It sounds like Kate Gosselin's brainwashing is only part of why Jon isn't in touch with his six other kids.

He encourages the kids to visit with each other, but apparently Kate wont let her four sextuplets meet with defectors Hannah and Collin.

"My wish is that all my kids would just be together, like, hang out together," Jon expresses to Entertainment Tonight.

He Adds that "Kate and I don't live that far away from each other."

"And," Jon characterizes, "I feel like there's an invisible wall."

"They should just be able to just get together," Jon says of the eight children, and particularly the sextuplets.

"I mean, I have no qualms about it," he emphasizes.

"If they wanna go meet each other," Jon states, "just go ahead."

'But," Jon suggests, "I feel like it's more on the other side."

By which he means Kate, putting her foot down and preventing the teens from hanging out with each other.

He clarifies that he is absolutely "not stopping them from coming together."

Jon does admit that he "can't speak for the other side."

"I'm hoping that when my kids -- and they will get their license," Jon begins.

"And," he clarifies, "when I say my kids I'm referring to Hannah and Collin."

They're all his kids, but Hannah and Collin are fortunate enough to be able to live with him.

Jon shares that he hopes "that they'll just drive to school and pick up their siblings."

"And legally, no one can stop them from doing so," Jon notes.

A parent without custody or visitation absolutely cannot go pick up a kid from school. But a sibling rarely has that legal barrier.

But Jon says that he knows better than to even attempt to work out an arrangement with Kate.

When it comes to the woman he married, Jon says: "That person doesn't exist anymore."

"Leah, Aaden, Joel, and Alexis, I love you," Jon announces.

We hope that they know that, but after so many years under Kate's influence, it's hard to say what they may believe.

"You're welcome to come over," he affirms, "call Hannah, Collin."

Jon admits: "I don't know what's holding you up."

"I don't know what the ill will is," Jon admits.

He knows that he has made mistakes but, let's be real, that's small potatoes beside Kate.

"But if you watch or don't watch or see it on the internet," he says of the interview, "I love you, happy birthday."

"Sorry I have to go through media channels," Jon expresses.

"I know no one likes that or whatever," he acknowledges.

That's true. Jon is potentially slipping into Heidi Montag's mom circa a decade ago territory, which is well-meaning but can backfire.

"But," Jon explains, "it's kinda hard to reach out to you."

"But anyway," Jon says in further comments directed at his estranged children, "good luck."

"And hopefully you call, or call Hannah," he adds.

"And you can walk to my house." Jon adds, "It's all good."

In other words, they have an open invitation to spend time with their "defector" siblings without Jon making it weird.

Jon also explains that all of the Gosselins live in a relatively small town.

He adds that there are only a few major stores and outlets in the area.

This means that they sometimes see each other while out shopping.

Jon says that they wave awkwardly to each other ... we imagine that it's a little like seeing a friend from middle school.

But Jon says that while the invitation to chat and visit remains open, he's not going to force the issue, at his home or in a store.

"If they're with their mother," Jon clarifies, "I don't want to upset the balance…"

"And it's not my place to intervene," he adds.

Jon emphasizes: "It's up to them." 

It's nice that they have one parent who recognizes them as human beings capable of thinking for themselves!

"You don't wanna make it uncomfortable for the child," Jon affirms.

"So," he reasons, "I just go about… and I'm comfortable with it myself."

Jon acknowledges that his eldest children, Mady and Cara, have not spoken to him in "six years or seven years."

"I just give it time," he adds.

Jon says that he hopes that "maybe as adults they'll come talk to me. I don't know."

"The time has been so much, I mean, when I look back it is upsetting," Jon admits, "because I did spend a lot of time with my twins."

"But they told me they don't want me to talk about them in the press," he acknowledges.

"So," Jon explains, "I try not to talk about them in the press because I don't really know them."

Jon hopes that he may one day be able to catch up with his estranged children.

"Maybe a wedding, their weddings might be one of those," he suggests.

"'Hey, how are you?' I have no idea," he admits of how he would go about that. "I'm more of an extroverted personality."

"I'm very outgoing," he adds. Being extroverted and outgoing are not the same thing, but there is often overlap.

"I tend to forgive easy," Jon adds. "I don't forget."

"We're Korean," he says of himself and all eight of his children, "we don't forget."

There are plenty of kids whom we celebrate as they cut off a parent for life, because it's their choice.

In this case, some of the kids seem to be under Kate's sway, leading fans to question if it's their choice, or if they're just eager to please their toxic mom.