Collin Gosselin, son of former reality television stars Kate and Jon Gosselin, has shared his belief that his mother admitted him to a behavioral facility at age 12 because he expressed a desire to stop being filmed. In a September 2025 interview with The US Sun, published in full recently, Collin stated that even at that young age, he was questioning his mother's decisions.
"I was stubborn enough to question my mom," Collin told the publication. "I questioned her about everything, and that came before the rebellion of me not wanting to be on camera and be a part of her circus," he added, referencing Kate Gosselin's decision to continue the series "Kate Plus 8" after her divorce from Jon Gosselin.
Collin was placed in a facility in 2016, with Kate Gosselin at the time citing his "unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies towards" family members. He remained there for nearly two years before his father, Jon Gosselin, obtained sole custody of him in 2018. Prior to his institutionalization, Kate Gosselin had custody of Collin and his seven siblings: sextuplets Alexis, Aaden, Leah, Joel, and Hannah, 22, and twins Cara and Madelyn, 25.
Collin suggested that his mother's "reputation" might have also factored into the decision to send him away. He speculated whether it was easier to obtain work permits for seven children who were willing participants in filming, as opposed to seven willing and one unwilling child.
During his time at the institution, Collin stated his mother visited him only once, for approximately 20 minutes. He recounted feeling blamed throughout the visit. "The whole time I was blamed," he said, recalling that he was overweight, sick, and on medication.
He also alleged that his mother told him during that single visit that he had "broken her family" and that his siblings wanted nothing to do with him.
Collin is set to release a memoir titled "In the Shadow of Eight," in which he plans to detail alleged wrongdoings from his childhood. In a 2023 interview for "Dark Side of the 2000s," he previously claimed his mother sent him to the institution to conceal alleged abuse.
Kate Gosselin, however, has consistently attributed his accusations to mental illness. In a 2023 statement, she said, "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."
She further stated that she believes he "remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help," and that his siblings and she have not been directly involved in his life due to his history of "unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies towards us."
In response to a social media comment in late 2025, Kate reiterated her stance, writing that "only parents who have a mentally ill child understand."
Collin also alleged in 2024 that his time in the behavioral institution led to his discharge from the Marines, stating, "It was the fact that I was in an institution and that’s it."
In 2024, lawyer Richard Puleo reportedly stated that he did not believe Kate had intentionally harmed Collin, asserting that "she did what she did to protect herself and her family" from what he described as "troubled behavior."