Collin Gosselin is shedding light on his estranged relationship with mom Kate Gosselin.
Close to four years after Jon Gosselin was awarded full custody of the former reality star, the 18-year-old is speaking out and sharing his perception of what led to the distance.
"I want to believe it was because of TV and what being in the public eye does to a family," Collin told Entertainment Tonight. "I think it tore us apart. It gave us less time to actually be together as a family."
Collin and his seven siblings starred in Jon & Kate Plus 8 from 2007 to 2010. After the couple's divorce in 2010, TLC would transform the show into Kate Plus 8.
According to Collin, another factor that played in their estrangement was Kate's decision to move him out of the family home in 2016 and enroll him in a program.
While Kate previously told People the institution was meant to teach life skills to help Collin overcome his "educational and social challenges," the decision sparked controversy when Jon revealed that he didn't really know where his son was taken.
"I ask but [Kate] doesn't tell me," Jon previously told ET. "She doesn't answer any of my texts."
In response, Kate told Good Morning America, "We're both court-ordered not the speak about the care and custody of our children in detail. I have known all along where he is. The world doesn't know. And, I'll leave it at that."
But if you ask Collin, the mother-son bond was already a little complicated. "After being there, I didn't have a relationship with her," Collin said in a new interview. "Even before [being] there, I don't think we had much of a relationship and I think that just kept tearing it even more down."
In December 2018, Jon won full custody of Collin after Kate and her lawyer did not show up to a custody hearing. Kate had asked for the hearing to be postponed, but the request was denied. Her absence led to Jon being granted sole custody.
When looking back on the court's decision, Collin said his mom's absence at the hearing "didn't really bother me."
"It's on her own terms and if she doesn't want to show up she doesn't have to show up," he said. "It's unfortunate that we didn't have a relationship. I think every son wants to have a relationship with their mom. But I'm doing very well."
While Collin noted it "would be ideal" if he could build a new relationship with his mom, the former Jon & Kate Plus 8 star has made peace with his current reality.
"I came to the conclusion that everybody has their own agenda," he said. "My mom had her own agenda, and I don't know exactly what that was. But I was put in a tough spot and my agenda was to make it out on top of that tough spot."
E! News has reached out to Kate's team for comment and hasn't heard back.