Collin Gosselin is revealing the abuse he allegedly endured at the hands of his former reality TV star mother, Kate Gosselin.
“…She used to pull me and grab me by the ears and walk me across the room when I went to school one day with a swollen ear,” the former “Jon & Kate Plus 8” star exclusively claimed to Page Six in an interview promoting her new memoir, “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood.”
Colin claimed in the book that ear-holding became a pattern, writing that when his mother was angry, “she would grab my ear” and that sometimes “a sharp tug could turn into a slap on the side of my head.”
She also alleges in the book that the same part of her face would become “purplish, bruised, tender to the touch”.
Collin, 22, told Page Six in a sit-down interview that although he believed Kate, 51, singled him out, he watched her abuse him on camera when he was growing up with his siblings.
He claimed to Us, “When I was in the house, I witnessed horrible mental, emotional and verbal abuse against not only myself but my siblings, I can only imagine their feelings and reactions to being on TV.”
Collin continued to allege, “I voiced it the most, but I know that doesn’t mean my other siblings didn’t feel it too.” “My siblings and I have to deal with general anger, and I see them going through on camera, like I said, what I could only imagine happening.
“And the way my mom reacted to them, she basically manipulated them to disregard their feelings and make them feel like it was their fault.”
He claimed in the book, “He beat us all over and over again. And he did it hard.”
A representative for Kate did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Kate released a statement in September 2024 regarding the abuse claims made by her son.
She wrote, “My son Collin, whom I love with all my heart, has received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years. For the safety of me, his brothers and sisters, and his own well-being, he was placed in a facility after years of outpatient treatment that proved inadequate for his needs.”
Kate is referring to the time she sent him to live in a behavioral health institution at the age of 11 for alleged behavioral issues in 2016.
She continued, “The decision to admit him was made by emergency room doctors after one of his many assaults/outbursts – this one involving the use of a weapon. Fast forward to the present time, and after John removed Collin from treatment, my son’s unpredictable and violent behavior towards John, Hannah, and others around him has continued on a tragically regular basis.
“Colin’s distorted perception of reality is just one of the many issues he has always struggled with. As many who have family members struggling with mental health problems can attest, it is rarely and tragically surprising when things turn out to be complete fabrications, and this is another heartbreaking aspect of this battle.”
He concluded, “Unfortunately, I believe Collin is a very troubled young man who still needs a lot of help. His siblings and I have not been directly involved in his life due to his history of unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies toward us.”
Collin was one of the sextuplets featured on their parents’ hit TLC reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” along with siblings Aiden, Joel, Alexis, Hannah, and Leah. Kate and her ex-husband Jon Gosselin (49) also have elder twin daughters Maddie and Cara (25).
Kate and Jon married in an intimate ceremony in June 1999. Kate filed for divorce from John ten years later in June 2009, and it was finalized in December of that year.
Collin has been estranged from his mother since 2016, when she sent him to live in a behavioral health institution.
Colin has since disputed his mother’s characterization of him and claimed that she abused him and institutionalized him because he did not want to take part in the family’s reality show.
John eventually gained legal and physical custody of Collin in 2018 after breaking him out of the facility.
Jon also got custody of Hannah after Kate left the house, while the remaining sextuplets Maddie and Cara continued to live with their mother.
Collin, who stars in Season 5 of Fox’s reality competition “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” reveals more about his childhood and his estranged family relationship in “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood,” released Tuesday.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-422-4453.