Gosselin dishes on her new show, possibility of future marriage
TLC star Kate Gosselin dishes on her new show "Kate Plus Date" and talks about whether she'd ever walk down the aisle again.
The Gosselin family has been under scrutiny ever since they were launched into the spotlight in 2007 with their TLC series "Jon & Kate Plus 8."
Kate Gosselin came under fire most recently due to accusations from her 19-year-old son, Collin, who alleged that she abused him when he was younger and sent him away at age 12 after she said he had been diagnosed with a behavioral disorder.
"I have never wanted to have to do this, but I feel I have been backed into a corner and left with no choice. Although it saddens me to do so, I need to speak out now," she said in a rare public statement to People magazine last week.
Kate Gosselin released a statement after her son, Collin, accused her of abuse and institutionalizing him as a young teen. (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
KATE GOSSELIN SAYS SON COLLIN IS 'VERY TROUBLED YOUNG MAN' AFTER ABUSE ALLEGATIONS
"My son Collin, whom I love with all my heart, has received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years. For the safety of myself, his brothers and sisters and for his own well-being, he was placed in a facility following years of outpatient treatment which proved insufficient for his needs. The decision to admit him was made by emergency room doctors following one of his many attacks/outbursts – this one involving his use of a weapon," she continued.
"Fast forward to the present day, and following Jon’s removal of Collin from treatment, my son’s unpredictable and violent behavior has sadly continued regularly towards Jon, Hannah (his sister) and others around him," she wrote.
Kate did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Collin’s claims are just the most recent instance of Kate coming under fire.
Kate Gosselin with her eight children, twins Mady and Cara and sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah and Joel. (Donna Svennevik/Disney General Entertainment Content)
Strict Parenting and ‘Mommie Dearest’ Accusations
During the show’s heyday, Kate often appeared to be the stricter parent and routinely received backlash from viewers and critics.
In a 2011 episode of "Kate Plus 8," she addressed the perceptions about her personality.
"Of course, my obnoxious, controlling personality and the fact that everything needed to be perfect, clean and done well, I’m sure added some interest in the mix," she said when describing "Jon & Kate Plus 8’s" initial appeal.
The episode intercut her interview with clips showing Kate scolding the kids and her then-husband, Jon, and she acknowledged she didn’t always come off well on the show.
"I couldn’t even stand myself in season two," she said. "I think that people think that I’m like ‘Mommie Dearest,’ like this horrendous person."
She continued, "Am I rosy and peachy and splendid all the time? I think everyone in this room could say ‘no.’ Sometimes, over two days of shooting for one episode, and I have three crabby mommy moments. Well, guaranteed you’re going to see them all in a 22-minute show. So, of course, that makes me look like I’m crabby mommy all the time."
The couple starred on TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8." (TLC)
"It’s really difficult to balance it all," she added.
Divorce and Custody Issues
Jon and Kate were married for 10 years before their divorce was finalized in 2009, also effectively ending the original version of "Jon & Kate Plus 8."
In a special episode focused on Kate titled "Kate: Her Story," the mother of eight admitted their relationship was difficult at times.
"I was very hard on him, and I would never deny that. I felt much like a lot of weight rested on my shoulders," she said of her marriage with Jon.
Jon and Kate Gosselin were married from 1999 to 2009. (Brad Barket)
In 2016, Jon said he hadn’t seen all eight of his kids together in three years at that point, and he later told "Entertainment Tonight" he didn’t even know where Collin was.
Kate appeared on "Good Morning America" that same year and said, "We are both court ordered not to speak about the care and custody of our children in detail. I’ve known all along where [Collin] is, but the world doesn't know, and I'll leave it at that."
Regarding allegations about her parenting, Kate said, "I’ve been investigated many times, it’s always unfounded, obviously," she said.
In 2017, police were called to an orthodontist’s office after a dispute over custody broke out between Jon and Kate.
The couple reportedly argued over one of their then-13-year-old daughters and who would take her home from the appointment.
Jon later revealed that one of his daughters, Hannah, had moved in with him full time.
He also later filed for and eventually won custody of Collin. In a Vice TV special called "Dark Side of the 2000s," Collin said Kate was abusive and sent him to an institution when he was 12 years old. Jon backed him up and said he spent "$1 million to get my son out" of the institution.
KATE GOSSELIN’S CHILDREN EXPOSE ALLEGED ABUSE OF SON COLLIN
"I'm not going to say I was a perfect child," Collin admitted in a teaser shared to Twitter, "but I'd say my misbehaving was no different from my siblings."
His sister, Hannah, also appears in the series, and she said in the trailer, "I don't think effort was made in the home to help him learn what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not acceptable."
Collin states in the clip, "I know my mother was going through a lot of things. 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."
Collin reportedly only has a relationship with Hannah and does not speak to his other six siblings as of 2016.
Collin's sister, Mady, also weighed in on the family drama, saying on her Instagram story that Collin had physically threatened the family.
"I will never allow someone who has exhibited hateful and even violent behavior toward others… in my life, and I refuse to compromise for ANYONE, even my brother Collin," she wrote.
Mady Gosselin says her brother, Collin, has been violent and made threats against the family. (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery)
KATE GOSSELIN'S DAUGHTER MADY ACCUSES BROTHER COLLIN OF RECENT VIOLENT THREATS AGAINST FAMILY
Family Estrangement
Kate’s brother, Kevin Kreider, and his wife, Jodi Kreider, spoke out on "CBS This Morning" in 2009 about the effects the show was having on the kids and said that both Kate and Jon were being "blinded" by fame.
