The former 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' star tells ET, 'I'm not worried about skating around the truth anymore.'
In an exclusive interview with ET, Jon Gosselin is addressing claims that he's been physically abusive with his 16-year-old son, Collin, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Kate Gosselin.
Jon claims that Kate hasn't actually spoken to Collin in five years, though she recently publicly backed up her son's allegations earlier this month that Jon physically abused him, calling Jon a "violent and abusive person" in a statement to People. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Collin alleged that his dad punched him in the face and kicked him in the ribs. Jon denied Collin's claims and a Sept. 14 letter obtained by ET from the County of Berks, Pennsylvania Children and Youth Services addressed to Jon states that the report of suspected child abuse against him is "unfounded."
Jon says of his situation with Collin, "It escalated into something, you know, I had to restrain him and I've done that a couple times. I didn't think he would call the police but he wanted to get his way and the police did their investigation and there were no charges or citations filed."
"I've gone to all his therapy sessions," he adds of his son. "I've put him in school. I've walked him through everything. He's got a job, stuff like that, and Kate hasn't talked to him in five years. I mean, Kate didn't show up for his custody battle when they awarded me sole legal and physical custody. So now I find it interesting that she's so concerned about a child she doesn't even talk to. ... I mean, I find that interesting, so everyone can make their mind up of what she's trying to do."
Jon was granted sole physical and legal custody of Collin in December, after Kate didn't show up to their court hearing. Collin previously spent a little over two years in a program for children with special needs away from his family, before moving in with Jon. Back in November 2016, Kate said in an interview with Good Morning America that the decision to put Collin in a special needs program was at the advice of doctors and that she didn't "even really have a choice" in the matter.
However, Jon claims to ET that Collin was misdiagnosed and placed in the program against his will.
"He was there in his first place for 18 months and then thankfully he was moved to another place for a year and then it took me a year to get him out, but at least I could work with those people to let them know that, you know, this isn't the child that you think he is, and I got him out and then he's been at home with me for two years now," he tells ET's Kevin Frazier. "I've integrated him into public school. He has a 3.9 GPA, he missed school for three years and got caught up in all schoolwork, he has a full-time job -- he works on a farm."
Jon claims that Collin also has PTSD from Kate's treatment of him. Kate has previously denied allegations of abuse. During her 2016 GMA appearance, she was asked about a report claiming that Collin told staffers at his treatment facility that he was abused by her and that child services opened an investigation.
"I'm in the public eye. I have been investigated many times," she said at the time. "It's always unfounded, obviously."
But Jon claims to ET that Collin's "main disability is PTSD," which "stems from the abuse of his mother."
"And that is documented evidential proof and if anyone wants to contest that with me, I have the evidence to back it up," he says. "I'm not worried about skating around the truth anymore ... nor anything that would deter from the truth."
"It's evidential that she has been abusive to Collin," he continues to claim. "I have the evidence to prove that and ... she made this public and she wants to drag it out. She better watch what she's saying only because it's only going to, you know, come back to hurt her in the end. I have nothing to hide. I'm out here on ET doing an interview in the middle of my lunch break at work, you know? And I'm just trying to get my day done. I have so much on my plate, you know?"
Jon says he has no desire to ever be back on television, though he speculates that Kate does.
"I think her motives are fame, money and those have always been her motives and getting herself back on TV," he says. "I'm not looking to go back on TV. I haven't pursued any television. I work my IT job. My printer's in the background. I'm trying to live in society and TV was great. Yay. Whatever. It was not great, and I'm just ready to just move on and I've been moving on."
RELATED CONTENT: