[Trigger Warning: Mentions of child abuse]
Collin Gosselin, one of the now-grown sextuplets from the reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8, shared his story against his mother, Kate Gosselin.
The 20-year-old alleges that his mother, a reality TV personality, mistreated him severely when he was a child, locking him in a basement room for hours on end.
Collin detailed the horrific events he claimed to have gone through in an interview with The U.S. Sun.
He disclosed that his mother used to ‘zip-tie his hands and ankles together and lock him to a specially designed chamber’ in the basement of their house.
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He recalled, “It was like a containment room, with a mattress on the floor, and that’s how I lived.”
He explained that he was kept in this room for long periods, frequently in the dark and that the lock was locked, preventing him from leaving.
Collin claimed he received different treatment than his seven siblings. Without any history of mental illness, he said his mother had sent him to a mental health center.
Collin has provided private medical records to back up his assertions, claiming they demonstrate he is not suffering from the mental illnesses his mother has purportedly mentioned.
He stated that, despite the horrific event, he preferred the mental health facility to his home. He clarified that his purpose for being there was to get away from his mother’s “physically aggressive” and “very abusive” actions.
During the conversation, Collin broke down in tears as he read to his father, Jon Gosselin, a note he had written when he was twelve years old, scribbled in crayon. The note was a frantic request for assistance, pleading with his father to save him from the institution.
“Dear Dad, I’m not trying to trick you, but I still love you,” the note began. “I told Mom I want to live with you, and she said no. But right now, she can’t choose for me. And I’m old enough now; I’m your son, not hers. She was abusive to me after I left her house. And I’m sorry, I’m sorry, take this to court… Dad, you’re my savior. Please help me.”
Collin also thought back to his early years and the conviction that no one would believe him. He claimed that his mother had given him this belief.
“My mom always told me nobody would believe me,” he added.
In a 2023 Instagram post, Kate Gosselin addressed Collin’s accusations by asserting that her son frequently had “attacks/outbursts,” one of which involved a firearm. She said that he was only admitted to a mental health center after being given several diagnoses.
But Collin’s most recent independent assessment, carried out by a doctor following his brief stay in the U.S. According to reports, the Marine Corps discovered no proof of the mental illnesses his mother had stated.
After he was granted custody of Collin and his sister Hannah, Jon Gosselin said he was not informed of the alleged abuse. He noted that Collin started talking about the abuse once he felt safe and that Hannah supported Collin’s statements.
“I didn’t hear about that [abuse] until Hannah told me about it once I got custody of Hannah,” Jon shared. “I think once Hannah knew she was safe and not going back to mom’s, she felt she could tell me.”
Richard Puleo, Kate’s attorney, supported her behavior by saying, “I don’t think Kate ever did anything intentionally to harm Collin.” I believe that she took whatever action she could to shield her family and herself from some of his problematic childhood behavior.
As these details come to light, they put a pall over the history of the reality TV family and raise concerns about the complicated dynamics in the Gosselin home as well as the effects of celebrity.
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