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Collin Gosselin reveals mother Kate allegedly abused him

Published Sep 11, 2024 3:54 pm

Trigger warning: This article contained mentions of abuse and physical violence.

TV personality Collin Gosselin revealed that his mother, Kate Gosselin, allegedly abused him as a child.

In an interview with The U.S. Sun, the 20-year-old star described how "very emotionally abusive" his relationship with his mom was, alleging that the latter binds his hands and feet with zip-tie and keeps him locked in a basement.

"It was a very, very emotionally abusive relationship," he said.

"When my mother would put me in that room multiple times, she had zip-tied my hands and feet together and bolt-locked the door, turned the lights off and had cameras there just watching me," Collin continued, adding that the room was an "unfinished section of the storage basement" that contained a mattress on the floor.

Collin also revealed that his mom allegedly segregated him from his siblings and took him out of school. This came along with his diagnosis "with a slew of psychiatric and behavioral conditions."

"And I was there, you know, most of the day because I didn't go to school after a certain point. So most of the day I was in that room and I was away from my siblings and I never really went outside."

Meanwhile, his father, Jon, also told the outlet that he was unaware of his ex-wife's alleged violent actions until he gained custody of daughter Hannah, noting that the incident "must have been terrifying" to Collin.

"The room in the basement where she kept Collin is still there," Jon claimed. "My friends's in-laws bought our house, and one time they asked me 'Why is there a room in the basement with a bed and a lock on the outside?'"

"It must have been terrifying for [Collin]," he added.

According to the media outlet, Kate declined to comment on the issue. 

However, citing Kate's attorney Richard Puleo, Page Six said that Kate denied the issue. She said she did not "intentionally" harm Collin and just "did what she did to protect herself and her family" from her son's "troubled behavior."

Why he is speaking out

Collin continued to talk about the issue on his Instagram story hoping that his revelation would spark changes and be the "voice" for those children who also experienced abuse and violence.  

"It has taken me a long to find the strength needed to speak about my mother's abuse. I have finally found my voice, and I hope to be the voice for children everywhere facing abuse. It is never ok. Your story can be told, just like mine," he wrote.

"As well, I wish to bring attention to the system that failed me as a child, and hopefully, in turn, it will help others," Collin added.

Collin also thanked his dad for "fighting so hard" to obtain custody of him and "saving" him from the institution where he was "wrongfully committed."

"Seeing pictures of my younger self is still incredibly difficult, but today, I feel a small sense of justice by speaking it."

'Dad, you're my savior'

Collin also shared with the media outlet how he was diagnosed with autism, ADHD, bipolar, PTSD, oppositional defiant disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder as a child.

In a letter that he wrote after months in the Fairmount Behavioral Health System in Pennsylvania as an inpatient, Collin asked his dad to save him from the alleged abusive relationship with Kate. His dad had no idea where Collin was during that time.

The letter read, "Dear dad, I'm not trying to trick you, but I still love you. I told mom I want to live with you and she said no. But right, 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....And I said, dad, you're my savior. Please help me. And let me meet Colleen," the text continued.

"I'm counting on you to get me out of here. And then I wrote the name and I found the address on a brochure so that he could find me," the letter ended. 

Kate calls son 'troubled young man'

In 2023, Collin criticized Kate's parenting, saying that the latter's "anger and frustrations" were taken out on him.

"I want to think that she needed someone to take out her anger and frustration on, and it was just kind of me. I was in the way and I was there. So she chose me," Collin said in the first episode of VICE TV's Dark Side of the 2000s.

Kate took to Instagram to address Collin's accusations. According to her, all measures taken in their home were at the "explicit recommendation" of Collin's pediatric psychiatrist.

"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 2007, Kate and Jon Gosselin starred in the TLC series Jon & Kate Plus 8, which followed their life as Pennsylvania parents of eight children: twins Cara and Mady, born in 2000, and sextuplets Collin, Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Leah, and Joel, born in 2004.

The program was renamed Kate Plus 8 in 2010 when Jon and Kate separated, and Kate was granted full custody of their children.