Who's Hannah Gosselin? Daughter defends dad Jon after ex-wife Kate accused him of being 'violent and abusive'
After Jon Gosselin's ex-wife Kate Gosselin accused him of being 'a violent and abusive person' who physically assaulted their teenage son, the reality TV star's daughter, Hannah spoke out in support of her dad.
"My dad loves us... he's never been abusive," she said in a statement given to Daily Mail, adding that Jon has always been a "very loving and supportive dad" and that he's stuck by his kids no matter what.
On September 3, Collin posted on Instagram that his father was a "liar" who "beat" him. "He punched me in the face and gave me a swollen nose and I started bleeding," wrote the teenager in a presently deleted post. "He then continued to kick me in the ribs after I was on the floor." Following her son's revelations, Kate Gosselin, who hasn't seen Collin in over five years, claimed she was notified by the County of Berks, Pennsylvania Child & Youth Services (CYS) that Jon was under active investigation over the incident. "If this doesn’t qualify as assault, I don’t know what does," she told People magazine.
Hannah, who witnessed the incident during which Collin,16, told police his dad punched and kicked him, told Daily Mail: "My dad has been there for me and Collin no matter what. He’s been a very loving and supportive dad throughout everything. Collin is facing many difficult issues and my dad is doing everything in his power to help him. My dad loves us and has never been abusive to us in any way."
She also confirmed that she told investigators her dad never hit Collin. The incident was investigated but claims of physical assault were unfounded and the probe was dropped within 24 hours. According to Berks County District Attorney John Adams, no charges or citations were issued.
Jon himself shot down Kate's claims that he was still being investigated for child abuse in a previous interview with the outlet, saying, "It's not true, I would never hit Collin, ever. I love him with all my heart." He also added that his son was dealing with behavioral issues, is troubled. "I really didn't want to have to come out and talk about this for Collin's sake, but when Kate is in the media attacking me, calling me a child abuser, I have to defend myself. I love my son and I would never hurt him," he said.
Jon said that it all started when Hannah and Kate started having a sibling's spat at the back of the car on September 2 on their way home from a dental appointment when he was driving. "Collin got very upset and started acting out so I intervened. He started throwing stuff at my car, denting it and shouting f**k you," he said. "I was angry and I confronted him and then he threatened to run away. We've had problems with Collin in the past running away and I was worried, he was upset so I restrained him. I didn't punch or kick him, I restrained him, which he obviously wasn't happy about. He's 16, he's a 16-year-old boy. I restrained him and then I backed away, because you never want to restrain your kids, it's the most heart-wrenching thing you ever have to do."
He later learned from his daughter that Colin had called the police. "He told them I punched him in the face and kicked him in the ribs. And I was like, I didn't do any of that stuff," he said. They all separately gave witness statements where Hannah sided with Jon.
Jon explained it started out as a typical day on September 2 and he had taken Collin and Hannah for a dental appointment. but according to the protocol, the police reported the incident to the CYS. "I get it, the police have to do their job," Jon conceded. "The CYS came out and interviewed us and they also spoke to Collin's mother Kate and his other siblings and that was the end of it, the claims were unfounded."
His claim to fame was alongside Kate on the 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' reality show which was based on the former couple's life with eight children; set of twins Mady and Cara, both 19, and sextuplets Collin, Hannah, Leah, Alex, Aaden and Joel, all 16. Out of all the children, Collin and Hannah live with Jon, while the rest stay with Kate. Although Collin does not speak with any of his other siblings, Jon said previously that Hannah still maintains contact with her siblings.