Kate Plus 8 - General Discussion

[chabelisaywow]

On 4/12/2023 at 4:15 PM, Gemma Violet said:

Apparently, Mady did a TikTok video with Hannah where they answered questions from fans.  So, Hannah, who was living with Jon and Collin and is now going to school in Florida, is friendly with Mady (and hopefully with the other siblings as well).  I don't know what the dynamic is with Collin and the siblings.  I hope they are mending any fences that were there.

Are the septuplets in college? I wondered if Kate sent them to public school when she moved to NC.  Mady I can understand siding with Kate. Cara, too, though? The Kool-Aid is strong at Kate's. 

[babyhouseman]

3 hours ago, chabelisaywow said:

Are the septuplets in college? I wondered if Kate sent them to public school when she moved to NC.  Mady I can understand siding with Kate. Cara, too, though? The Kool-Aid is strong at Kate's. 

I think the 6 are graduating high school this year which would be pretty soon. I may be wrong about that. They'll be 19 this month. It'd be interesting to know if they went to public or private in NC. Kate would prefer private, but I guess it depended on the money. 

[Gemma Violet]

They graduated high school in May of 2022.

[overtherainbow]

Hannah graduated last year but the other sextuplets are still graduating this spring. Not sure if they finished online or attended a local school. 

I think the money's most certainly run out, hence why so many of the sextuplets are working part time. Even Mady's mentioned she had to take out a loan for college. Supposedly they had trust funds, but they're only supposed to get a certain percentage each year before age 30 and Kate drained Colin and Hannah's for $100,000 so I'm sure she touched the others too. 

I too am curious where they'll go to college and whether being away from Kate's clutches will make a difference. It certainly doesn't seem to have made a difference whatsoever with Mady and Cara. 

I know Leah's into baking, Alexis wants to become a zoologist (no surprise there), Colin planned to join the military this spring, Hannah's studying business at the University of Miami (not sure what happened with her beauty line or if she's still promoting it), and I think Aaden and Joel are pretty private so idk what they're doing. 

I peek in on Mady's tiktoks every now and then. Hannah has reconnected but Colin is still very much estranged from all siblings other than Hannah. Mady has no interest in reconnecting with him and snipes at anyone who brings it up or anything else she deems "not your business" but she's certainly quick to respond to comments and engage with people on social media.

[merylinkid]

22 hours ago, overtherainbow said:

Supposedly they had trust funds, but they're only supposed to get a certain percentage each year before age 30 and Kate drained Colin and Hannah's for $100,000 so I'm sure she touched the others too. 

The kids now that they are adults need to sue Kate for her mismanagement of THEIR money.   Make her accoutn for every cent she appropriated.   I would LOVE to see her justify how she spent Colin's money when he didn't even live with her for several years before Jon got custody.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 5/15/2023 at 9:41 AM, merylinkid said:

The kids now that they are adults need to sue Kate for her mismanagement of THEIR money.   Make her accoutn for every cent she appropriated.   I would LOVE to see her justify how she spent Colin's money when he didn't even live with her for several years before Jon got custody.

I wonder if they were actual legally established trust funds, or if they were simply bank accounts, and Kate drained them before the kids hit 18, when they could have put the money in the kid's names only?    

Even the states where an actual trust account is required, the parents can withdraw to pay for school, lessons, housing, legal and agent fees, and a lot of other things.  So, many kids actors grow up and their money is long gone. 

Edited May 16, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[merylinkid]

Either way if she was managing the kids money because they were minors she still owed a fidicuiary duty to be responsible with THEIR money.   

[overtherainbow]

5 hours ago, merylinkid said:

The kids now that they are adults need to sue Kate for her mismanagement of THEIR money.   Make her accoutn for every cent she appropriated.   I would LOVE to see her justify how she spent Colin's money when he didn't even live with her for several years before Jon got custody.

She claimed she was desperate and needed a way to pay for her living expenses. She may have brainwashed her other kids into believing they'd be on the streets if she didn't dip into their funds. I think they were supposed to get at least 15% when they turned 18, which may have not even been that much and Hannah and Collin got nothing and didn't know until they got access to their accounts last year. 

