Kate Gosselin is defending her past decisions as her estranged son Collin Gosselin shares his version of their family’s history in a new memoir.
The former “Jon & Kate Plus 8” star, 51, addressed the controversy in a TikTok comment Tuesday, suggesting that people who understood mental illness would recognize what was happening.
Kate Responds to the Book
“Rational logical [people] or anyone who has dealt with mental illness understands what’s going on here,” she wrote.
Her response followed a supportive comment from a follower who called Collin’s allegations “terrible lies” and offered encouragement to Kate as she faced renewed scrutiny. Kate also liked a separate comment suggesting that Collin might eventually regret publishing his account.
“Exactly! I had nothing to do with it, except for consent because it was medically necessary,” Kate wrote.
The comments came as Collin’s memoir, “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood,” was released Tuesday.
In the book, the 22-year-old revisits his childhood and the circumstances surrounding his placement in a mental health facility in 2016.
Collin has alleged that his mother told him, “You broke our family,” during that period and that she visited him only once while he was away from home, according to Page Six.
Kate offered a different explanation for the decision in 2023. She said Collin had received years of outpatient treatment that had not sufficiently addressed his needs.
She also maintained that sending him to a facility was necessary for his well-being and the safety of the family.
At the time, she described her son as “a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help.”
Collin Bravely Opens Up
Collin’s memoir also examines the pressure he says he and his seven siblings experienced growing up. He alleged that Kate expected the children to appear happy and would threaten punishment if they failed to cooperate.
He recalled her allegedly leaning toward them and whispering, “Smile.”
Beyond recounting his own experiences, Collin hopes the book will encourage his siblings to reconsider what they remember about their childhood. In an interview with E! News, he explained that he has spent time reviewing documents and researching events from his past.
“I’m in this stage of my life now where I’m doing research,” he said. “I’m pulling up all this documentation of everything from the past. And what I would tell them is to do your own research. The information’s out there, but you can’t always believe what you’ve been fed.”
Collin has maintained a relationship with his father, Jon Gosselin, and sister Hannah, but remains estranged from Kate and his other siblings: sextuplets Alexis, Leah, Aaden and Joel, and twins Cara and Madelyn.
He believes the information he has gathered could give them a different perspective on their family history.
“I took what was spoon-fed to me by my mom for so long and ran with it,” he said. “You just believe everything your mom tells you. So that’s what I did. But as an adult, I’ve done a lot of research and I would want them to know that.”
He continued, “Because for so long, especially after me being sent out of the home, she told them what she wanted them to believe about me.”
While Kate has defended her decisions, Collin’s memoir gives readers his account of the experiences that shaped his childhood and his relationships with his family.
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Kate Gosselin Breaks Silence on Estranged Son Collin’s Memoir Allegations