Collin Gosselin's memoir alleges Kate Gosselin committed a litany of abuse

Reality TV is rarely what it seems, especially according to “Jon & Kate Plus Eight” star Collin Gosselin. LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 17: Collin Gosselin attends Fox’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” Season 5 red carpet at Fox Studio Lot on September 17, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Fox via Getty Images) Collin has written a memoir, titled “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood,” in which he alleges years of abuse by his mother, Kate Gosselin, as well as strained relationships with his siblings, and an overall frustration with being in the public eye since he was practically a baby.

The now 22-year-old felt he was treated differently from his siblings, twins Mady and Cara, now 26, and fellow sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Leah, and Joel. “I became the problem. At first, it lived in the emotional space.

The constant sense that I was one mistake away from losing whatever little ground I had,” Collin wrote, according to Entertainment Weekly. “And then there was the physical side. I learned early that my mom’s anger didn’t stop at words.

Sometimes it was a sharp yank to my ear. Sometimes a slap across the face. She would always stretch her fingers outward and hit us with the palm of her hand.

Right across the cheekbone. Quick, decisive, meant to correct.” NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: Collin Gosselin is seen after a segment of "Good Day New York" to promot his new book on September 30, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Simon/Getty Images) In addition to physical abuse, like Kate allegedly pulling his ear so hard it left a mark that was spotted by a teacher at his school, Collins says he was often separated from his siblings and locked into a basement bedroom.

“There were no toys, let alone any furniture. Just books. The cameras were connected to a device about the size of a baby monitor, it hung from a lanyard so it could be worn around someone’s wrist.

My mom carried it, then passed it off to a nanny or assistant when she left the house. It moved from person to person, a small screen that meant eyes were always on me,” he wrote. The abuse allegedly escalated after he attempted to run away, with Collin claiming that when he returned, Kate used zip ties to restrain him before sending him to live at Fairmont Behavioral Health Institute.

CELEBRITY WIFE SWAP - "Kate Gosselin / Kendra Wilkinson" - Season Two of "Celebrity Wife Swap" kicks off with reality television mom Kate Gosselin ("Kate Plus 8") and former Playboy Magazine cover girl Kendra Wilkinson (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images's "Splash"), TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network. (Photo by Donna Svennevik/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)KATE GOSSELIN, JOEL KEVIN GOSSELIN, COLLIN THOMAS GOSSELIN, MADELYN "MADY" KATE GOSSELIN, AADEN JONATHAN GOSSELIN, CARA NICOLE GOSSELIN, LEAH HOPE GOSSELIN, ALEXIS FAITH GOSSELIN, HANNAH JOY GOSSELIN At the clinic, Collin recalled being restrained and heavily medicated.

"My brain had started feeling soft and cloudy, like someone had turned a dimmer switch down," he wrote, per E! News. "I found myself zoning out, feeling like a zombie." Collin was at the facility for almost two years and claims Kate only visited him once.

He ultimately had a letter, written in crayon, smuggled out to his dad, Jon, who he later moved in with along with Collin’s sister Hannah. According to the “Special Forces” star, he hasn’t seen most of his sibling since he was 15. Kate has alleged that Collin suffers from several mental health issues, which Collin claims in the book are false and that he was misdiagnosed.

UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Kate Gosselin visits "Extra" at Universal Studios Hollywood on June 12, 2019 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images) In a 2023 statement shared on Instagram, which Collin included in his book, she said, “My son Collin, whom I love with all my heart, has received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years.

For the safety of myself, his brothers and sisters and for his own well-being, he was placed in a facility following years of outpatient treatment which proved insufficient for his needs. The decision to admit him was made by emergency room doctors following one of his many attacks/outbursts—this one involving his use of a weapon.

Fast forward to the present day, and following Jon’s removal of Collin from treatment, my son’s unpredictable and violent behaviors have sadly continued regularly towards Jon, Hannah, and others around him. Collin’s distorted perception of reality is one of the many issues that he has always struggled with.

As many people who have family members grappling with mental health issues can attest, it is rarely and sadly surprising when complete fabrications occur, and this is just another heartbreaking facet of this fight.” She continued, “All parent-child relationships are complex, but when mental illness is involved, it is incredibly complicated and painful, and certainly not easy for others on the outside to understand.

All measures that were taken in our home were at the explicit recommendation of his pediatric psychiatrist and/or his team of specialists and were put into place to safeguard every member of our family, our friends as well as our family pets. Unfortunately, I believe Collin remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help.

His brothers and sisters and I have not been directly involved in his life due to his history of unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies towards us.” “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood” is available now. Follow us on Instagram @WeArePauseRewind for all your pop culture obsessions.