Collin Gosselin Claims TLC Used Dr. Phil to Offer His Parents $2 Million to Stay Married
In a new memoir, Collin Gosselin has made explosive claims about his upbringing on Jon & Kate Plus 8, which followed his parents and siblings. Collin has made claims about abuse perpetrated by his mother, Kate Gosselin. He also said that TLC was willing to do whatever it could to keep the show on the air as his parents’ marriage crumbled. Collin claims that the network used Dr. Phil to offer his parents millions of dollars to stay together.
Collin Gosselin claimed Dr. Phil offered his parents $2 million to stay married
In Collin’s new book, In the Shadow of Eight, he alleges that TLC offered his parents a big paycheck to stay married.
“I found out much later that during the worst of the tension at home, my parents met with Phil McGraw, commonly known as Dr. Phil, behind the scenes,” Collin wrote. “At the time, I only knew the words Dr. Phil from a navy-blue coffee mug my mom regularly drank out of. Today, I know that Dr. Phil was more than a talk-show host; he was a cultural authority.”
Collin claimed that Dr. Phil had a “cozy alignment” with TLC. As a result, he tried to protect one of the network’s biggest shows.
“He wasn’t stepping into our lives as a neutral party,” he wrote. “He was stepping in as someone with power, connections, and a real interest in preserving the TLC empire that had formed around my mom.”
Collin said it shocks him that the network attempted to keep his parents in a crumbling marriage for the sake of ratings.
Collin alleges that after Jon and Kate informed TLC of their plans to divorce, the network offered them $2 million to “stay in the marriage and pretend the relationship was intact for the sake of the show’s longevity. It was in everyone’s best interests — TLC, the production companies, the daytime talk circuit, the magazines — if my parents kept up a fake front.”
“It was in the best interests of everyone except my family,” he added.
Jon Gosselin once made a similar claim
Several years ago, Collin’s father, Jon, spoke about his decision to leave the popular reality series.
“I left the show so my children would never have to relive our divorce,” he told the Daily Mail. “That’s it.”
He said that the show offered him money to remain in the marriage. He couldn’t do this, though.
“I could have made millions of dollars if I would’ve just continued, took their offer and stayed married for two years,” he said. “And I probably wouldn’t even be sitting here today. But I couldn’t live with myself. I couldn’t live a lie.”
Collin Gosselin also said he wanted to distance himself from the show his parents and siblings starred in
Collin said he never liked being a part of the show. He believes that this comes through on screen.
“I didn’t just voice it,” he told E! News, “it was in my actions. I literally would move away from the cameras, go to the next room when we were out in public, try to get away when we’re at department stores.”
While he noted that his other siblings did not like taking part in the show, he pushed back the most.
“I was the only one who voiced it,” he said, “and my mom retaliated against me because I wasn’t willing to give in and be a part of the paycheck and the program.”
