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Airing on TLC from 2007 to 2009, Jon & Kate Plus 8 became a reality-TV phenomenon, drawing nearly 11 million
viewers during its run while following the day-to-day activities of the Gosselin family. Now, one of the family’s children is sharing a very different account of what life was really like, detailing allegations of abuse in a new memoir.
Collin Gosselin, now 22, was one of the sextuplets featured on the series, alongside the family’s older twins. While viewers watched the grinning Gosselins weekly, Collin says the reality at home was far from flawless.
His allegations against his mother, Kate Gosselin, range from “reclaiming” gifts she had given him to “forcing” him to stay “in a basement room.”
BEST-SELLER
In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood
Released this week, the memoir is available on Amazon for less than $20. It’s already a bestseller, climbing the retailer’s charts, and has earned praise from figures including childhood abuse advocate Paris Hilton and Jay Shetty, host of the popular On Purpose podcast.
Across its 304 pages, the book also details Collin’s claims of “being forced to take antipsychotics” and how the constant presence of paparazzi made it difficult to experience a normal childhood. Collin, who is now estranged from much of his family, told Page Six in a recent interview that he “hasn’t seen his siblings in nearly a decade.”
Jon and Kate Gosselin divorced in 2009. Although Kate was initially awarded custody of their eight children, the arrangement eventually changed, with Collin and his sister Hannah moving in with their father.
Collin currently resides in Pennsylvania and reportedly attends Penn State University. While he has largely stayed out of the spotlight, Kate has maintained a presence on social media. The memoir’s release has also renewed conversations about the ethics of family influencers and parents sharing their children’s lives online.
Entire Reddit threads dissect TikTok accounts featuring parents who regularly post theirkids for monetary gain. Some social media users have called the practice “irresponsible,” “exploitative,” and “disgusting.” Several states have also introduced regulations addressing children who appear on their parents’ platforms. California, for example, has laws governing how parents must handle earnings generated by content featuring their children.
Nearly two decades after Jon & Kate Plus 8 first aired, the conversation surrounding children growing up in the public eye remains as relevant as ever. If you want to read Collin’s story for yourself, the book is available to shop on Amazon here.
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