Jon Gosselin shares an update on Collin after enlisting in the US Marine Corps

Jon Gosselin is opening up about how he has been communicating with son Collin Gosselin since the 19-year-old enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.

The 46-year-old former “Jon & Kate Plus 8” star shared an update about Collin Gosselin during a recent interview with “Entertainment Tonight.”

“I got some letters from him from boot camp, from Parris Island,” Jon Gosselin said while seated next to girlfriend Stephanie Lebo. “He’s doing super well he just talks about like training... He said he doesn’t really have time to do anything (else).”

Collin Gosselin revealed he had enlisted in the Marines after graduating from high school in June. He uploaded photos to Instagram from his graduation ceremony, including snaps with his dad and sister Hannah Gosselin.

At the end of a lengthy caption, he wrote, in part, “Anyways, this chapter of my life has come to a close… Next stop Parris Island and soon after I will be studying Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in college! Can’t wait!!!”

While speaking with “Entertainment Tonight,” Jon Gosselin called his son “super independent” and revealed he enlisted when he was 18.

“I think it taught him to grow up a lot faster,” the former reality television star shared.

He also spoke about his son’s day-to-day activities in boot camp.

“It’s very, like, at 4 a.m. they get up, they do PT, they go eat, then they go study, classroom, then they eat, then PT, you know?” Jon Gosselin said.

The proud dad added, “It’s what he’s always wanted to do.”

In response to the letters he received, Jon Gosselin said he and his girlfriend sent the 19-year-old gift cards to go shopping, but the graduate “won’t be able to do that until the ninth week.”

“(But) he just writes like, ‘Hey, I miss you guys, I can’t wait to eat a real meal,’” Jon Gosselin explained.

Prior to leaving for his training, Collin Gosselin lived with his dad and sister Hannah Gosselin. Collin and Hannah Gosselin are estranged from their mom, Kate Gosselin, and their other siblings: sextuplets Alexis, Aaden, Leah and Joel and 22-year-old twin sisters Cara and Mady Gosselin.

“I think we built a good solid foundation for Collin to go into the Marines and now he knows he has a strong support system at home,” Jon Gosselin told “Entertainment Tonight. “He has good friends that back him up so that he can fulfill his dream of being a Marine and still come home.”

Although Collin Gosselin has been away training in South Carolina, he has been involved in many recent headlines about his famous family.

Collin and Hannah Gosselin were featured in a Vice TV series called “Dark Side of the 2000s,” which aired in July. During a segment on his family’s TLC reality series, Collin Gosselin spoke about his mom taking her “anger and frustration” out on him when he was a child.

Following his comments, Mady Gosselin reacted to the series and alleged Collin Gosselin traumatized her.

She posted a statement on her Instagram story that said, “Btw I’m not the authority on what trauma others have experienced, but I am the authority on what I have experienced (and I’ve reluctantly shared that with you today). To those of you saying my brother was a child who experienced trauma and so I must swiftly forgive and forget, please remember that I was a child too. I have empathy for him and what he’s been through, but that doesn’t erase the trauma I’ve suffered at his hands.”

Mady Gosselin continued, “We are real people living real lives, not just characters on your TV, which means there is SO much you will never know about our lives. There’s no need to ‘take sides,’ Please just be kind.”

“Entertainment Tonight” reporter Rachel Smith asked Jon Gosselin during their sit-down if Collin Gosselin was aware of his sister’s response to his appearance on the Vice TV series.

“He hasn’t mentioned anything in any letters, so I mean I think it’s best to just let it go,” Jon Gosselin replied. “Let him get through boot camp and live his life. If he wants to talk about anything or find out anything, I’m sure he’ll reach out but right now he’s concentrating on his training.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com