Trigger warning: This article contained mentions of abuse and physical violence.
TV personality Collin Gosselin revealed that his mother, Kate Gosselin, allegedly abused him as a child.
In an interview with The U.S. Sun, the 20-year-old star described how “very emotionally abusive” his relationship with his mom was, alleging that the latter binds his hands and feet with zip-tie and keeps him locked in a basement.
“It was a very, very emotionally abusive relationship,” he said.
“When my mother would put me in that room multiple times, she had zip-tied my hands and feet together and bolt-locked the door, turned the lights off and had cameras there just watching me,” Collin continued, adding that the room was an “unfinished section of the storage basement” that contained a mattress on the floor.
Collin also revealed that his mom allegedly segregated him from his siblings and took him out of school. This came along with his diagnosis “with a slew of psychiatric and behavioral conditions.”
“And I was there, you know, most of the day because I didn’t go to school after a certain point. So most of the day I was in that room and I was away from my siblings and I never really went outside.”
Meanwhile, his father, Jon, also told the outlet that he was unaware of his ex-wife’s alleged violent actions until he gained custody of daughter Hannah, noting that the incident “must have been terrifying” to Collin.
“The room in the basement where she kept Collin is still there,” Jon claimed. “My friends’s in-laws bought our house, and one time they asked me ‘Why is there a room in the basement with a bed and a lock on the outside?'”
“It must have been terrifying for [Collin],” he added.
According to the media outlet, Kate declined to comment on the issue.
However, citing Kate’s attorney Richard Puleo, Page Six said that Kate denied the issue. She said she did not “intentionally” harm Collin and just “did what she did to protect herself and her family” from her son’s “troubled behavior.”
Why he is speaking out
Collin continued to talk about the issue on his Instagram story hoping that his revelation would spark changes and be the “voice” for those children who also experienced abuse and violence.
“It has taken me a long to find the strength needed to speak about my mother’s abuse. I have finally found my voice, and I hope to be the voice for children everywhere facing abuse. It is never ok. Your story can be told, just like mine,” he wrote.
“As well, I wish to bring attention to the system that failed me as a child, and hopefully, in turn, it will help others,” Collin added.
Collin also thanked his dad for “fighting so hard” to obtain custody of him and “saving” him from the institution where he was “wrongfully committed.”
“Seeing pictures of my younger self is still incredibly difficult, but today, I feel a small sense of justice by speaking it.”…Read more by
