Jon Gosselin says he wouldn’t recognize his older daughters, twins Madelyn and Cara, if he walked past them in public.
The “Jon & Kate Plus 8” alum called the duo “strangers” during Tuesday’s episode of the “Legally Goff Podcast” while reflecting on not seeing the 26-year-olds “forever.”
He claimed to have been “alienated” from their lives by his ex-wife Kate Gosselin since the age of 13, explaining: “Alienation (as in) silence. I never heard their voice. One day I was an active, everyday parent… and I was just excluded from their lives.”
“I don’t care if they call me an asshole or whatever,” the 49-year-old said. “I just want some kind of answer. Just text me or message me. At least I’ll know. … Walking around for 13 years not knowing has eaten away at my soul.”
The DJ, who “has nightmares” about what Madelyn and Cara think of him, called the distance “upsetting” and “heartbreaking.”
The DJ pointed out, “I missed graduations. I missed proms. I don’t know anything about my twins – if they have boyfriends or girlfriends, or what favorite color they have now, if they drive a car. I don’t know anything.”
Jon added: “I wouldn’t be able to spot them on the street. I have pictures of them, but I still wouldn’t be able to spot them on the street. That’s how much I haven’t seen them.”
The former IT technician is also estranged from four of his 22-year-old sextuplets, having relationships with Collin and Hannah but not Leah, Alexis, Aaden and Joel.
He speculated that his adult children “believe the TLC narrative, that (he’s) a bag and (he) doesn’t want to see them.”
Alleging that Kate previously told him and Collin that they “didn’t want to see each other,” Jon said, “I believe that’s exactly what she told Madelyn and Cara. She’s their mom, they believed her and that’s it. And the same thing with the other four.”
However, he doesn’t “blame them”, saying his children “live in fear”.
Jon has been divorced from Kate since 2009, when the former nurse was granted primary physical custody of the eight children.
By 2018, however, Jon had gained custody of Hannah and Collin, the latter of whom had been in a behavioral health facility for nearly two years prior.
Collin has lashed out at his mother in numerous interviews over the years, most recently accusing her of abuse — which she denied — in his October memoir, “In the Shadow of Eight.”
While promoting the tell-all, he sent an emotional message to his former siblings.
“I love them very much and I want them to know that what was done to us when we were children is not normal,” Collin told Page Six in an exclusive interview.
Jon, similarly, shared his own desperate plea with “Entertainment Tonight” last month, saying, “I hope you understand that I still love you. I hope one day you’ll contact me.”
“And please read your brother’s book because I think it will explain a lot,” he continued. “Be your own person. You’re all adults now.”
Madelyn, Cara, Aaden, Leah, Joel and Alexis have mostly stayed out of the public eye in recent years, except for Kate who has given rare glimpses on social media.
In 2023, Madelyn made headlines gushing about her “amazing” siblings, insisting they’re not “damaged” and “crazy child stars”.
She told her TikTok followers: “They’re all smart, they’re all nice, they’re motivated students, they work hard, they’re funny, they’re stylish.”
Gn entert
