The illusion of the tight-knit Gosselin family shattered long ago for the “Jon & Kate Plus 8” sextuplets.
Collin Gosselin’s candid admission that he no longer speaks to his siblings carries a heavy emotional punch. The former reality star reflected on the quiet turning point that preceded the break in their relationship, recalling the final moment all six brothers and sisters saw one another.
Collin Gosselin Says Its Been Years Since He Saw All His Siblings
In his new book “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood,” Collin Gosselin admitted it has been seven years since he has seen all of his siblings in person.
Collin was one of six children born to Kate Gosselin and Jon Gosselin, alongside siblings Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Leah and Joel. Additionally, he has two older siblings, twins Maddy and Cara.
In the book, Gosselin explained that the last time the sextuplets were together was for one hour in 2019 during a court-appointed visit at the Works, an amusement center in Wyomissing, PA. The visit occurred after Jon was awarded custody of Collin and Hannah.
“Leah and Alexis each carried purses, and I could tell they had lip gloss on,” he said, per a People Magazine excerpt. “Joel’s face was filled out like a teenager’s, not a kid’s. Aaden’s hair was longer than last time. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact they’d kept moving forward without me.”
“Each of them had blossomed and grown up,” Collin said. “They weren’t the chaotic, silly, innocent kids with kitchen-shears haircuts and OshKosh overalls I left three years earlier, and neither was I. We had grown up. Separately.”
He bought his siblings lemonade with the money their father had given him. “As they cracked open the lemonade bottles, our chatter started opening up,” he explained. “We were quicker to laugh, unselfconscious in our oohs and ahhs, watching each other win and lose various games. Maybe there was still a small connection left that could grow.”
How Did Collin Gosselin’s Last Moments With His Siblings End?
Collin Gosselin said that in his final moments with his siblings, there were promises of “see you later” that never came to fruition.
In the People Magazine excerpt, the “Special Forces” star explained that after he said goodbye to Alexis, Aaden, Leah and Joel, he hung back as to not see his mother, Kate Gosselin.
“The possibility of seeing her again, even just for a second, was more than I could handle,” he wrote. “I pictured her looking at me, disgusted, reminding me that I’d broken our family. I imagined her telling everyone that everything that was so hard about today was my fault, and no one else’s.”
On Instagram, Gosselin shared a video of himself as a child, filming the TLC series. He captioned the photo, “If I could go back and talk to the kid I used to be, I’d tell him that we survived more than we ever should have had to, and one day, we’d find the strength to turn that pain into purpose.”
He continued, “Sharing my story has meant facing parts of my past I spent years keeping to myself. It’s not easy to be vulnerable, but there’s something powerful about finally giving a voice to the things you once felt you had to keep silent.”
Gosselin concluded, “I don’t think I’ll ever have the right words to thank everyone who has reached out, shown me love, or trusted me with a piece of their own story. The kindness and support I’ve received have meant more than you’ll ever know. Thank you for making something so personal feel a little less heavy to carry.”
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Collin Gosselin Reveals the Last Time All Six ‘Jon & Kate’ Sextuplets Saw Each Other