Entertainment TV Collin Gosselin Gives Rare Interview About Reality TV's Toll on His Family: 'I Think It Tore Us Apart' Collin Gosselin, who has been living with his father Jon for years, says re-establishing a relationship with his mother Kate "would be ideal" By Kelly Wynne Kelly Wynne Kelly Wynne has been a TV writer at PEOPLE digital since 2021. Her work has been seen in Newsweek, where she acted as a reality TV and true-crime writer, Atwood Magazine and her mental health blog, The Chronically. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 28, 2022 04:38PM EST Collin Gosselin doesn't soften his words when he reflects back on his time on reality TV. The former Jon & Kate Plus 8 star opened up about why he feels growing up in front of cameras broke his family — and whether he would like to mend his relationship with mom Kate. "I want to believe it was because of TV and what being in the public eye does to a family. I think it tore us apart," Collin, who was a minor at the time of filming, told Entertainment Tonight. "It gave us less time to actually be together as a family [and] more time to be in the public eye." Jon Gosselin/Instagram Kate Gosselin Sells Kate Plus 8 House for Nearly $1.1 Million The Gosselin sextuplets became household names when TLC (formerly Discovery Health) chronicled their birth and the first decade of their childhood on TV. As the children grew older, viewers also saw the unraveling of the marriage between Jon and Kate. The pair — who are also parents to 22-year-old twins Mady and Cara — separated and divorced in 2009, after which the series ran under the name Kate Plus 8 until 2017. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. Collin, 18, is now living with Jon, 45. The teen said his relationship with his mom changed after he was sent to a live-in learning facility to address his behavior issues. "After being there, I didn't have a relationship with her," Collin said of Kate, 47. "Even before [being] there, I don't think we had much of a relationship and I think that just kept tearing it even more down." He added, "It's unfortunate that we didn't have a relationship. I think every son wants to have a relationship with their mom. But I'm doing very well." When asked if he would still welcome a relationship with Kate, Collin said, "Yes, it would be ideal." Noel Vasquez/Getty; Jon Gosselin/Instagram; Bryan Steffy/Getty Jon Gosselin's Daughter Hannah Opens Up About 'Stable' Relationship with Mom Kate Jon was granted full custody of Collin in December 2018 when Kate and her legal team did not show up to a hearing. This past May, Entertainment Tonight reported that Hannah, another sextuplet, also lives with Jon and Collin. Hannah told ET she still has a relationship with her mom: "My relationship with my mom is pretty stable. Like, we text each other and call each other on a [sic] average basis." The remaining four Gosselin sextuplets — Leah, Joel, Alexis and Aaden — live with their mother.