It feels like just yesterday we were watching the massive “Jon & Kate Plus 8” brood take over reality television, complete with giant grocery runs and endless family chaos. Now, the kids are all grown up—and in a clever new Target ad, Collin Gosselin is leaning right into his past with a nod to his mom Kate Gosselin that has fans talking.
While it looks like a fun, lighthearted brand partnership on the surface, longtime viewers quickly picked up on a sharper underlying message.
Collin Gosselin’s New Ad Seems Lighthearted, But Eagle-Eyed Fans Spotted Something Surprising
Collin Gosselin, who was once part of TLC’s most beloved reality TV families, the Gosselins, has opened up that his past was nothing like the hit series depicted.
In his new book “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood,” he shares details of a childhood marked with isolation and emotional mistreatment. The book was meant to show that reality television isn’t always what it seems.
On November 11, Gosselin shared a new collaboration with Target to his Instagram page. The video seemed innocent enough. But fans of the family who have read the 22 year old’s book spotted a hint that led them to believe he was directly sending a pointed message to his estranged mother.
In the video, the reality star and his female pals shopped in the chain store. They picked up items and adding them to his red shopping cart.
Gosselin stopped in front of the television sets and puts one in the cart, but is stopped by his pals who make him return it. Then, he sees a copy of his own book, displaying it for the camera.
Next to the book at the top of the shopping cart, was a Lego Ferrari set. That was the moment that fans knew that Gosselin was sending a pointed message to Kate. The ad closed with a focus on the building set, next to Gosselin’s book.
In his memoir, Gosselin claimed that one Christmas morning, Kate gifted him his dream Lego set, a Lego Ferrari F40. However, after opening presents, she reportedly collected his gifts and took them to her room. Additionally, he claimed she told him he would have to earn them back one by one through good behavior. Subsequently, he was never allowed to build or open the set.
Fans Stood by Collin Gosselin After Seeing the New Ad
In the post’s comments section, fans of Collin Gosselin stood by the young man after seeing the ad. Additionally, they knew exactly the points he was making, without saying a word.
He captioned the post, “POV: you went from being a target to being in Target.”
“The Lego Easter egg is perfection,” wrote one follower.
A second fan penned, “Yesss! You got your Lego set!! And your caption cracks me up.”
“I need to say something. How upset will Kate be when she sees how successful the only kid that broke away from her becomes??” a third follower asked.
A final social media user penned, “THE LEGO SET. Adult Collin is healing baby Collin and I love that for you!”
Collin Gosselin is currently a contestant on “FOX’s Special Forces.” The season finale airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
Collin Gosselin Hides an Easter Egg to Estranged Mom Kate in New Target Ad