Collin Gosselin’s new memoir accuses his mother, Kate Gosselin, of restraining him with zip ties and confining him to a basement room before admitting him to a behavioral health facility, where he says he was physically restrained by staff and injected with a sedative. Kate has pushed back in a series of TikTok comments, calling the accusations “ridiculous” and defending her decisions as a parent, according to Just Jared and E! Online. As of October 14, 2026, she has not issued a formal public statement.
What the memoir alleges
Collin, 22, is one of the sextuplets born to Jon and Kate Gosselin and grew up on camera on the TLC series “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” E! Online reported. His book, “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood,” was released on October 13, 2026.
In the memoir, Collin alleges that he spent 21 months at Fairmount Behavioral Health System in Pennsylvania after Kate admitted him in 2016, according to E! Online. He was admitted shortly before his 12th birthday.
Collin writes that staff at the facility physically restrained him and injected him with a sedative that patients referred to as “booty juice,” E! Online reported. Describing one incident, he writes, “Hands pulled my arms behind my back, and I was pushed to the floor.” Of the sedation, he writes, “My brain had started feeling soft and cloudy, like someone had turned a dimmer switch down.”
The memoir also describes his life at home before the admission. According to E! Online, Collin alleges he was separated from his siblings and confined to a basement room furnished with an air mattress and monitored by security cameras. “Most days, I spent about 70 percent of my time locked in that room,” he writes.
Collin further alleges that Kate used zip ties to restrain his wrists and ankles before he was sent to Fairmount, and that she visited him only once during his roughly 21-month stay, E! Online reported.
In an interview with Us Weekly tied to the book’s release, Collin said the hardest part of his childhood was missing out on experiences with his siblings.
A representative for Fairmount Behavioral Health System told People that the facility cannot comment on specific patients or their care because of HIPAA patient privacy laws.
How Kate has responded
Kate, 51, has answered through comments on her own TikTok page rather than a prepared statement, according to Just Jared and E! Online.
Just Jared reported that she called Collin’s accusations “ridiculous” and defended her parenting. Addressing the facility stay, she wrote, “I had nothing to do with it, except for consent because it was medically necessary!” In another comment, she wrote, “I know rational logical ppl or anyone who has dealt with mental illness understands what’s going on here :)”
E! Online reported that Kate confirmed she is filtering or limiting comments that mention Collin. When asked about it, she replied, “Yep I sure am!” She added, “This page is about my real life and it’s all about kindness, love, honesty and definitely not for made up accusation discussion!”
Asked whether she would sue her son for defamation, Kate wrote, “I can’t bc I’m a public figure. Rules are different unfortunately. Or I def would!” In a follow-up comment reported by E! Online, she wrote, “Malice is one of the hardest things to prove. I tried :(“
Kate has addressed Collin’s placement before. In a 2023 Instagram statement reported by People, she wrote, “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.”
The history behind the rift
Jon and Kate Gosselin divorced in 2009, and Kate was initially awarded full custody of all eight children. “Jon & Kate Plus 8” aired on TLC from 2007 to 2009 before it was rebranded as “Kate Plus 8,” which ran until 2017.
In 2017, while at Fairmount, Collin smuggled a letter written in crayon to his father. Jon then sought custody, and in 2018 he was awarded sole custody of Collin, E! Online reported.
Collin spoke publicly about his estrangement from Kate as early as November 2022 on Entertainment Tonight, and in July 2023 he and his sister Hannah appeared on VICE TV’s “Dark Side of the 2000s.” That same month, his sister Mady posted an Instagram statement accusing Collin of “physically” threatening the family and exhibiting “hateful and even violent behavior.”
In September 2024, Collin told The Sun that Kate had zip-tied him and confined him to a basement “containment room.” Kate’s attorney, Richard Puleo, declined to address the claims directly at the time. “She never wants to comment because she always knows that this gets taken out of context,” Puleo told Fox News Digital. “She doesn’t want to comment. Doesn’t need to. The record speaks for itself.”
Where things stand
The memoir is now on shelves, and Collin’s allegations are presented in his own words for the first time in book form. Kate’s response so far has been limited to TikTok comments, where she has dismissed the claims and said she considered legal action but believes her status as a public figure prevents it.
Fairmount has declined to comment on his care, citing patient privacy law. Neither side has indicated that further formal statements are coming.
