Jon and Kate Gosselin’s troubled son Collin made a sudden, and surprising, appearance on the season finale of her reality show this week.
Now, in the wake of the Kate Plus 8 finale, we know why.
As fans who watch Kate Plus 8 online or read celebrity gossip on the reg know by now, the boy’s absence has been a frequent topic.
Collin, 12, has been in a program away from home.
In order to treat his unspecified “special needs” and “help him reach his full potential,” he’s been largely MIA from the current season.
The show, which chronicles Kate’s life with 16-year-old twins Mady and Cara and 12-year-old sextuplets, was essentially Kate Plus 7.
However, Collin appeared on Tuesday’s episode.
Somewhat of the blue, he showed up in a family game night scene, as well as a joint interview with his two brothers Joel and Aaden.
Collin remained mostly quiet, allowing his siblings to do most of the talking, though he seemed happy and engaged in the team trivia.
But fans who have been speculating about Collin’s appearance, and reappearance, may be disappointed to learn the following fact:
It was filmed before he was enrolled in the program.
“The reason he was on the show is that it was shot before he went away,” says the insider, “and sometimes footage airs out of order.”
Simple as that. A byproduct of reality TV editing.
In August, Kate opened up, albeit vaguely and carefully, about her decision to enroll Collin in the program for his “special needs.”
“[There’s] a fairly fluid diagnosis of what those needs are, but he needs to learn certain strategies to help him deal with things,” Kate said.
“This has been a struggle we’ve had for a very long time, and it’s one I’ve dealt with on my own. I’ve felt very alone in this.”
“By the same token, it’s not something that has only impacted me or him … our entire family has been impacted.”
“We miss him so much, so it’s been hard because there is a huge hole in our family without him here,” she added.
“But it comforts us to know he’s where he needs to be right now,” Kate concluded, “and I can feel good about that.”
Well, that’s a huge relief.
Kate went on to say:
“I don’t know what the road ahead entails, but I’m very happy with the care that he’s getting, and [that he is] exactly where he needs to be.”
“It comforts me as a mother … when you, as a mom, can’t give your kids what they need, it is a huge comfort to find people who can.”
Somehow we doubt this will quiet the controversy, or put an end to debate over whether Kate is lying about Collin and his whereabouts.
Moreover, Jon Gosselin (remember him?) has alleged that she’s hiding their son from him, and threatened to take her to court over it.
We wish the boy the best, wherever he may be. We just wish he had parents who had their acts together and truly put his interests first.
We’re not sure that’s the case.