Collin Gosselin, one of the sextuplets known from the show “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” believes that being “institutionalized” during his childhood prevented him from fulfilling his aspiration to join the Marines.

The 20-year-old is currently residing with his father, Jon Gosselin, as he readies himself for college in the autumn. He shared with Entertainment Tonight in an interview released on Tuesday that he “was discharged” from the U.S. Marine Corps in the past year after completing his training as a recruit.

“I was almost finished with training, very close to graduation. They reviewed my paperwork and discovered that I had been in an institution at one point in my life,” he told correspondent Rachel Smith.

Collin also discussed his experience of being sent to a behavioral institution when he was “11 or 12.” In recent years, he has spoken about his estrangement from his mother, Kate Gosselin, who sent him to the facility for several years, along with most of his siblings.

“I was completely unaware of what was happening and where I was being taken,” he recounted to Smith.

“That was probably the most terrified I’ve ever felt in my life,” he continued. “My mother (Kate Gosselin) visited me only once; for about 30 minutes, she spent the entire time lecturing me about how I had ruined our family.”

In a 2016 interview with People, Kate Gosselin stated that Collin was “enrolled in a program designed to help him acquire the necessary skills to become his best self.”

“Collin has special needs,” she added. “[There’s] a somewhat fluid diagnosis concerning those needs, but he requires certain strategies to manage them. This has been a long-standing struggle for us, one that I’ve faced mostly on my own. I have felt very isolated in this situation. Likewise, it’s not just a challenge for me or him – it affects our whole family.”

She reiterated these statements in an Instagram post she made in July 2023.

Since their divorce in 2009, the relationship between Kate and Jon Gosselin has been turbulent. Jon openly criticized his ex-wife’s actions during a 2019 appearance on “The Dr. Oz Show.”

“Kate put him in an institution without a diagnosis and later created one,” he said. “He had no reason to be institutionalized. Just because he was a challenging child did not justify sending him away without my consent or knowledge. It took me two and a half years to locate him, and another year to bring him home.”

Collin’s siblings include Hannah, Alexis, Aaden, Leah, and Joel, who all turned 20 in May, along with twins Mady and Cara. He only maintains a close relationship with his sister Hannah.

“I care deeply for my siblings. I would never harm them or speak negatively about them to the media,” Collin stated. “However, I believe my mother influences what they say about me publicly. If we were to reconnect today, I think we would become good friends.”

He still aspires to be a Marine and is also open to the idea of returning to reality television, as he mentioned.