The whole "downsizing" thing also seemed overblown to me. Their house in NC is a cool $750K and comes with a nice lakefront with a private pier and a pool. It may not have the land/square footage of their PA house, but it's very nice for a single nurse's salary and still far nicer than what the average person could afford. 

[overtherainbow]

I do hope some of the kids take her to court, if not now then a few years from now. I'd be pissed if a decade of my childhood was put on TV and I had nothing to show for it.

[pasdetrois]

I remember when one reality TV parent - maybe June/Honey Boo Boo (Alana)? - was required to put her kids' TV income in a protected account. It seems as if TLC suggested or required it. It happened after viewers complained in social media and the real media talked about how these reality TV kids' financial interests are not protected.

It appears Kate was not legally bound by any protective arrangements, or the language is so loose that a parent/guardian can drive an armored truck through it.

I think this is governed at the state level. Many states are loath to interfere with parental rights.

It's an ethical crime and it drives me crazy. It's a system: parents force kids into entertainment; parents "manage" the income and also pay themselves; kids suffer the financial, educational, social, and emotional consequences.

Edited May 16, 2023 by pasdetrois

[babyhouseman]

7 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

I remember when one reality TV parent - maybe June/Honey Boo Boo (Alana)? - was required to put her kids' TV income in a protected account. It seems as if TLC suggested or required it. It happened after viewers complained in social media and the real media talked about how these reality TV kids' financial interests are not protected.

It appears Kate was not legally bound by any protective arrangements, or the language is so loose that a parent/guardian can drive an armored truck through it.

I think this is governed at the state level. Many states are loath to interfere with parental rights.

It's an ethical crime and it drives me crazy. It's a system: parents force kids into entertainment; parents "manage" the income and also pay themselves; kids suffer the financial, educational, social, and emotional consequences.

A politician in Pennsylvania helped pass a bill for reality tv children to get a percentage of the money during the time Kate was popular. There was a hearing where Kate's brother and sister in law testified about the bad effects of the show on the G children. This was a long time ago. I don't think the money she was required to set aside was that much. This was during Kate's heyday so TLC didn't care. 

[Absolom]

It was something like 15% of the total earnings spread over all the children and it was only for about the last two years of the show.  

That law only applied to Pennsylvania.

Edited May 16, 2023 by Absolom

[babyhouseman]

There was an article where Jon said he was attending Collin and Hannah's graduation but not the other four.

[Dibs]

5 minutes ago, babyhouseman said:

There was an article where Jon said he was attending Collin and Hannah's graduation but not the other four.

So did they graduate high school last year -- or are they graduating this year?  Maybe they were held back a year since some were small at birth (and I think all were somewhat premature).  Either way, the division among the siblings and parental alienation in this family is terribly sad and ALL Kate's fault.

[babyhouseman]

Just now, Dibs said:

So did they graduate high school last year -- or are they graduating this year?  Maybe they were held back a year since some were small at birth (and I think all were somewhat premature).  Either way, the division among the siblings and parental alienation in this family is terribly sad and ALL Kate's fault.

This year. Kate held them all back a year because some were behind. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I read Kate bought near Lake Norman, which is in my state.  I’ve visited there once to a friend’s place, who had a vacation house there on the water.  It was very nice.  
 

Does anyone know if Kate and kids have kept the Gossling name?

Edited May 20, 2023 by SunnyBeBe

[babyhouseman]

5 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I read Kate bought near Lake Norman, which is in my state.  I’ve visited there once to a friend’s place, who had a vacation house there on the water.  It was very nice.  
 

Does anyone know if Kate and kids have kept the Gossling name?

I'm not surprised she ended up there. The show's production company was in NC, and I remember they went there for a visit before they moved there. On the show, she said she loved NC and wanted to live on the water. 

I assume they still have their names. People said if Kate hated Jon so much, she should have dropped his last name. This was while Kate was popular, and she was capitalizing on that name. 

[Quof]

It's Gosselin. And why on earth would the children give up their last name? 

