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In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood
Collin Gosselin, one of the sextuplets from Jon & Kate Plus 8, breaks his silence to share the shocking story hidden behind the facade of a picture-perfect family.
For years, the world watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 through a lens of curated joy. But while the cameras captured the milestones, they missed the moments that defined Collin Gosselin’s life: the Christmas morning where the gifts were reclaimed as soon as the cameras went down, and the basement room where silence was his only companion.
In the Shadow of Eight is the first account of a secret childhood lived in the gaps between the frames. Collin is finally sharing the truth about being held down, the basement cell where he was hidden for years, and the cocktail of powerful antipsychotics forced on an eleven-year-old boy. This is a reckoning with the dark side of fame: the systems, the entourage, and the institutions that allowed one boy to be erased. This is the never before told story of how he escaped and found his way back from the dark.
For years, the world watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 through a lens of curated joy. But while the cameras captured the milestones, they missed the moments that defined Collin Gosselin’s life: the Christmas morning where the gifts were reclaimed as soon as the cameras went down, and the basement room where silence was his only companion.
In the Shadow of Eight is the first account of a secret childhood lived in the gaps between the frames. Collin is finally sharing the truth about being held down, the basement cell where he was hidden for years, and the cocktail of powerful antipsychotics forced on an eleven-year-old boy. This is a reckoning with the dark side of fame: the systems, the entourage, and the institutions that allowed one boy to be erased. This is the never before told story of how he escaped and found his way back from the dark.
8 pages, Audiobook
First published October 13, 2026
About the author
Collin Gosselin
1 book85 followersCollin Gosselin is one of eight children of Jon and Kate Gosselin, featured on the popular TLC show Jon & Kate Plus 8. Born in 2004, he is now 22 years old and has begun to speak out on his true experiences behind the scenes.
source: Amazon
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,517 reviews
October 13, 2026
Imagine doing everything in your power to break your own child, only for him to become everything you failed to see he could be.
Against all odds, including the ones his own mother created, Collin grew into someone strong, intelligent, loving, compassionate, and capable of the self-reflection she was never brave enough to have herself.
And now he holds up a mirror for the world to see what an absolute witch she is.
Collin, you deserve all the happiness in the world. I'm so glad you're finally starting to believe it.
Incredible well written, compelling and a must read.
Against all odds, including the ones his own mother created, Collin grew into someone strong, intelligent, loving, compassionate, and capable of the self-reflection she was never brave enough to have herself.
And now he holds up a mirror for the world to see what an absolute witch she is.
Collin, you deserve all the happiness in the world. I'm so glad you're finally starting to believe it.
Incredible well written, compelling and a must read.
October 16, 2026
I believe you, Collin!
October 14, 2026
WE RIDE AT DAWN FOR COLLIN
October 13, 2026
Well, I think it’s safe to say that Kate Gosselin is going straight to hell.
October 13, 2026
Buckle. Up. Seriously…and be ready to be furious. My god this book has me spinning with rage. Every single adult in this book failed Collin. The only person that is even the slightest bit redeemable is Jon’s ex girlfriend Colleen who fought with Jon about releasing information about Collin against his wishes when he wanted to fight back against what Kate was saying to the media. Yes, she was going to the media to make herself look good. Yes she was spinning tales. But your child, the one she harmed through all of this, did not want details of his life and trauma dragged through the tabloids, especially not during middle/high school years. You respect that. Get over your pissing contest with your ex wife and respect your child. Also, how did you just not see him for years and never take Kate to court over it? You just believed that he didn’t want to see you and that was that? Come on…be a parent. So anyway, that was the GOOD parent in this situation. Like I said...buckle up.
Kate. You are a horrible human being. Seriously…we all saw the way she acted on TV, but it was so much worse than we saw. The things she did to Collin are diabolical, and I am ashamed to have ever given her income with my views of the show. Collin has undergone full psychological testing and does not have a single one of the diagnosis’s that she is pandering to the media. I am disgusted. Truly, just filled with rage for this poor child that just wanted to be loved by his mother. You want to start with boys will be boys? Yes, little boys will act out to get attention, actually boys AND girls do that. When you have 8 children, I’m sure at times each of them did something hoping to get your attention. You need to take a deep dark look at yourself and what made you treat a child the way you did.
And TLC and Fairmount Behavioral Health…you are in no way innocent in any of this either. Fairmount-you just took his mother’s word that he had these issues and then drugged the crap out of him for two years? Never questioned why his mother who was screaming her love for all her kids all over gods green earth only came to see him once in his entire time there? You never wondered why his father was not in any way shape or form involved? TLC, I am sorry but there is no way you had no idea that anything nefarious was going on. You were in that home, you saw the kids rooms. Sure we can’t prove what you knew, but I don’t buy for a second that anyone working on that show truly believed everything was happy go lucky. Especially knowing that you tried to pay Jon and Kate millions to not get divorced.
Every single adult in Collins life as a child should be ashamed of themselves. That is all.
Kate. You are a horrible human being. Seriously…we all saw the way she acted on TV, but it was so much worse than we saw. The things she did to Collin are diabolical, and I am ashamed to have ever given her income with my views of the show. Collin has undergone full psychological testing and does not have a single one of the diagnosis’s that she is pandering to the media. I am disgusted. Truly, just filled with rage for this poor child that just wanted to be loved by his mother. You want to start with boys will be boys? Yes, little boys will act out to get attention, actually boys AND girls do that. When you have 8 children, I’m sure at times each of them did something hoping to get your attention. You need to take a deep dark look at yourself and what made you treat a child the way you did.
