Home · Entertainment · Oct 24 archive
Kate Gosselin's Son Collin Alleges Abuse Amid Family Feud
Confirmed
In Short: Former reality star Kate Gosselin faces abuse allegations from her son Collin, who claims she restrained him and isolated him in the family's basement.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Collin Gosselin alleged that his mother, Kate Gosselin, subjected him to physical and psychological abuse during his childhood.
Collin, now 26, detailed these allegations in his memoir, 'In the Shadow of Eight,' where he accused Kate of restraining him with zip ties, hitting him when he failed to perform for cameras, and isolating him in the family’s basement.
Kate Gosselin responded to the allegations on TikTok, where she celebrated her boyfriend Steve Neild’s birthday and thanked her fans for their support. She maintained that her children know who she is 'truly,' and that is all that matters.
Collin left the facility and moved in with his father, Jon Gosselin, in December 2018, after Jon was granted custody.
Collin has called for his mother to apologize and take accountability for her actions. He believes Hannah, his sister, is caught in the middle and is being used as leverage in the ongoing family dispute.
A former nanny for the Gosselin family, Ashley, told Page Six that Kate Gosselin '110% abused' Collin. Ashley claimed she witnessed Kate grab Collin and described the mother's interactions with her children as 'robotic' and 'hateful.'
Ashley also alleged that Kate limited the children to 'one or two school outfits per week' to avoid creating 'too much laundry,' and that the children were treated worse than animals.
Kate's attorney told TMZ that he did not believe Kate had done anything intentionally to harm Collin. However, Collin's father, Jon Gosselin, told Entertainment Tonight that he wants Kate criminally charged and for her to 'tell the truth' in an upcoming Netflix documentary.
The family feud has also extended to social media, with Collin alleging that Hannah felt compelled to say she had not spoken to him in a year as a form of 'damage control' for participating in the Netflix documentary.
Kate has defended herself, suggesting that critics do not understand the challenges of raising a child with mental illness.
The National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-422-4453 is available for those affected by similar issues.
While the family dispute continues, the allegations against Kate Gosselin have sparked discussions about the impact of parental abuse on children and the complexities of family dynamics.
What this adds
The facts do not establish the exact timeline of events or the full extent of Kate Gosselin's alleged actions, leaving many details to be clarified.
What's confirmed
- The exchange came shortly after Collin alleged on "The View" that his sister Hannah felt compelled to say the two of them had not spoken in a year as a form of "damage control" for having participated in an upcoming Netflix documentary alongside Collin and their father. Kate thanked her fans for their support, writing that she and her kids know who she is and "that's all that matters." (Kate Gosselin TikTok) In a statement, Hannah wrote that she has a relationship with her mother and other siblings, but has not "lived with my dad for over a year" and hasn't "spoken to Collin in close to a year."
- “It’s hard to almost put into words the specific hate that she had towards Collin. You could just feel it. I saw her grab Collin many, many times,” Ashley, 42, told the outlet.
What's still developing
- "I know what it feels like to have to fight to have a relationship with your siblings. I don’t have one with my siblings, and I know how much that hurts. Not only is she caught in the middle, but I do believe my mom is either leveraging finances or Hannah’s relationship with our siblings over Hannah."
- "And to say, you know, 'I'm sorry that I've soiled your name, and I've made every effort to bury you, to protect my reputation,' I think that'd be very honest and very powerful for her to say that … just show accountability because everything she's done to protect her reputation, it's all been at my cost."
- " I'd like an apology, simply put, an apology and for her to admit, and just take accountability for what she did," Collin told Fox News Digital earlier this month regarding his mother.
- What I do believe has happened is that Hannah’s caught in the middle — and nobody deserves that," Collin said on "The View." "I know what it feels like to have to fight to have a relationship with your siblings.
- Ashley claimed she wasn’t the only person to contact authorities and is speaking out to “back” Collin’s claims that his mother was psychologically and physically abusive.
- “That red spoon has haunted me for a long time,” she added.
- “She wouldn’t let the kids do anything. There was never toys out. There was never things out. They couldn’t live,” she said.
- In responding to another commenter, Kate wrote that critics judging her "have NO idea how lucky they are if they have no idea what it’s like having a child or relative with mental illness."
- "She 110 percent abused Collin. It's hard to almost put into words the specific hate that she had towards Collin. You could just feel it."
- "Wow. Thank you. I needed this encouragement. I know who I am and my kids know who I truly am and to me, that’s all that matters."
- He first spoke out against his mother in a 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, when he alleged his mom sent him to live at the Fairmount Behavioral Health System – a psychiatric hospital located in Philadelphia – without telling anyone in the family when he was 12 years old.
- She said they told her it was “the spoon mommy uses when she gets mad,” prompting her to leave the job.