Collin Gosselin Says He Was Discharged from the Marines Due to Being Institutionalized by Mom Kate

Collin Gosselin’s dream was cut short.

The Jon & Kate Plus 8 alum recently alleged that his being institutionalized by his mother, Kate Gosselin, is the reason he is no longer serving in the Marines.

“I was discharged,” he told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published August 14. “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. And see they don’t need any deeper reason.”

The 20-year-old continued, “Being in an institution, that’s good enough to discharge. That’s it.”

Yet Collin isn’t willing to let his dream go so easily and is currently working to appeal the decision. “I have very few other wishes in life,” he explained, “that would top being a United States Marine.”

E! News has reached out to Kate’s rep for comment but has not yet heard back.

Following her divorce with Jon Gosselin—who between them share eight children, six of whom are currently estranged from Collin and Jon—Kate brought Collin to an institution where he would ultimately spend two years of his life. Since leaving the facility in 2018, Collin has been living with his sister Hannah and their father.

It was a confusing and scary time for him, Collin explained.

“I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t know where I was going,” he said. “I’ve told all my family this—that was the most scared I’ve probably ever been in my life. Up until then, I was home with my siblings, with my mom and she didn’t give me any information on where I was going, what was going on.”

“She came to visit me once,” Collin added. “It was about for 30 minutes, and the entire time all she did was lecture me and told me that I destroyed our family.”

He continued, “Our family was under a spotlight 24/7. My mother, especially following her divorce, there was this light cast on her as a single mother, taking care of eight children. And I believe strongly—I know strongly—the reason I was sent away was for my mother to protect her reputation.”

Yet despite his estrangement, Collin still hopes to rekindle his relationship with his siblings, including fellow sextuplets, Alexis, Aaden, Leah and Joel, as well as 22-year-old twins Mady and Cara.

“I love my siblings very, very much. I would never hurt them,” he added to ET. “I would never trash their names in the media. But what I do believe is that my mother’s behind things they say in the media. She’s behind their opinion of me. I think if we knew each other today, we’d be very good friends.”