"They're being exploited," Jodi said of her nieces and nephews. "And it's time for America to see the situation for what it really is, which is unfortunately there are no laws protecting children in reality TV shows. And it's time for the public to be aware of this."
She noted that after the first season, the show’s demands grew and "there were cameras in the children's bedrooms at one point. And they were filming all year around. And these were very huge concerns for us."
Kevin and Jodi appeared on "Jon & Kate Plus 8" in earlier seasons.
"We have talked to them many times about, you know, about the subject. And they have often said, ‘You know, hey, you know, this is kind of our lives, this is what we chose, this is how we're going to provide for them,’" Kevin said. "And we feel that they have chosen this path with disregard to their children's safety, security."
At the time, Kevin said his relationship with Kate was "strained."
Kate Gosselin's brother and sister-in-law spoke out against her and Jon for featuring their children on reality TV. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
JON GOSSELIN CONFESSES HE HASN’T SPOKEN TO TWINS MADY, CARA IN NEARLY A DECADE AFTER CUSTODY BATTLE
That same year, on the special episode of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" titled "Kate: Her Story," she spoke about her relationship with her family.
Regarding her brother, Kate said, "To confirm things he has no idea what he’s talking about, that never happened, to cash in and make money … hurtful doesn’t even cover it."
She also spoke about her relationship with her parents.
"My parents email me, I email them back, they’re very different from me. Nobody’s right," she said.
"There’s a lot in my childhood that was not happy," she continued but did not specify her meaning, saying it would take "10 years" to figure it out. She also noted their relationship had changed before the family went on television.
"My parents do support me from afar," she added.
In 2014, Kate’s sister, Kendra Wilder, did an interview with the Daily Mail, claiming they hadn’t spoken in six years.
Kate Gosselin speaks during the Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour, Feb. 12, 2019, in Pasadena, California. (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
"Kate does not speak to her family at all. It is very painful," she said. "In the past, the people who were close to her were the people who were making money from her, and we thought that was very dangerous."
"The last time we saw and spoke with her, it was in our church parking lot. That was years ago, I have lost track of time," she continued.
"I guess we weren’t totally on board with what was going on with the kids. I guess we weren’t excited enough for her and were concerned about her family."
Kendra also said at the time that Kate was not speaking to their parents.
Cheating Rumors and Romantic Life
Just before Jon and Kate announced their divorce in 2009, Kate was accused of cheating with the family’s bodyguard, Steve Neild.
She told People at the time that she was "horrified" by the rumors.
"The next story coming out from the animals that stalk us is about our security person and his family," she told the outlet. "Already the allegations they’re making about me are disgusting, unthinkable, unfathomable, and I am horrified."
She continued, saying of Neild and his family, "These are people who absolutely love us and want to see us through to the end. Of course, both of them travel with us at times, and we’ve spent holidays together because, in this situation, your circle grows smaller and smaller, and it’s very natural to become friends with your manager, your publicist, your security team … they’re the only people you have left. And now they’re coming under fire."
Kate Gosselin is shown at a 2009 book signing with bodyguard Steve Neild standing in the background. (David Livingston/Getty Images)
Jon was also rumored to have been cheating around the same time, allegedly with a teacher, which he denied.
After she and Jon finalized their divorce, Gosselin went on to live life as a single mom, and the TLC series rebranded as "Kate Plus 8" for a few years until it came to an end in 2017.
Two years later, Kate was back on camera, this time as the sole focus of a show about her romantic life, "Kate Plus Date."
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While promoting the show on "Today," Kate explained why she had remained single for a decade since the divorce.
"I was busy with my kids. There was no energy, there was no time," she said.
By that time, Mady and Cara were headed to college and the sextuplets were turning 15.
"It occurred to me that soon it's going to be me and the dogs rattling around the house," Kate continued. "If I don't want to be single forever, I've got to try."
The series followed Kate going on dates, including a cooking lesson and an improv class, with 10 bachelors, and at the end of the six-episode run, she would decide who would get a second date.
That same year, in 2019, Kate was spotted in New York City with Neild, but it was never addressed by either party.
Kate Gosselin is spotted stepping out with her longtime bodyguard, Steve Neild, in New York City in 2019. (The Image Direct)
"Kate Plus Date" aired for only one season, and she remained quiet about her love life again until an interview with People this year.
"I will never say never because I mean, maybe, I don't know," she told the outlet about whether she planned to date again. "I don't know what it's going to feel like to be at home all the time by myself. Maybe I will end up being ... lonely. Let me just go hang out with a friend."
Rebuilt Life
Kate Gosselin recently said "never say never" about the possibility of dating again. (D Dipasupil)
Kate now lives in North Carolina with six of her eight children: twins Mady and Cara and four of the sextuplets, Alexis, Aaden, Leah and Joel.
According to the Daily Mail, Kate obtained her nursing license in the state in 2022. Prior to reality TV fame, she had been a labor and delivery nurse in Pennsylvania.
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The New York Post reported in 2021 that the Gosselin house, featured in "Kate Plus Eight," sold for $1.085 million.
But Kate hasn’t completely abandoned life in the spotlight.
Earlier this year, she appeared on the FOX series "Special Forces: The Toughest Test," going through boot camp-style physical training and challenges, but she withdrew early in the competition due to a medical issue.
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