Collin Gosselin Claims He Was Discharged From Marines Due to Previous Institutionalization by Mom Kate

Jon and Kate Plus 8 alum Collin Gosselin's dreams of becoming a United States Marine have been dashed due to his past institutionalization by his mom, Kate Gosselin, the former reality star claimed.

"I am not ... not any longer" with the Marines, Collin, 20, told Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, August 13, of his status with the armed services.

“I was discharged,” he continued. “I was towards the end of training, very close to graduating. The paperwork was looked into, and they found out that I was, in fact, in an institution at one point in my life.”

"They don't need any deeper reason. Being in an institution, that’s good enough [to discharge him]. It was the fact that I was in an institution and that’s it," the TLC alum said of how he was let go from the Marines. He added that he has “very few other wishes in life that would top being a United States Marine.”

Now that his life plans have changed, Collin said he will attend Penn State University in the fall of 2024, where he will major in finance. He's staying with his dad, Jon Gosselin, 47, until he's "off to college."

"I'm sure we're going to miss being around each other but I'm sure he's looking forward to me going on my own path," he said.

After allegedly having issues at home with his fellow sextuplets, Kate, 49, put Collin in an institution in 2016 when he was "11 or 12." He told the outlet he "didn't know what was going on" or where he was going and "that was probably the most scared I've ever been in my life."

Collin alleged that Kate only came to visit him once at the facility for about 30 minutes, and "the entire time all she did was lecture me and told me I destroyed our family."

Jon attempted to rescue Collin from Philadelphia's Fairmont Behavioral Health Institute in 2018 after his son begged him for help. During the custody battle, he was transferred to a different institution near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The former DJ was able to gain primary custody of Collin in 2018 and brought his son home to live with him where he later attended high school. His fellow sextuplet Hannah also lived with her father and brother. The siblings graduated from high school in May 2023.

In a post on his graduation day, Collin thanked his Army Junior ROTC instructors, writing, "Collectively they have taught me some of the most valuable lessons that I will carry by my side for life. No hate towards the Army, but the challenge of the Marine Corps just appealed to me more."

Jon, and Kate got married in June 1999 and welcomed eight children together: twin daughters Mady and Cara in October 2000 and sextuplets Aaden, Alexis, Collin, Hannah, Joel and Leah in May 2004. The large family of multiples starred on their own reality TV show Jon and Kate Plus 8 on TLC from January 2007 through November 2009, but was renamed to Kate Plus 8 after Jon and Kate’s nasty 2009 divorce. Kate Plus 8 ran from June 2010 through July 2017.

Kate was awarded custody of all eight kids in the divorce settlement, but Jon later gained custody of Hannah in May 2018 and Collin in December 2018.

In Vice TV’s Dark Side of the 2000s, which aired in July 2023, Collin gave insight about why he was sent away from living with his siblings Leah, Alexis, Joel and Aaden, as well as twins Mady and Cara.

“I was starting to tell people what was going on at home and, you know, she caught wind of that and had to put me somewhere where I wouldn’t be able to get the secrets out,” he explained, adding that his mom was “going through a lot of things.” “I mean, a divorce and plenty of different things that can’t be easy to go through."

According to the former reality star, Kate “needed someone to take out her anger and her frustration on. It was just kind of me, you know, I was in the way and I was there. So, she chose me."

Kate broke her silence following the documentary, writing on Instagram in July 2023, "Unfortunately, I believe Collin remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help. His brothers and sisters and I have not been directly involved in his life due to his history of unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies towards us."