Tragic Details About Collin Gosselin

The following article mentions child abuse allegations and mental health struggles.

For 10 years, viewers got an inside look at Collin Gosselin and his seven other siblings' lives. TLC's popular reality TV show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" was a huge hit, but one might argue that all the on-screen drama eventually seeped into the Gosselin family's real life, with devastating consequences. Collin and Hannah Gosselin went on to live with their dad, Jon Gosselin, while the four other sextuplets and the twins stayed with their mother, Kate Gosselin. Collin's parents divorced in 2009 after a decade together, and one could argue that this is when things started going really south for the family.

Collin has been living life away from his mother since 2018, and while many have hoped that the family would find peace and make up at some point, that seems less likely in the wake of their episode of the Vice docuseries "Dark Side of the 2000s." In it,  Collin, Hannah, and Jon opened up about what went on behind the scenes all those years ago. According to sources, their estranged siblings were not impressed. "They don't want the attention or the fame," an insider told Us Weekly, adding, "This is embarrassing for them."

Collin appears to have had a tumultuous childhood, and he blames the family's reality show for some of it. As he said in the documentary, "At the end of the day, none of us decided to be on TV, we didn't get the choice, it was our parent's decision."

Collin Gosselin has made some serious allegations against his mother, Kate Gosselin, which she has vehemently denied. In the Vice documentary "Dark Side of the 2000s," Collin claimed that his mother had abused him as a child and that he eventually ended up turning to some of his teachers for help. "I was starting to tell my teachers that, you know, my mother was ... can I use the word abusive or are they not allowed to use that on air?" he asked. The presenter gave him the go-ahead, and Collin continued. "I was starting to tell people what was going on at home and, you know, she caught wind of that and had to put me somewhere where I wouldn't be able to get the secrets out," he said, referring to the institution his mother sent him to for two years.

Rumors that Kate had abused her son began to bubble up as early as 2016. That same year, she went on "Good Morning America" to deny the allegations. "I'm in the public eye; I've been investigated many times. It's always unfounded, obviously," she said.

Hannah Gosselin alleged in the Vice documentary that her mother did not treat Collin the same as his siblings, adding that he was often separated from them and their usual routine. "Like, he would not get to come and play outside with us. He would eat dinner at different times than us," she said.

In 2016, when Collin Gosselin was 12 years old, his mother sent him to the Fairmount Behavioral Health Institute. However, no one knew where he was at the time — not even his father. Only Kate Gosselin knew, and she didn't tell a soul. In her aforementioned "Good Morning America" interview, she admitted in so many words that Jon Gosselin was not in the loop regarding Collin's current whereabouts. That same year, Kate claimed to People that Collin was "enrolled in a program that is helping him learn the skills he needs to be the best him he can be," adding that he has "special needs" and that she believed it was the best decision and an investment in her son's future. Collin, however, believed Kate sent him away as punishment for speaking out against her. 

Collin also took issue with her use of the term "special needs." "It's unfortunate that that's how my mom, you know, phrased me as a person," he said to ET in 2022. He also revealed that the time he spent in the institution was "scary" and one of the most challenging periods of his life. He spent almost three years there, and his father claimed to the Daily Mail that his wife only paid three visits to Collin during that time. Jon also alleged to Dr. Oz that Kate made up a diagnosis in order to send him away.

Collin Gosselin and his mother, Kate Gosselin, are no longer on speaking terms. Collin told ET in 2022 that he and his mother were never very close to begin with, but her decision to institutionalize him had been the final straw that destroyed their fragile bond completely. "After being there [the institution], I didn't have a relationship with her," Collin said, adding, "Even before then, I don't think we had much of a relationship, and I think that just kept tearing it even more down so."

He noted that he and his mother struggled to get along during his teenage years. While it's normal for parents and their kids to go through it when kids are that age, he and his mom experienced way more drama than one would expect. Collin added that the impact the family's reality TV show had on their relationship can't be denied. "I think it tore us apart," he admitted. Collin stated that they spent more time together filming than not, and noted that the public eye put a serious strain on the household. 

It seems that Collin has made peace with the fact that he's estranged from his mother, but he does admit that it's hard and not what he wanted. "I think every son wants to have a relationship with their mom," he admitted, calling their distance "unfortunate." He also noted that he would open to working toward mending their relationships.

As previously noted, Collin Gosselin is completely estranged from all of his brothers and all but one of his sisters. "I have not spoken with my siblings in probably five or six years now," he told ET. He blames his mother for the rift. "I think my mom kind of drove a social barrier between us. She told them the story one way, and obviously, I see the story a different way." Collin said on "Dark Side of the 2000s."

