Collin Gosselin says a teacher’s concern about an injury led him to tell a school guidance counselor about alleged abuse by his mother, Kate Gosselin.
The 22-year-old former Jon & Kate Plus 8 star spoke with ABC News‘ Juju Chang in an Oct. 12 interview. He said his childhood differed sharply from the family life viewers watched.
His memoir, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood, was released Oct. 13 by Grand Central Publishing. The book recounts his allegations, his time in residential treatment and his eventual move into his father’s home.
Kate has denied abusing Collin. ABC said she and TLC did not respond to requests for comment about his latest account; Jon Gosselin declined an interview.
Collin Says His Mother Was Angry After He Spoke at School
Collin alleges that Kate dragged him across a room by his earlobe, leaving the ear purple and swollen. In a separate interview with Page Six, he described ear-pulling as a recurring punishment rather than a single incident.
After he disclosed what had happened at school, Collin said his mother was angry with him. According to PEOPLE‘s account of his memoir, the incident prompted a child-welfare investigation, but he was frightened of the consequences and withheld information. He also alleges that Kate subsequently removed him from school while he was in fourth grade.
He Describes a Locked Basement Room and Physical Restraints
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On the Oct. 12 episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Collin renewed his allegation that a room had been built for him in an unfinished section of the family’s basement. He described cinder-block walls, a cement floor and a door locked from the outside, according to PEOPLE’s report on the interview.
In his memoir, he alleges that cameras monitored the room and that he spent much of his time there over two years. He also says Kate restrained his wrists and ankles with zip ties after he attempted to run away, according to the magazine’s book coverage.
His sister Hannah separately described his exclusion from family activities in a 2023 interview for Vice TV’s Dark Side of the 2000s. She said he could not join the other children outside and ate dinner at different times, Entertainment Tonight reported.
In a July 2023 Instagram statement, Kate said measures taken at home followed recommendations from Collin’s pediatric psychiatrist and other specialists to protect the family. She attributed his placement in treatment to behavioral difficulties and said years of outpatient care had been insufficient. Jon disputed her characterization of their son in a statement to ET.
Collin Disputes Why He Was Sent to Residential Treatment
Collin says he was removed from home days before his 12th birthday in 2016. That November, Kate told ABC News that he was receiving treatment for educational and social challenges and that doctors had advised the placement.
He attributes the decision to his resistance to filming and the threat he believes that posed to the family’s television income. After about a year in treatment, he said, he had someone smuggle out a note asking his father for help.
A Pennsylvania judge granted Jon temporary sole custody on Dec. 4, 2018. A week later, Jon told ET that Collin would spend the holidays at his home, return to school and live with his sister Hannah.
Collin Wants to Reconnect With His Other Six Siblings
Collin is now studying finance in college, UPI reported. He remains estranged from most of his siblings but told Chang he would welcome contact with Mady, Cara, Alexis, Aaden, Leah and Joel.
He acknowledged that their relationships would not simply return to what they once were. Asked to address them directly, he said, “I love you, I always have and always will.”