Where Is Collin Gosselin Now? Inside His Life After Accusing Kate of Abuse
Collin Gosselin, one of the sextuplets who grew up on reality TV, is now 22 and telling his own story. In a new memoir and a series of interviews, he has accused his estranged mother, Kate Gosselin, of abusing him as a child.
His book, "In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood," was released Tuesday. In an interview with ABC News, he said of his years on "Jon & Kate Plus 8," "My whole life that I lived was a lie." Kate has long denied his claims.
His Allegations Against Kate
Collin alleges that after his parents' divorce, his mother isolated him from his father and made him sleep in a locked room in the basement. He claims that when he tried to run away, she zip-tied his hands and feet together.
He also alleges she once "dragged" him by the earlobe hard enough to cause swelling. A teacher noticed, and he told his guidance counselor. He said his mom "was not very happy that I spoke about that." When child protective services got involved, he said he was "too afraid to say anything."
In an interview on Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast, Collin said there were "many" reports to Child and Youth Services starting when he was about 2 years old, but that his case was marked "unfounded," TMZ reported. He is now calling for changes to the system.
Collin believes he was singled out because he pushed back on appearing on TV. "I threatened my mom's income, I threatened her image," he said.
Sent Away at 11
Days before his 12th birthday, Collin was placed in Fairmount Behavioral Health System in Philadelphia, where he says he was given medication and had almost no family contact. He told ABC he was told, "This is for your own good."
After about a year, he sent his father a note written in crayon: "Daddy, I love you. Save me." Jon Gosselin eventually won custody through the courts, and Collin moved in with him and his sister Hannah, who had also left Kate's care.
Kate has defended her decision. In a 2016 ABC interview, she said sending Collin to the institution was "the best thing I can do for him right now" and called reports of abuse "unfounded." In a 2023 statement to People, she described Collin as "a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help." Kate and TLC did not respond to ABC's latest request for comment.
Where Collin Is Now
Today, Collin is in college studying finance. He remains close to his father and has not spoken to most of his siblings in years.
He enlisted in the Marines after high school, but he was discharged during training after the Marines learned of his past stay at Fairmount. He has said his dream of becoming a Marine "was crushed and it was taken away from me." A later psychological evaluation found he did not meet the criteria for the diagnoses his mother had described. "I knew I'd go through life every day as a functioning member of society," he told ABC.
In 2025, he launched his own business, Gosselin Pressure Washing LLC, while attending school, according to AOL.
He is also back on TV, this time on his own terms. Collin is competing on FOX's "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test," the same show his mother appeared on before leaving after the first challenge. "I am 100% going to last way longer than my mom," he told Extra.
Is Reconciliation Possible?
Collin said any relationship with his mother would require her to take responsibility. "If I were to ever be in contact with her, it would take a lot of accountability on her part," he said. "I don't wish to speak to somebody who can't take accountability."
As for his six siblings, Collin said he "would love to" reconnect but knows things "will never be the same." His message to them: "I love you, I always have and always will."
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