'Jon & Kate Plus 8's Collin Gosselin Opens Up On How Filming Reality TV 'Tore' His Family Apart

Jul 25, 2023 by apost team

Kate and Jon Gosselin were stars of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” in the 2000s. Their stint with reality TV began in 2004 after they welcomed sextuplets in the same year. The large family who previously welcomed twins before the sextuplets were featured in a reality show called "Home Delivery." The NBC show televised the couple's effort to renovate their home for their expanded family in Pennsylvania. 

Following this, the family featured in another special on Discovery Health in 2005 and another special in 2006 titled "Surviving Sextuplets and Twins." For each of the family's appearances on TV, the channel recorded a high number of views, so Discovery Health offered them a reality show in 2007 that launched them into TV stars. 

The reality show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" premiered when the sextuplets were 3 and continued until 2009, when Jon and Kate divorced. The series, which had moved to TLC then, was renamed “Kate Plus 8” to chronicle her journey as a divorced mom of 8. Jon appeared infrequently on the revamped series before deciding to withdraw later that year. “Kate Plus 8” continued to run until 2017.

The show may have been popular and entertaining for fans, but for the Gosselins, their situation was less than ideal. One of the couple's sextuplets, Collin Gosselin, didn't have a good relationship with his mom who has often been regarded as the quintessential Karen. Meanwhile, Collin's relationship with her only worsened as he grew older.

The 19-year-old, who lives with his dad, opened up to VICE TV in its docu-series that premiered on July 18, 2023, after graduating high school about the impact of reality TV on his family and what happened to him when he refused to film. Continue reading to know what he went through. 

After Kate and Jon's divorce in 2009, Kate won legal custody of their children and the family home as well. However, a few years later, Collin was sent to live in an institution and stayed there for three years. Addressing the issue, Kate said, in 2016, that she sent Collin to the facility for educational and special needs purposes.

On his part, Collin told VICE TV that he believed his mom sent him away for reporting her abuse to his teachers.

"You know, she caught wind of that and had to put me somewhere where I wouldn't be able to get the secrets out," he said in the docu-series. 

However, Kate denied the allegations, according to VICE TV. Collin got out after writing a note to his dad to come and save him. He recalled the experience during his interview with ET on Nov. 29, 2022:

"I was in two different institutions, um, scary place. I was actually 12 when I got admitted there, and then it was like I spent my 13th and 14th birthday there."

In the letter to his dad in 2018, shown during the interview, the youngster wrote in crayons:

"You're my dad, my savior. Please help me. I'm counting on you to get me out of here. Daddy, I love you."

Jon revealed that before receiving the letter, he had no idea where Collin was. Hannah Gosselin, one of the sextuplets, also shared that she and other children had no idea where their brother was. 

"We did not talk to Collin for years while he was in the facility," she told VICE TV. We didn't even know where he was." 

Hannah is the only sibling Collin has a relationship with. He thanked her for her support on his Instagram after his graduation.

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VICE TV's documentary on the "Dark Sides of the 2000s," which premiered on July 18, 2023, follows several stars of the 2000s, including the Gosselin family. Some of the family members, including Collin, Hannah and Jon, spoke with the channel and revealed some of the things that happened while the children were growing up. 

"To be honest, I don't have any clear memories of before the cameras were there," Collin shared. "You know, they were always there."

Jon shared that the family filmed almost every day, which explained Collin's reluctance to film all the time. 

"There were times when I definitely wanted that day off," the teenager revealed.  

Collin confessed that in such situations, he stayed silent and refused to cooperate with the network.

"I was quiet," he told VICE TV. "I would just be there and be completely silent in interviews and not interact or do what I had to do."

In response, Kate kept him away from the other kids. Hannah told the channel in the first episode: 

"Like he would not get to come and play outside with us. He would eat different at different times than us." 

However, Collin had no hard feelings toward his mom. He shared with ET that he believed reality TV ruined his family and that he would love to reconcile with Kate and his other siblings. 

"I want to believe it was because of TV and what being in the public eye does to a family. I think it tore us apart," he opined. "It gave us less time to actually be together as a family, (and) more time to be in the public eye."

When asked if he wanted to have a relationship with Kate, he responded:

"Yes, that would be ideal."

What do you think of Collin's situation with his family? Do you have any words to say to him? Let us know, and pass this article on to your friends, family and fans of the Gosselin family.