Collin Gosselin claims his estranged mother, Kate Gosselin, delivered a devastating message during the only visit she made while he was in a mental institution at age 12. According to Collin, she told him, “You broke our family.”

Collin, now 22, recounts the painful encounter in his new book, “In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood.” He remembers Kate, 51, appearing “disappointed” when she saw him at the facility, as reported by Page Six.

Collin believed his mother was “horrified” by the weight he had gained. He says Kate had previously warned her children about healthy eating, but his meals inside the institution were beyond his control.

“She warned us about eating healthy and what would happen if we didn’t,” Collin writes. “But I didn’t really have a choice here. I ate what they gave me. And now, well, I was fat.”

The mother and son shared what Collin described as a “stiff” hug. He told Kate that he “missed her,” but he claims she ignored the remark rather than responding to him.

Jay Shetty interviews Collin Gosselin about life with his very disturbing mother.

Most of us realized very early on when Jon & Kate Plus 8 first arrived on the reality tv scene there was something very off with micromanaging Kate. Collin Gosselin has written a book and is now sharing his story about growing up with a mother with a personality in the Dark Triad. — Tracy (@beekmanplace78) October 14, 2026

A doctor was also present during the meeting and said Collin had “lashed out a couple times” recently. Collin writes that his “crying fits” came from desperately wanting to return home.

The doctor then said Collin was “responding well to the program.” When Kate thanked the doctor by his first name, Jack, Collin became startled by the apparent familiarity between them.

“I shifted uncomfortably in my seat,” he writes. “When did my mom and the doctor get on a first-name basis? How often were they in touch?”

After the doctor left the room, Collin attempted to give Kate origami gifts he had made for his seven siblings. Kate refused to accept the gifts, according to his account.

Collin writes that his stomach began to “drop” as he understood what the rejection meant to him. “These gifts were my chance to remind them I existed. If she wouldn’t take those, she wasn’t going to take me.”

In what he calls a “desperate” plea, Collin asked his mother whether he could return home. Kate allegedly responded that it “wouldn’t be appropriate” and claimed his siblings were “doing so much better” while he was away.

Kate allegedly discussed cakes she had ordered for the other sextuplets’ birthday and shared details about the family’s upcoming summer break plans. She then allegedly told Collin, “You are here because of you. You broke our family.”

Collin, who appeared on “Special Forces,” claims he had heard the cutting statement before. He says he “started to sob” and covered his face with his hands as the doctor returned to the room and Kate announced that she was leaving.

“I don’t remember saying goodbye,” Collin writes. “A nurse escorted me back to the pod. That was the first and last time my mom ever visited me in the institution.”

The memoir also presents Collin’s allegations about his childhood and Kate’s decision to send him to the facility in 2016. Kate offered her own account of that decision in 2023.

Kate claimed she placed Collin in the institution “following years of outpatient treatment which proved insufficient for his needs,” saying she did so “for the safety of myself, his brothers and sisters, and for his own well-being.”

The “Celebrity Apprentice” alum also claimed Collin “remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help.” Collin disputed her explanation during a 2025 interview with The Sun.

Collin alleged that Kate sent him away because he did not want to appear on camera with her for TLC’s “Kate Plus 8” after his parents’ 2009 divorce. He eventually left the facility with help from his father, Jon Gosselin.

Jon was subsequently granted legal and physical custody of Collin. Kate remains estranged from her son and was reportedly “nervous” about the memoir before its release.

“Kate doesn’t want anyone in the family to talk about their past,” a source said. “She considers any of the children who talk in the family as traitors.”

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