Collin Gosselin, one of the eight children raised on the TLC reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” says his mother zip-tied him, locked him in a basement room and sent him away to an institution.
Story Highlights
- Collin, 22, tells his story in a new memoir, “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood,” and in a TV interview ahead of its release.
- Kate Gosselin has denied all of his allegations. In 2016 she called earlier abuse reports “unfounded.”
- Collin says he was placed in an institution days before his 12th birthday and stayed about two years.
- “Simply put, my whole life that I lived was a lie,” he says.
Why Collin Is Speaking Out
Collin says the family life viewers watched on TV was not the life he lived at home, and his book is his side of the story. His mother has denied his claims for years. In June 2026, she wrote on her TikTok page that it was “about my real life” and “definitely not for made up accusation discussion!” She and TLC did not respond to requests for comment on the new interview, according to reports.
The interview aired Monday, October 12. The book is set for release Tuesday, October 13. Collin, now a college student studying finance, says writing it forced him to relive hard moments but gave him his voice.
What Collin Says Happened at Home
Collin says that after his parents divorced, his mother cut him off from his father and made him sleep in a locked basement room. He says a teacher noticed his swollen earlobe, which he says came from his mother dragging him by the ear. He told a teacher and a guidance counselor, and he says his mother was unhappy that he did.
He says she pulled him out of school in fourth grade. When child protective services, the state agency that looks into reports of child abuse, became involved, he says he was “too afraid to say anything.” After he tried to run away, he says, his mother zip-tied his hands and feet and locked him in the basement room.
Sent Away Days Before His 12th Birthday
Collin says he was removed from the home days before he turned 12 and placed in an institution, a live-in treatment facility, where he was given medication and had almost no contact with his family. He says he was told, “This is for your own good.”
He says that about a year in, he wrote a note to his father, Jon Gosselin, asking for help. After about two years in all, he moved in with his father and his sister Hannah. Collin says an independent psychological evaluation he had in 2023 found no mental health diagnoses at that time.
Kate Gosselin’s Side
Kate Gosselin has long given a different account. In 2016, she said sending Collin for treatment was “the best thing I can do for him right now,” and said he had educational and social challenges. Asked then about staff reports of abuse, she called them “unfounded.” In 2023, she said she believed Collin “remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help.”
In June 2026, when a follower suggested she sue her son for defamation, she replied that she could not because she is a public figure: “Rules are different unfortunately.” Jon Gosselin declined an interview.
Children, Cameras and Who Is in Charge
Parents, not networks, must be in charge of a child’s welfare. But when big TV money comes into a home, the pull changes. Children on reality shows did not choose the cameras, and they grow up with their childhoods on permanent record. Collin’s account is a reminder that the people who watch a family on TV see only what makes the final cut.
Collin says he would “love to” reconnect with his brothers and sisters, though he knows things will never be the same. His message to them: “I love you, I always have and always will.”
Sources:
abcnews.com, foxnews.com, usatoday.com, tvinsider.com, pagesix.com, usmagazine.com, people.com