Collin Gosselin discusses alleged abuse by mom Kate Gosselin ahead of memoir release
Former "Jon & Kate Plus 8" star Collin Gosselin is speaking out about alleged abuse he says he endured growing up.
Ahead of his new memoir, "In the Shadow of Eight," out Oct. 13, Gosselin sat down with ABC News' Juju Chang and detailed what he alleged happened behind the scenes of the popular reality show when the cameras stopped rolling.
"Simply put, my whole life that I lived was a lie," Gosselin said. "All the things you see on TV, lies."
Gosselin, one of six kids born to reality TV stars Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin, rose to fame as a child on TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8," which documented the family raising their twins, Madelyn and Cara, and sextuplets Leah, Hannah, Alexis, Joel, Aaden and Collin.
Jon Gosselin and Kate Gosselin announced their divorce in 2009 at the end of an episode of their show, which aired in June that year.
After the divorce, Kate Gosselin was granted primary custody of all eight children, and the family's reality series was later renamed "Kate Plus 8," focusing on Kate Gosselin's life as a divorced mother raising the twins and sextuplets.
Collin Gosselin claimed it was after his parents' divorce that his mother allegedly isolated him from his father and made him sleep in a locked room in their basement. He alleged that the abuse got so bad that it caught the attention of one of his teachers, who noticed his swollen earlobe, which he said happened after his mother allegedly "dragged" him across the room by his earlobe.
"My teacher saw ... and then I talked to my guidance counselor, and I told them about it," he said, speaking with Chang. "And my mom was not very happy that I spoke about that."
Collin Gosselin said he was eventually pulled out of school by his mom when he was in the fourth grade and recalled being "too afraid to say anything" when child protective services entered the picture.
When he tried to run away, Collin Gosselin alleges his mom zip-tied his hands and feet together and locked him in a basement room.
Collin Gosselin said his mother had him removed from the home days before his 12th birthday and placed him in an institution where he was given medication and had almost no contact with his family.
"I was told, 'This is for your own good,'" he said. "I threatened my mom's income, I threatened her image, and people will do anything to protect their reputation, especially my mom."
In 2016, Kate Gosselin spoke to ABC News about Collin Gosselin, claiming he was sent to get treatment for educational and social challenges. At the time, she said her decision was "the best thing I can do for him right now."
When asked at the time about reports from staffers about abuse that Collin Gosselin claimed he endured from his mom, Kate Gosselin called the reports "unfounded."
"I'm in the public eye," she said in the 2016 interview. "I have been investigated many times…. It's always unfounded, obviously."
After a year in the institution, Collin Gosselin said he wrote a crayon-scratched note to his dad and had a friend sneak it out to him.
The note read, "I'm counting on you to get me out of here. Daddy, I love you. Save me."
Collin Gosselin said that two years after being sent to the institution -- after his dad went through the court system to get him released -- he moved in with his dad and his sister Hannah, who had decided to leave Kate Gosselin's care.
In his book, Collin Gosselin writes that in 2023, after years of his mother claiming he suffered from various mental and behavioral challenges, he underwent an independent psychological evaluation, which did not reveal any mental health diagnoses at that time.
He told Chang the results didn't surprise him.
"I knew I'd go through life every day as a functioning member of society. It's just that I needed it on paper," he said.
ABC News reached out to the doctor who Collin Gosselin says conducted the evaluation, but they declined to comment on the matter.
Today, Collin Gosselin is in college and is studying finance. When asked by Chang if he would be open to reconnecting with his six other siblings -- Maddie, Cara, Alexis, Aaden, Leah and Joel -- he said he "would love to" but understands that his relationship with them will never be the same.
In a message to his siblings, he said, "No matter what's happened or what was said, no matter how things look from the outside, I love you, I always have and always will."
ABC News reached out to Kate Gosselin and TLC for comment but did not receive a response. Jon Gosselin declined ABC News' request for an interview for this story.