[Panopticon]

Some of the kids not only have no relationship with Jon but appear to despise him. (Mady’s comments a few years ago come to mind.) If they decided to get rid of the surname inherited from a father they don’t like, they certainly wouldn’t be the first.

That said, I doubt that they would since there’s no easy alternative. Kate herself still uses Gosselin, which is after all the recognizable/marketable brand.

As for Jon: for all of his flaws, Hannah was lucky to have him around to allow her to start college when she was ready, rather than holding her back because she happened to have siblings who needed an extra year before finishing high school. 

Edited May 21, 2023 by Panopticon
iPad can’t spell

[CrazyInAlabama]

14 hours ago, babyhouseman said:

I'm not surprised she ended up there. The show's production company was in NC, and I remember they went there for a visit before they moved there. On the show, she said she loved NC and wanted to live on the water. 

I assume they still have their names. People said if Kate hated Jon so much, she should have dropped his last name. This was while Kate was popular, and she was capitalizing on that name. 

One reason Kate wanted to move to NC, was that at that time PA was talking about the working conditions and payment for kids on reality shows, and NC wasn't.   She supposedly threatened to move to NC at the last season or two of the show. 

[ginger90]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

One reason Kate wanted to move to NC, was that at that time PA was talking about the working conditions and payment for kids on reality shows, and NC wasn't.   She supposedly threatened to move to NC at the last season or two of the show. 

Would the money earned in Pennsylvania still be under that umbrella, so to speak? 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think it all depends on the actual laws, and if the PA money was in a real trust account, not under Kate's ownership, or if they were just regular bank accounts, with the minor child's name and parent's name on it.   If it was the first type, then the money would be safe.   

However, if NC didn't have rules about child actors and money, then anything earned after they left PA would be subject to the laws of the state they moved to.   Since Kate was able to take $100k each from two of the accounts, then either she's the trustee, or they're not in actual trust accounts.  

She took $100k from Colin and Hannah's accounts,  to pay for her NC home, I guess the downpayment?   So, that was for kids she wasn't paying anything for.  I know Colin lived with Jon for a few years now, and is Hannah the other one who lived there too?   I can't keep them straight. 

Edited May 21, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Absolom]

In Pennsylvania the law while setting money aside, it could be used for the child's health, education, or other benefit.  Kate probably used it for the private school fees for all of them.

[Lukeysboat]

17 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

She took $100k from Colin and Hannah's accounts,  to pay for her NC home, I guess the downpayment? 

How do you know this? I’m not doubting it, just wondering. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Look on Reddit Gosselin Snark topic.    She took $100k from each account belonging to Hannah and Collin.   She claims they owed it to her for paying for their private schools.   It went to her NC house on the lake. 

The article came out 9 months ago, and she answered publicly, and said that the money was hers to use, because she spent it on the kids.   

 

[Gemma Violet]

Article:
Kate Gosselin 'coldly snubbed' son Collin at his high school graduation.. but only 'took pictures' with daughter Hannah

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12171281/Kate-Gosselin-coldly-snubbed-son-Collin-high-school-graduation.html

Edited June 8, 2023 by Gemma Violet

[Gemma Violet]

Colin did an Instagram for his graduation, thanking Hannah, Jon, Jon's ex-girlfriend, and his ROTC instructors.     

https://people.com/collin-gosselin-focuses-on-gratitude-and-calls-sextuplet-sister-hannah-his-number-1-in-graduation-post-7551820

It's sad that his own mother showed him less love and attention in his teen years than his former stepmother.  But good for his former stepmother for stepping up and being a mother when he needed one.

Edited June 22, 2023 by Gemma Violet

[Dibs]

I'm so sorry that Jon and Colleen (?) broke up; poor Collin deserves a stable home and loving family unit for once in his life.  But he'll be fine in the military and do well; he's obviously grown into a fine young man in spite of his horrific mother.  We're all pulling for you, Collin!

