Fans of reality TV may remember Collin Gosselin as one of the “eight” in the TLC show, “Jon & Kate Plus 8.” Now eighteen years old, Collin revealed in an interview with ET that the show “tore us apart” as a family. Notably, he identifies the show as the direct cause behind the breakdown of his relationship with his mother.
His mother is none other than the eponymous Kate Gosselin.
“Jon & Kate Plus 8” ran from 2007 to 2017, but it wasn’t the family’s only means of exposure. Beginning in 2009, the Gosselins made several tabloid headlines due to their divorce and subsequent legal disputes over custody agreements, babysitters, and future of the show. In 2016, Kate made headlines again when she divulged that then-thirteen-year-old Collin had been institutionalized for his “special needs.”
In his ET interview, Collin explains that his relationship with Kate was irreparably broken after he left the institution, although it was already damaged by then. Speaking of the time before he was institutionalized, Collin admits that his relationship with his mother wasn’t in its best state, sharing, “I think [the show] just kept tearing it down even more.” Additionally, he feels he was in a truly dark place during the last few years he spent with Kate, describing his experiences as, “worse than what you would say the average teenage kid goes through.”
Collin’s father, Jon Gosselin, was awarded sole custody of Collin in 2018. Today, the former reality TV star credits the show for teaching him some important life lessons. When questioned about his outlook on life, he is unexpectedly hopeful. Surprisingly, Collin has retained his sense of optimism in spite of life’s hurdles, coming out stronger than ever. In reference to staying resilient, he advises, “Address the situation…fix it…and come out on top of it.”
