Collin Gosselin Slams ‘False Narrative’ of ‘Kate Plus 8’: ‘So Many Dark Secrets’
Fans of Jon and Kate Plus 8 weren’t getting the full picture, Collin Gosselin said in a recent social media post.
Collin Gosselin opens up about his experience on ‘Jon and Kate Plus 8’
On Tuesday, the reality TV alum took to his Instagram Story to speak out about his time on the popular TLC show. While the series about family raising a set of sextuplets and a pair of twins was a hit for the network and made his family famous, there was darker truth behind the happy facade.
“Late nights like this I often think about how so many people are still upset that show they watched for years portrayed a false narrative, while hiding so many dark secrets,” he wrote on November 25, speaking about the show which aired from 2007 to 2017. (It was renamed Kate Plus 8 in 2010, following mom Kate Gosselin’s divorce from Jon Gosselin.)
“Many people on social media have come to say some very horrible things about me,” Collin, 21, continued. “I have one message for them: No matter how many hurtful things you say to me, I will never stop advocating for scapegoated children and abused children. NEVER. EVER.”
TLC alum says mom Kate Gosselin put ‘scarring words’ in his head
Collin is estranged from his mother, whom he has accused of abuse and of having him improperly institutionalized as a child. Kate has not commented on her son’s abuse accusations. But she has claimed she placed Collin in a psychiatric facility due to his “multiple psychiatric diagnoses” and his “unpredictable and violent behaviors.” Jon eventually obtained custody of Collin in 2018, when he was 14 years old.
In his latest post, Collin shared more details about his troubling experiences growing up.
“I remember when my mom would send my siblings off to school every day and then put her hands on me and drive scarring words into my head,” he wrote. “I remember how I had to pretend like everything was fine once my siblings returned home.”
Now, Collin says he’s making it his mission to support children who are being abused.
“[T]here is a growing epidemic of child abuse and child exploitation across the globe,” he wrote. “And I will use my voice and experiences to address that epidemic. Keep coming for me. I will keep advocating.”
Collin opened up about his dad’s recent marriage
Collin also alluded to his family’s complicated past in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at his dad’s recent wedding to longtime girlfriend Stephanie Lebo. He said he was thrilled that his father had found happiness after many difficult years.
“I think there’s a different weight to this wedding than your traditional wedding just because of all the trials and tribulations,” he said. “That’s what I was thinking of today. It feels more monumental for me and it’s not my wedding. And it feels monumental for me because when I looked at my dad I saw right through to him through all the hard things he’s been through with marriage, with everything … I saw all these things floating away.”
Of Collin’s seven siblings, only his sister Hannah Gosselin attended her dad’s wedding.
“It would have been really nice to see my other siblings here,” he said. “I love them and I hope they know that we would have loved to see them here.”
How to get help: Call the Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 to speak to a counselor or live chat with professional counselors at www.childhelphotline.org. Visit childwelfare.org to find out more about how to report child abuse in your state.
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