Kate Gosselin Responds to Son Collin's Allegations in Memoir

Kate Gosselin addressed allegations made by her estranged son, Collin Gosselin, in his memoir titled "In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood." In a TikTok comment posted on Tuesday, she stated, "Rational logical [people] or anyone who has dealt with mental illness understands what’s going on here." Her remarks were in response to a supporter who described Collin's claims as "terrible lies" and suggested it should be illegal to defame someone in a memoir. The supporter expressed support for Kate, stating, "I just wanted to say you are doing a great job keeping your head up through all of this." Kate also liked a comment that suggested Collin would "regret all of this someday" and that he was "encouraged and enabled by other dysfunctional and mentally ill people." In the memoir, released on the same day, Collin detailed his mother's alleged actions during his childhood, including her decision to place him in a mental institution in 2016. He claimed that Kate visited him only once during his time there and told him, "You broke our family." Kate defended her decision to institutionalize Collin in 2023, stating it was necessary after years of outpatient treatment and for the safety of her family. She described Collin as "a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help." Collin's memoir also included allegations that Kate would command her children to "act happy" or face punishment, and he described a "small holding cell" where he was allegedly kept for two years in their basement. He claimed that during this time, he was only provided with an air mattress and a pillow, and that the camera crew and his siblings were not allowed to see him. Kate shares her sextuplets and twin daughters with her ex-husband Jon Gosselin, from whom she divorced in 2009. Jon lost custody of all their children after the split, and the family gained fame through the reality show "Jon & Kate Plus 8," which aired from 2007 to 2009. In 2018, nearly two years after Collin's institutionalization, Jon filed for full custody of him and brought him home, also gaining custody of his daughter Hannah. The remaining sextuplets stayed with Kate. Despite being estranged from most of his siblings, Collin expressed in his memoir that he "love[s] them very much."