Jon Gosselin Opens up About Relationship With Estranged Twins Mady and Cara

06/10/2023 04:02 pm EDT

Jon Gosselin discusses his years of separation from his daughters. He spoke about his estrangement from his two eldest children, Mady, 22, and Cara, 22, whom he shares with ex-wife Kate Gosselin. According to Jon, a father to 19-year-old sextuplets, Aaden, Alexis, Leah, Joel, Hannah, and Collin, he missed a significant milestone for his daughters.

"I had eight graduations this year," the 46-year-old told PEOPLEin a June 9 article. "I only attended one. The only kids I see and talk to are Hannah and Collin. So I've been pretty much estranged from Mady and Cara for nine years."

Mady and Cara finished college this year, while the rest of his children graduated from high school, PEOPLE reported. Hannah and Collin are the only high schoolers who live and stay in touch with Jon, while Kate had custody of Aaden, Leah, Joel, and Alexis until they turned 18 this year. In 2009, Kate divorced Jon after ten years of marriage and was awarded full legal custody of all eight children, according to Us Weekly. In 2018, Jon was granted temporary sole legal and physical custody of Collin after a series of custody battles throughout the years. By then, Hannah had already lived with him for about a year.

The former TLC star said he initially found the lack of contact with six of his children "very difficult."

"But now it's, you know, you hope for the best," he continued, "but you don't dwell on it, you know what I mean?" He remains hopeful, however, that they will be able to reconcile. "Maybe we'll develop a relationship in the future, but yeah," the 46-year-old said. "I can't put all my eggs in one basket like I used to and then be upset about it."

As his children become adults, Jon hopes that his relationships will improve. He told The Sun in April: "Before, the kids living with Kate were under her thumb, but now they are adults and going off to college or the military or whatever, I don't have as much fear about reaching out to them. There was so much angst between Kate and I, and my kids are pleasers, they wanted to please their mom."

"I always wanted to talk to all of my kids, but I didn't want to put them in an awkward position because Kate didn't want them talking to me." Jon added, "I didn't do parental alienation on my side, but she definitely did on her side, but now they are adults, they may not be influenced as much by her, and management and all those things. My door has always been open to them, and I hope now they are adults, they may want to reach out."

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