
Collin Gosselin is currently competing on FOX’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” The series airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
Jon Gosselin Makes Heartbreaking Admission About His Estranged Twin Daughters