Trigger Warning: This story contains descriptions of child abuse.
As Collin Gosselin continues detailing the alleged abuse he suffered at the hands of his mom, Kate, the 22-year-old says he believes his mom got away with her actions against him because she was famous at the time.
“My mom could get away with murder,” the former ‘Jon & Kate Plus 8’ star stated this week on ‘Entertainment Tonight’ while promoting his newly released book, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood.
While Kate’s home was presumably a busy place given that, for many years, all eight of her and Jon’s children lived under her roof, Collin said he only felt safe when other adults were around. According to Collin, this was because Kate “wouldn’t act up or slip up.”
When asked to expound on this comment, Collin explained that Kate could “get away with doing a lot more,” be “a lot more physical” and say certain things when other adults weren’t around to witness it. He also stated that, even when adults noticed that things weren’t right, Kate’s fame “absolutely” kept others from speaking up.
As The Ashley previously reported, Collin– who is one of Kate and ex-husband Jon’s eight children– came forward in 2024 about the abuse his mom subjected him to, with Kate allegedly zip-tying his hands and feet together and locking him in the basement. (Kate has previously denied Collin’s allegations and, more recently, she has called her son’s claims “ridiculous” and “made up.”)
In his new book, Collin shares more about the traumatic circumstances he faced while under Kate’s roof, including disturbing details about the unfinished basement room where he was kept “for weeks and weeks, and years and years.”
“I was kept in, essentially, what was a jail cell,” Collin recalls. “It was a room, not even in the finished part of our basement. I was put back there like an item, like an animal, in a room that my mom had specifically built for me, and it had two cameras. And that’s where I spent my days.”
Collin claimed that the cameras in the basement room had audio capability, which is how he would ask Kate for permission to go to the bathroom. Collin likened the act to a “humiliation ritual,” recalling that his mom would have to come downstairs and unlock the room so that he could go relieve himself.
“I mean, as a child, that is so absolutely humiliating that it takes the humanity from you,” he said.
In his book, Collin details an incident that occurred when he was in fourth grade that ended up raising concerns at his school.
“[My mom] had yanked on my ear so hard that it was purple, it was purple and swollen, there was purple going down the side of my face,” Collin said. “And my teacher was like, ‘Collin, what’s wrong, what happened to your ear? What’s going on here?’”
While the incident earned Kate a visit from Child Protective Services (CPS), Collin recently revealed that he was too afraid to speak up when caseworkers arrived at the house. He also says he believes this situation– and others like it– are why Kate had him removed from her home in 2016 and taken to an institution, where he remained for 22 months. (Kate publicly stated at the time that Collin was placed in the facility because he had “special needs,” though Collin and Jon have always denied this claim.)
During the nearly two years he spent in the facility, Collin said he was heavily medicated and in a “zombie”-like state– something he also believes his mom had a hand in.
“They kept me like a zombie and I think it’s because it had to be under the influence of my mother’s direction,” he said.
As you know, Collin was eventually able to leave the facility, at which point he remained in Jon’s custody until the age of 18. (Jon also had custody of daughter Hannah, while the other Gosselin kids remained in Kate’s care until they were 18.)
Collin recalls wanting to see his father while still in the facility, but being told by Kate that Jon didn’t want to see him. Likewise, Collin claims that Kate told Jon that Collin didn’t want to see him either.
Despite the alleged abuse he suffered by Kate’s hands and the estrangement that’s followed, Collin stated this week that he loves the “memories” of his mom “before she changed.”
“ … But I don’t really know who she is now,” he added.
Collin’s book, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood, is now available to purchase.
Click here to order Collin’s book using The Ashley’s Amazon Associate’s link!
Watch a clip from Collin’s ‘ET’ interview below.
RELATED STORY: Collin Gosselin Claims He Was Abused & “Exploited Every Day” By His Mom Kate; Says She’s Never Apologized For “Taking Things Too Far”
(Photos: Instagram; TLC)
This is sad. I dont doubt Collin’s claims. Kate is unhinged.
I’m confused why the other siblings (except Hannah) remain estranged. They were witnesses to at least some of the abuse.