[Gemma Violet]

Here's his Instagram post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtyDOELuh9a/

[Gemma Violet]

https://parade.com/news/kate-gosselin-estranged-son-collin-interview-video-july-2023

Kate Gosselin's Estranged Son Accuses Her of Taking 'Anger and Frustration' Out on Him

Quote

"I'm not going to say I was a perfect child, but I'd say my misbehaving was no different from my siblings," he stated

Quote

Hannah also alleged that Collin was frequently "separated" from the rest of his siblings, and was not allowed to play outside or eat dinner with them. 

Quote

 

"I know my mother was going through a lot of things," Collin said of Kate. "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," he candidly stated. "I was in the way and I was there. So, she chose me." 

 

 

[TigerLily20]

that interview just makes me sad for him, I hope he is getting therapy for what he went through....

[pasdetrois]

He was the classic scapegoat, which exists in many dysfunctional families. The parent(s) select the scapegoat child as a target for all their anger, frustration, depression, anxiety, insanity, etc.

I hope Collin lands in a professional, functional military environment. The military is not always the answer for distressed people and can traumatize them further. A friend is a retired military psychiatrist. His words are "My job was to patch people up quickly and get them back into service."

Edited July 10, 2023 by pasdetrois

[Gemma Violet]

39 minutes ago, pasdetrois said:

He was the classic scapegoat, which exists in many dysfunctional families.

I've heard about this, i.e., stories of people who are arrested for cruelty or neglect, who aimed it at one child and not the siblings of that child.  

Poor Colin.  I can't imagine how emotionally difficult it must be to be rejected by your own mother, the person who's supposed to protect and nurture you.  It happened to a distant relative of mine (the rejection started after her dad's suicide--a double whammy--losing both parents, although one was still living) and she had emotional problems her entire life.

[babyhouseman]

It's not surprising. They're appearing in a docuseries on VICE called Dark Side of the 2000's. I looked this show up. It's coming on July 18 at 10 pm. There are other subjects too like Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen.

Edited July 10, 2023 by babyhouseman
more info

[Gemma Violet]

Jon & Kate Plus 8 star Collin Gosselin accuses mom Kate of sending him to 'scary' behavioral institute at AGE 12 to stop him revealing her 'ABUSE' - as dad Jon says he spent $1 MILLION fighting for custody so he could free his son

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12296601/Jon-Kate-Plus-8-star-Collin-Gosselins-father-spent-1M-behavioral-institute.html

Quote

 

Opening up about why he thinks Kate sent him away, Collin said he believes she made the decision in order to stop him from telling people about how he was being treated at home. 

'I was starting to tell my teachers that my mother was... can I use the word abuse?' he said. 'That's kind of the reason why she sent me away, I'd started to tell people what was going on at home. 

'I was starting to tell people what was going on at home, she caught wind of that and had to put me somewhere where I wouldn't be able to get the secrets out.'

 

Quote

 

'I was scared and I was alone and I needed someone to bail me out,' Collin said of his decision to write to his father. 

When Jon arrived in Pittsburgh, he was shocked by his son's appearance.

'I don't recognize him, it's been three years now, he looks like a different human being, he's on a lot of medication,' Jon recalled.

When a doctor at the institution allegedly told Jon that they still didn't have a diagnosis for his son, the reality TV star made the decision to fight for custody.

'I went to court, I spent a million dollars getting my son out, everything I had I spent,' Jon said.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by Gemma Violet

[Gemma Violet]

Here's some more:

Jon & Kate Plus 8 star Collin Gosselin, 19, slams his mom for 'driving a barrier between' him and sextuplet siblings as he lays bare their bitter rift - revealing he 'didn't hear even from them' when he nearly DIED in car crash

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12306907/Jon-Kate-Plus-8-Collin-Gosselin-feud-sextuplets-car-crash.html

Quote

 

'So, my mother, she's very controlling. She's determined, she knows what she wants and she gets what she wants,' he claimed.

'I think my mom kind of drove a social barrier between us. She told them the story one way, and obviously I see the story a different way,' Collin added.

Hannah, also 19, spoke out in the docuseries as well and confirmed that her brothers and sisters are aware of what happened to Collin.