Collin and sister Hannah Gosselin, however, are still in each other's lives. Hannah revealed in the docuseries that her mother never told her and her siblings what happened to Collin when he was institutionalized, let alone take them to visit him. "That was a big thing for me because I couldn't comprehend why my mom would do that to one of our siblings, her own kid," Hannah said. Collin also stated that his mother was overly controlling. "She's determined, she knows what she wants and she gets what she wants," he said. Hannah also revealed that her other siblings eventually found out what happened to Collin but never reached out to him after he was released from the institution. Despite the cold shoulder, Collin says he'd love to reconnect with his siblings and become close once again, but that they'd have to make the first move — he doesn't want to intrude on their lives.

In 2020, Collin Gosselin alleged in an Instagram post that Jon Gosselin had physically harmed him. "My dad is a liar. Yesterday he beat me up and thought nothing of it, he punched me in the face and gave me a swollen nose and I started bleeding," Collin wrote. "He then continued to kick me in the ribs after I was on the floor."

An unnamed source told People that Collin and his father were arguing in the car before Collin got out and threw a heavy bottle at the vehicle. This, apparently, led to the alleged violent encounter Collin described. Collin reportedly called the police, and the whole affair blew up in the media. Meanwhile, Collin's mother, Kate Gosselin, called her former husband "abusive" and said she hoped authorities would handle the situation accordingly. "I am horrified that this man is the father of my children," she told People. In a statement to E! News, Jon's team denied the abuse allegations and accused Kate of libel. No charges were filed against Jon, and per the Daily Mail, authorities determined the allegations to be "unfounded."

Collin deleted the Instagram post not long after it originally went up. A couple of days later, he posted a snap of his new haircut and stated that he was living his best life. Kate seemed to insinuate to People that her husband had somehow coerced Collin into posting it to salvage his image. 

In 2022, Collin Gosselin was in a near-fatal car accident. As the former reality TV personality shared with ET, he had nodded off on his way to work and lost total control of the vehicle. "Next thing I know, car was flipped, and I'm just, like, sliding upside down across traffic," he recalled. In the "Dark Side of the 2000s" docuseries, Collin revealed that as serious as the crash was, his mother, Kate Gosselin, never reached out. He also said his estranged siblings did not check in on him either. 

Collin claimed that his mother was likely responsible for the radio silence on his siblings' side, as she has seemingly made a point to keep a wedge between him and his brothers and sisters. "I didn't hear anything from any of them, they didn't reach out at all," he said in the Vice series. Collin still appears willing to make amends, however. "I love them to death. I really, really hope one day that we can all reconnect and put the show behind us and just be siblings again, take back that time we didn't have," he said. He expressed a similar sentiment to ET: "After my car accident, it was kind of eye opening. It almost took my life so it was kind of that now-or-never type of thing."

It appears Collin Gosselin and his dad, Jon Gosselin, have put their differences aside since the assault incident, because Jon was spotted supporting Collin and his sister Hannah Gosselin at their high school graduation. Someone else who showed up rather unexpectedly? Mom Kate Gosselin.

An inside source told The Sun that Kate appeared to have been in attendance more for herself than her children. They added that it was odd that she went in the first place, given that she'd been estranged from Collin and Hannah for so long (although she and Hannah have apparently taken some steps to get to a better place). Kate reportedly seemed uninterested in cheering on Collin and Hannah, but was preoccupied with taking selfies. To add insult to injury, Kate ended up taking some pictures with Hannah but didn't speak a word to Collin, let alone pose with him for a photograph. "Kate has some nerve showing up at the graduation and giving only Hannah love," the source added, going on to claim that the Gosselin matriarch made of point of avoiding her own son.  

Collin seemingly made a dig at his mother in an Instagram post that he shared after the graduation ceremony. He didn't mention Kate anywhere in the post — instead, he touted his father's former girlfriend, Colleen Conrad, for all her support over the years. Collin also thanked his father for being there for him.

Ever since Collin Gosselin spoke out against his mother in the 2023 Vice docuseries "Dark Side of the 2000s," Kate Gosselin has been in hot water. In an attempt to clear her name, she eventually came forward with her version of the story. 

Kate posted a lengthy statement on Instagram, claiming that she never planned on revealing anything about Collin's various mental diagnoses but had been "backed into a corner and left with no choice." "My son Collin, whom I love with all my heart, has received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years. For the safety of myself, his brothers and sisters and for his own well-being, he was placed in a facility following years of outpatient treatment which proved insufficient for his needs," Kate wrote. "Collin's distorted perception of reality is one of the many issues that he has always struggled with." She also claimed this behavior is still continuing, calling him a "troubled young man."

Collin's father, Jon Gosselin, spoke to People to address Kate's claims. He stated that she last saw Collin when he was in 6th grade and that her Instagram statement was proof of her abusive tendencies. "At this point, Collin is training to be a Marine in order to serve his country and is unable to respond to his mother's callous lies," he concluded.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.