Jon Gosselin has likened his former wife, Kate Gosselin, to disgraced parenting vlogger Ruby Franke after their son Collin Gosselin made abuse allegations in a new memoir.
During a Nov. 3 appearance on the Legally Goff podcast, Jon argued that Franke—who was convicted on four counts of aggravated child abuse—“did less” than Kate, according to allegations detailed by Collin.
“Ruby Franke did less than what Collin is alleged—he’s saying in his book. And she went to jail for a long time. She just got sentenced. What, 30 years? Four counts of aggravated assault on a minor,” Jon said. “It’s like, what is wrong with this world? Why is it different for celebrities?”
Jon continued to support his son, saying, “He was abused and the abuser still walks free and that’s awful.”
Kate has not issued a formal response to Collin’s claims, but she appeared to reject the allegations in a comment to a supporter on TikTok.
“I know rational logical ppl or anyone who has dealt with mental illness,” she wrote, “understands what’s going on here :).”
Oxygen contacted Kate’s manager for further comment but did not immediately receive a response.
“There’s always two sides to every story and when things take place in the past, it’s hard to determine because people have differing recollections and perspectives,” Kate’s attorney, Richard Puleo, previously told The Sun in September 2024. “However I can personally attest to this situation as I knew Kate and all eight of her children since they were small and I don’t believe Kate ever did anything to intentionally harm Collin.”
Collin Gosselin Accused Mom Kate Gosselin of Locking Him in Room, Zip-Tying Him
In his memoir, Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood, Collin alleged that his mother pressured him to appear on the family’s hit reality show. He also claimed that she isolated him from his siblings and confined him to a small, unfinished basement room equipped with cameras.
“My mom was very, very physical with me, and it was just me. My mom would hit me. She would pull my ear, open-hand slap me, push me, yank me around,” he told NPR while promoting the book. “At one point, she had zip-tied my ankles and wrists together and kept me bound and locked in my room. And beyond that, there was just years and years of mental and emotional abuse and just anything that would—as a child, would make you just want to just give it all up. I mean, years I endured that.”
Collin was 11 when he was placed in a behavioral institute, where he spent two years. Jon, who divorced Kate in 2009, later regained custody of his son, People reported.
CONTINUE READING: Anne Hathaway-Produced Film’s On-Set ‘Disaster’ Revealed
In a recent TikTok comment, Kate described the institutionalization as “medically necessary.” She also told Entertainment Tonight in 2022 that her son had “special needs,” a characterization Collin has disputed.
Puleo told The Sun that he believed “she did whatever she did to protect herself and her family from some of his troubled behavior as a child.”
Ruby Franke Accused of Keeping Her Children in “Work-Camp Like Setting”
Franke was arrested in 2023 on four counts of aggravated child abuse. The popular YouTube creator frequently shared parenting advice with co-defendant Jodi Hildebrandt, a therapist who operated an online home self-improvement program, according to a statement from Washington County prosecutors.
The two women were arrested after Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped through a window at Hildebrandt’s home and sought help from a neighbor.
“The neighbor observed duct tape on the boy’s ankles and wrists, severe wounds, and malnourishment,” authorities said. “He quickly contacted law enforcement who, upon arrival, learned that potentially more children remained inside Ms. Hildebrandt’s home and in harms’ way.”
Officers also found Franke’s 9-year-old daughter “petrified and hiding in the closet.”
According to investigators, the children were subjected to what prosecutors described as a “work-camp like setting,” where they were regularly deprived of food, water and beds.
After responding to Hildebrandt’s home, officers arrested her and searched the property, where they found Franke’s 9-year-old daughter hiding in a closet.
“They were forced to do physical tasks like carrying loaded boxes up and down stairs and ‘sitting’ against a wall without a chair or stool for hours at a time,” prosecutors said. “The children were also forced to do manual labor outdoors in the extreme summer heat without shoes or socks.”
In December 2023, Franke and Hildebrandt each pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. They were later sentenced to prison terms of four to 30 years.