'We did not talk to Collin for years while he was in the facility, we didn't even know where he was,' she explained.

But once Jon was awarded custody and Collin went to live with him, the truth was out.

'That was a big thing for me because I couldn't comprehend why my mom would do that to one of our siblings, her own kid,' Hannah said.

'That is like a really dark part of our past. They don't talk to Collin. Everyone eventually found out what happened to him but now they decided to just not have a relationship with him.' 

Jon, 46, is also estranged from six of his children and is clueless as to why they no longer speak to him.

'I have no access to the kids I'm estranged from. I have no idea whey they stopped coming, I have no answers, like none, it's the worst,' Jon told VICE TV.

'I'd rather they be like, "you're an a**hole, I hate you, you did this to mom..." I have nothing, I have no closure.'

Kate and her children didn't even contact Collin after he was involved in a near fatal car accident in late 2022.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, he said that he fell asleep at the wheel on his way to work and explained: 'Next thing I know, car was flipped, and I'm just, like, sliding upside down across traffic.'

When asked by VICE TV if his mom or siblings got in touch after the crash, Collin replied: 'No I didn't hear anything from any of them, they didn't reach out at all.'

 

 

[justduckey]

Maddie, Hannah and Leah were all very active on TikTok live a few month ago. Unless I’m missing them, they’re radio silent now. I wonder what changed

[babyhouseman]

The documentary is here.

https://www.vicetv.com/en_us/video/jon-and-kate-plus-8-family-circus/64836ad4ecec907cff1aa10b

[Kellyee]

Maddy posted a statement on Instagram implying that that Collin has made violent threats towards them as recently as last year. She's apparently getting bombarded with hate mail because of that documentary show. 

Every story has two sides, and I just don't buy Jon's innocence act. I don't believe he has no idea why 6 of his kids don't speak to him. I remember him being an ass at the end of the original show when the divorce was happening, and he hung out with Lindsay Lohan's father and went on that Couples Therapy show. 

Also, why did Colleen dump him, then accuse him of using her cancer for attention? 

And I think there is more to the Collin story too. They don't just lock kids up for years for no reason. There is an assessment, and doctors/therapists would have to find cause for him to stay there. And Jon had to deal with the police on Collin's behalf on at least one occasion too. There is more to this story than Jon and Collin are telling us.

[babyhouseman]

https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/mady-gosselin-claims-colin-has-physically-threatened-their-family/?taid=64b948771dc5750001ac3750&utm_campaign=true_anthem_usweekly&utm_content=New&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter

This is what Mady said. The whole situation is sad.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Unfortunately, the private hospitals, treatment centers or juvenile boot camps can keep kids for years, as long as the parents pay for it.   Collin's lucky he didn't end up in an overseas facility, and he may never have been released.    

Minors have very few rights, especially when a parent or guardian sends the kid to a private institution.  

Edited July 20, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Gemma Violet]

Mady was the biggest brat on the show and is a mini-Kate so I tend to take what she says with a grain of salt.  I'm not saying Colin didn't act up, but did he always act up or did he act up because of the way he was treated by Kate?  And even if there's truth to Mady's version, why didn't Kate visit Colin at the hospital more than once a year?  Abandoning him couldn't have helped his mental state.

There are so many inconsistencies.  Mady says that Colin has made his opinions clear in private and that Colin has physically threatened her/them as recently as last year.  So they saw each other last year and they talked in private?  I thought it had been years since Colin and his siblings last communicated.

The truth could be somewhere in the middle.  It's like the old saying: there's my side, your side, and what really happened.

[JenMcSnark]

3 hours ago, Gemma Violet said:

Mady was the biggest brat on the show and is a mini-Kate so I tend to take what she says with a grain of salt.  I'm not saying Colin didn't act up, but did he always act up or did he act up because of the way he was treated by Kate?  And even if there's truth to Mady's version, why didn't Kate visit Colin at the hospital more than once a year?  Abandoning him couldn't have helped his mental state.

There are so many inconsistencies.  Mady says that Colin has made his opinions clear in private and that Colin has physically threatened her/them as recently as last year.  So they saw each other last year and they talked in private?  I thought it had been years since Colin and his siblings last communicated.

