Jon & Kate Plus 8 alum Collin Gosselin has been estranged from most of his family for years after his mom, Kate Gosselin, admitted him into an institution to deal with his behavioral issues. After years of separation, however, the teen is desperate to reunite with his siblings, a source exclusively tells In Touch. 

“Collin wants nothing more than to be close to his siblings,” the source close to the family says. “Jon and his family hope that one day when the other kids finally move out and away from Kate, they can all reunite.”

As for the relationship between Collin, 19, and Kate, 48, the insider noted that “Collin is a very forgiving kind person but in order to heal the abuser needs to show some remorse.”

“We haven’t seen any signs of remorse. Instead, Kate has attacked him to the public which for a mother is a type of verbal abuse,” they continued. “Anyone can see that.”

While it’s unclear how long Collin has been estranged from six of his seven siblings, his father, Jon Gosselin, previously revealed he has not seen his eldest daughters, twins Mady and Cara, in a decade. Jon, 46, has custody of two of the former couple’s sextuplets, Collin and Hannah, but has not spoken to the other four, Leah, Alexis, Joel and Aaden, in more than five years. 

Collin previously opened up about Kate’s “abusive” behavior following her divorce from Jon in 2009. “I was starting to tell my teachers that, you know, my mother was … can I use the word abusive or are they not allowed to use that on air?” Collin said during his appearance on Vice TV’s Dark Side of the 2000s in July. 

“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,” Collin continued, 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,” he added.

The Kate Plus 8 alum publicly denied her son’s abuse claims after feeling like she was “backed into a corner and left with no choice.”

“Collin’s distorted perception of reality is one of the many issues that he always struggled with,” she added in her Instagram statement. “It’s sadly surprising when complete fabrications occur, and is just another heartbreaking facet of this fight.”

According to the family source, “Kate spoke out because she wants to protect herself and deny any abuse.” 

“Kate knew that Collin was in the Marines and had absolutely no way to defend himself,” the insider noted. “It’s very sad. It’s similar to when Jon was under a gag order while she bashed him in public.”

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