A former employee of Kate Gosselin says she witnessed the reality star physically mistreat her son Collin during the months she worked inside the family’s Pennsylvania home.
Ashley H., 42, described her experiences in an interview with PEOPLE published October 23. She asked the magazine to withhold her last name.
Her account follows the October 13 release of Collin’s memoir, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood, from Grand Central Publishing. The 22-year-old describes alleged physical and emotional abuse during his childhood.
Kate has denied Collin’s abuse allegations. Neither she nor her attorney responded to PEOPLE’s requests for comment on Ashley’s account before publication.
Ashley Says She Saw Kate Grab Collin Repeatedly
“I saw her grab Collin many, many times,” Ashley told the magazine. She also alleged that Kate pulled him by the ear and yanked him from his kitchen chair, treating him more harshly than his siblings.
Ashley had admired Kate while watching Kate Plus 8. Having struggled with infertility herself, she said Kate’s large family had given her hope that she could become a mother.
While studying for a master’s degree in social work in 2013, Ashley answered an online advertisement for a nanny. The listing did not identify Kate, whom she subsequently met at Starbucks.
Her class schedule conflicted with the family’s childcare needs, so she accepted work as a house cleaner and occasional nanny at the property in Wernersville.
A Child’s Explanation of a Red Spoon Helped Prompt Her Departure
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Ashley described a household manual covering staff duties, including restrictions on photographing the children and keeping the dog outside the main living areas. Cleaning instructions included using a toothpick around the refrigerator’s edges.
She said toys could not be left out and alleged that the children were allowed only one or two school outfits each week to reduce laundry.
While looking in a drawer containing school supplies, Ashley recalled finding a large red plastic spoon. When she asked why it was there, a child allegedly replied, “Oh, that’s the spoon mommy uses when she gets mad.”
Ashley did not describe witnessing the spoon being used to hit anyone. She said the exchange helped convince her to leave after approximately six months in the job.
Ashley Says She Contacted Child Services Before Leaving
Before quitting, Ashley said she called Berks County Children and Youth Services because her concerns about the children’s treatment had begun affecting her outside work. The agency declined to comment to PEOPLE, citing confidentiality laws.
Collin separately discussed his experience with child services during the October 12 episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. He said a report documented allegations that he had been restrained and confined, along with bruising, but ultimately classified the allegations as “unfounded,” according to Entertainment Weekly.
Ashley, now a social worker and mother of twins, said she came forward to support Collin and encourage others with experience working in the household to speak.
Kate Has Defended Her Parenting Decisions
Kate placed Collin in a residential treatment program in 2016. He later moved in with his father, Jon Gosselin, who obtained custody in 2018.
In September 2024, attorney Richard Puleo told The U.S. Sun that he did not believe Kate had intentionally harmed Collin. He said he believed her actions were intended to protect herself and her family.
On October 22, before Ashley’s interview was published, Kate replied to supportive comments beneath a TikTok video celebrating her boyfriend Steve Neild’s birthday. “I know who I am and my kids know who I truly am and to me, that’s all that matters,” she wrote.