The truth could be somewhere in the middle.  It's like the old saying: there's my side, your side, and what really happened.

This is exactly what I thought.  I get that Collin has been abused and has anger issues and maybe worse.  I've been there too.  But her statement seems disingenuous at best given the facts that we know.  

As Collin said, he wasn't perfect and he acted out but he sees it one way and Kate spun it another to his siblings.  When you are in a traumatic situation (as a child being on the receiving end of the anger of a sibling can be), it can then be magnified by what your parent tells you or how they respond to it.  By Kate sending Collin away and then not even visiting him and saying God knows what about his behavior to the other kids, she probably sent a message that Collin was at fault or worse. Which is probably not fair to Collin. 

It's a sad situation for sure.  Jon was a total ass when the divorce happened.   I don't think he deserves to be estranged from his children but he created the opportunity and Kate took advantage of it.  But he redeemed himself for me for saving Hannah and Collin.

[Absolom]

How Mady can say such things about Collin when Kate has been horrifyingly horrible her whole life shows how well the brainwashing has worked.

[smalltowngal]

What about Kate admitting that she picked up Collin by the hair when he was in his crib? I guess everybody forgot about that.

[pasdetrois]

I think she singled out Collin because he reminded her of Jon.

The environment these parents provided was a Petri dish for growing mental illness in their children. Collin is simply the first to display it publicly (his anger and so on).

He needs to process what has happened to him with a great therapist, then move on and create his own loving and supportive family/community, whatever that may be.

Edited July 21, 2023 by pasdetrois

[ginger90]

19 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Unfortunately, the private hospitals, treatment centers or juvenile boot camps can keep kids for years, as long as the parents pay for it.   Collin's lucky he didn't end up in an overseas facility, and he may never have been released.    

Minors have very few rights, especially when a parent or guardian sends the kid to a private institution.  

Did Jon give up his legal rights at some point? If so, it was up to Kate, big mistake.

 

Pennsylvania has some decent laws regarding mental health and 14-18 year old children.

[ellekaelin]

I watched season after season of Maddy hitting and bullying her younger siblings. Maddy you do know that plenty of moments of you tormenting those kids are on camera right? So for her to say that anyone is abusive is beyond me. I truly think those who lived with Kate were fed a certain story and taught to believe it. I think they truly believed that Collin was a "monster" who had to be put away when in reality Collin was the kid who didn't want to play along with the big happy family that Kate alone was raising when that truly wasn't the case. How dare Kate go to Hannah's graduation and cheer for her and not for Collin. How dare you make something that in a young persons mind your biggest day such a sad moment to see one of your parents not "proud of you". Kate is a monster! I really hope one day these other kids discover their own truth. 

[mom2two]

Based on what my experiences are and what we know, Mady has admitted that both she and Leah are LGBTQ .   Collin could have very conservation viewpoints and not be accepting of that lifestyle, and Mady takes it as "hateful".    I know this, because one of my kidlets is ASD and very traditional/conservative on their own, and my other kidlet  would say that kidlet 1 is "hateful".   

I do believe as a child, collin did probably lash out a bunch as well. and he could have had meltdowns that caused concern.  BUT Kate as a mother is dispictable. Just dump him somewhere and dont try to work with him, or visit him.  Separate him from his siblings (except for hannah).   Collin has issues for sure, but not to the degree that Mady is indicating.   The divide here  that happened is horrible. At least Hannah communicates with all her siblings. 

It seems the Cara has distanced herself from it all. She has graduated college and has a great job in NY.   I just dont get why she would not try to repair the relationship with her father. Maybe she will someday. Her and John was tight.

I am on team John, but bringing back the wounds and having Hannah and Collin on this show, was not the right way to do things. He is still trying for 15 minutes himself.

 

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, mom2two said:

Based on what my experiences are and what we know, Mady has admitted that both she and Leah are LGBTQ . 

If this is true, I certainly hope Leah "admitted" it herself first, or gave Mady the green light to do so.