Kate Gosselin’s son Collin is speaking publicly about alleged abuse he says he experienced during his childhood, days after describing the family’s reality television image as fundamentally different from life away from the cameras.
His memoir, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood, is scheduled for release on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
Collin, 22, discussed the allegations in an interview that aired Monday.
He said he was isolated after his parents’ divorce, placed in a locked basement room and later sent to an institution before his 12th birthday.
The claims have not been independently proven in court.
“Simply put, my whole life that I lived was a lie,” Collin said in the interview, referring to the contrast between the family’s television image and what he says happened at home.
Table of Contents
What Collin Gosselin says happened
Collin alleged that his mother’s treatment of him worsened after Jon and Kate Gosselin separated.
He said he was made to sleep in a locked room in the basement and that a teacher noticed an injury to his ear after he was allegedly dragged across a room.
He also alleged that, after attempting to run away, his hands and feet were restrained with zip ties and he was locked in the basement.
Collin said he was later removed from the family home and placed in a residential facility, where he had limited contact with relatives.
According to Collin, he eventually wrote a message to his father asking to be rescued.
He said Jon later pursued legal action that led to him leaving the facility and moving in with his father and sister Hannah.
The account follows earlier public comments from Collin about his childhood and his relationship with his family.
In a previous interview, he said he had been separated from his mother and most of his siblings for years but hoped some relationships could eventually be repaired.
Kate Gosselin’s previous response
Kate Gosselin has previously said that Collin was sent for treatment because of educational and social challenges.
In a 2016 interview, she described the decision as the best option available to him at the time.
She also rejected earlier reports that he had been mistreated, calling those reports unfounded and saying she had been investigated repeatedly.
In June 2026, Kate responded to public calls for her to take a lie-detector test after Collin challenged her to do so.
She questioned his credibility rather than accepting the challenge.
Kate did not provide a new response for the interview published Monday, according to the report.
Jon Gosselin also declined to participate, while Collin’s siblings were not interviewed for the segment.
What the memoir adds
The publisher describes In the Shadow of Eight as Collin’s account of growing up as one of eight children whose lives were documented on Jon & Kate Plus 8.
The book’s description includes allegations involving confinement, physical restraint and psychiatric medication, all presented as Collin’s recollections.
The book is being released by Grand Central Publishing in hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats.
The publisher lists the print edition at 352 pages and gives October 13, 2026, as the on-sale date.
Collin has said that an independent psychological evaluation he underwent in 2023 did not identify a mental-health diagnosis at that time.
The doctor identified in his account declined to comment when approached for the interview.
A family story shaped by television
Jon and Kate Gosselin became widely known after their family appeared on Jon & Kate Plus 8, which followed the couple raising twins Cara and Mady and sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah and Joel.
The couple announced their divorce in 2009.
The programme later continued as Kate Plus 8 and ended in 2017, after years of public attention focused on the family’s parenting, custody disputes and changing relationships.
Collin’s memoir now gives him a platform to present his own version of events as an adult.
Its publication is also likely to renew scrutiny of how much of the children’s private lives was made public while they were minors.
For readers assessing the allegations, the central claims remain disputed.
Collin has provided his account through interviews and his memoir, while Kate has previously denied allegations of abuse and has not publicly accepted his version of events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Collin Gosselin?
Collin Gosselin is one of Jon and Kate Gosselin’s sextuplets. He became known as a child through the family’s reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8.
What allegations has Collin Gosselin made against Kate Gosselin?
Collin has alleged that he was isolated, restrained, confined in a basement room and later sent to a residential facility during his childhood. The allegations remain disputed and have not been independently proven in court.
What is Collin Gosselin’s memoir called?
The memoir is titled In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood.
When is In the Shadow of Eight being released?
The publisher lists Tuesday, October 13, 2026, as the book’s on-sale date.
What has Kate Gosselin said about the allegations?
Kate Gosselin has previously said Collin was sent for treatment because of educational and social challenges and has described abuse reports as unfounded.
Fact-Checked: Key publication details were checked against the publisher’s book page, while the interview claims and prior responses were checked against the latest available ABC News reporting. ([hachettebookgroup.com](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/none/in-the-shadow-of-eight/9781538784747/?utm_source=openai))
Disclaimer: The allegations described in this article are claims attributed to Collin Gosselin and remain disputed; they should not be treated as established findings of fact.