Kate Gosselin has responded to her estranged son Collin's public challenge for her to take a lie detector test with him, asserting that legal recourse is limited due to her public status.
Collin Gosselin, 22, made the request on a podcast, stating he wants to address alleged past abuse, including the use of zip ties to bind his hands and feet and being locked in a basement. He also claimed his mother wrote in her diary about needing to pray to stop hitting him as a toddler. "Mom, if you're listening to this, we would ask about the zip ties [used to bind my hands and feet in a locked basement]," Collin stated on the Strange McKnights' podcast. "I would also let her ask questions like, 'Were you ever violent towards your siblings? Did you ever put your hands on your siblings?' Stuff like that. I want to get into everything. And this is where we are both hooked up to lie detectors, heart monitors, everything."
His memoir, "Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood," is scheduled for release on October 13. Collin has also denied suffering from various mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, autism, OCD, ADHD, ODD, and PTSD, which Kate had previously attributed to him when he was sent to the Fairmount Behavioral Health System in Philadelphia for 22 months between 2016 and 2018.
Kate Gosselin, a pediatric nurse, addressed the situation on TikTok, responding to fans. "Nothing surprises me anymore in that department," she wrote. To another user, she commented, "Sadly, only parents who have a mentally ill child understand! It's so tough and I'm learning that [people] have NO ability to understand unless they've been through it themselves."
When a TikTok user suggested she sue Collin for defamation, Kate expressed skepticism. "I can't [because] I'm a public figure. Rules are different unfortunately. Or I [definitely] would!" she replied. She further explained, "The rules are different for [people] in the public eye. I consulted a high-powered LA attorney (you've definitely heard of him) years ago when other [people] were putting crazy stuff out there and that's what he said. The courts don't honor it if you're in the public eye."
Collin previously blamed his mother for hindering his dream of becoming a U.S. Marine in 2023. He stated that she publicly posted about his "multiple psychiatric diagnoses" and "violent behavior" a month before his dismissal from training for "non-disclosure of pre-enlistment history."
Collin is one of eight children Kate Gosselin had with her ex-husband Jon Gosselin. Their decade-long marriage ended in 2009. Kate also welcomed 22-year-old children Aaden, Alexis, Joel, and Leah, as well as 25-year-old twin daughters Madelyn and Cara. Jon Gosselin was granted full custody of Collin and his sister Hannah in 2018. Collin is slated to appear in the fifth season of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" later this year.