And TLC and Fairmount Behavioral Health…you are in no way innocent in any of this either. Fairmount-you just took his mother’s word that he had these issues and then drugged the crap out of him for two years? Never questioned why his mother who was screaming her love for all her kids all over gods green earth only came to see him once in his entire time there? You never wondered why his father was not in any way shape or form involved? TLC, I am sorry but there is no way you had no idea that anything nefarious was going on. You were in that home, you saw the kids rooms. Sure we can’t prove what you knew, but I don’t buy for a second that anyone working on that show truly believed everything was happy go lucky. Especially knowing that you tried to pay Jon and Kate millions to not get divorced.
Every single adult in Collins life as a child should be ashamed of themselves. That is all.
October 14, 2026
Kate deserves PRISON for what she did to that poor baby. Now I’m gonna go talk shit on her instagram.
October 15, 2026
This is worth reading just for that petty zinger in the very last sentence of the acknowledgements.
October 14, 2026
If I ever run into Kate it’s ON SIGHT
October 14, 2026
Did I watch Jon & Kate Plus 8? Yeah. I did. Was I aware of the scandals involving bodyguards or nannies while the mother of all Karens and her walking, talking Ed Hardy billboard of a husband were publicly divorcing? Also yes. Was I aware at the time how gross and exploitative it all was? Sadly, no. It's wild, the shit that passes for “entertainment.” I certainly didn’t recognize the toxicity and troubling behavior that now seem glaringly obvious after revisiting clips of the show online.
Looking back at the way Kate treated Jon and some of her on-camera discipline of the kids, particularly Collin, the allegations of abuse are horrifying, but sadly, not entirely surprising. And while I appreciate what Jon has done for Collin, I'm not letting him completely off the hook either. I believe he loves his children, but I also remember his very public midlife crisis, and I still question some of his motivations. Pushing Collin toward press appearances and agreeing to interviews before Collin was ready to share his story doesn't exactly sit right with me.
I knew some of Collin Gosselin’s story going in, but hearing it from him was something else entirely. What struck me most was how little bitterness he seems to carry, how determined he is to move forward and how genuinely he wants to protect other kids from going through the same thing. I hope people listen.
I also hope Kate Gosselin falls into a volcano.
Looking back at the way Kate treated Jon and some of her on-camera discipline of the kids, particularly Collin, the allegations of abuse are horrifying, but sadly, not entirely surprising. And while I appreciate what Jon has done for Collin, I'm not letting him completely off the hook either. I believe he loves his children, but I also remember his very public midlife crisis, and I still question some of his motivations. Pushing Collin toward press appearances and agreeing to interviews before Collin was ready to share his story doesn't exactly sit right with me.
I knew some of Collin Gosselin’s story going in, but hearing it from him was something else entirely. What struck me most was how little bitterness he seems to carry, how determined he is to move forward and how genuinely he wants to protect other kids from going through the same thing. I hope people listen.
I also hope Kate Gosselin falls into a volcano.
October 16, 2026
Believe kids.
October 24, 2026
Collin, if for some reason you are scrolling these reviews- I hope you know how damn brave you are for telling your story. You deserved so much better and I hope the rest of your life is as magical and beautiful as humanly possible - you deserve every drop of joy and love that was withheld from from you. This mom is beyond proud of you.
I
Believe
You.
I
Believe
You.
October 15, 2026
FUCK KATE
October 13, 2026
This was so well-written, and so haunting and sad.
October 14, 2026
Wowie I audiobooked this so hard; this was something I’ve been waiting for since I was 14 and wholly obsessed with Jon and Kate Plus 8. I really appreciate how Collin focused solely on his experience, especially noting the importance of owning your narrative, the importance of chosen family, and the reality that there are a lot of kids who experience trauma in mental health institutions (noting that a lot of kids are in foster care there). But above all, the voice of a kid who loved his siblings to an adult who still loves his siblings rings throughout this narrative. And I hope that his siblings see how Collin so carefully tried to only tell his history (even, at one point, noting that Kate’s childhood was “not my story to tell.”) and thus see that this is someone who has spent conscious effort considering how the actions of others hurt him, and thus he does not want to hurt others.
Midway through, I thought about how disappointed I was that there wasn’t more information about the reality tv show, but upon ending, I do think it’s appropriate. If it’s Collin’s story, he’s not going to remember much of when he was a toddler and child. Especially if he experienced trauma. Furthermore, when those stories are intertwined with the stories of 7+ others, it’s hard to tell them without inviting a bunch of misrepresentation and hurt. I understand why the book was formatted this way.
This book was remarkably insightful for a young twenty-something, and I am interested to see how Collin continues owning his story into something for good. I hope that, one day, he and his siblings can find a way to move forward - and if it’s not in front of America? That will be okay. These children deserve it after all that they’ve dealt with.
Midway through, I thought about how disappointed I was that there wasn’t more information about the reality tv show, but upon ending, I do think it’s appropriate. If it’s Collin’s story, he’s not going to remember much of when he was a toddler and child. Especially if he experienced trauma. Furthermore, when those stories are intertwined with the stories of 7+ others, it’s hard to tell them without inviting a bunch of misrepresentation and hurt. I understand why the book was formatted this way.
This book was remarkably insightful for a young twenty-something, and I am interested to see how Collin continues owning his story into something for good. I hope that, one day, he and his siblings can find a way to move forward - and if it’s not in front of America? That will be okay. These children deserve it after all that they’ve dealt with.
Read
October 14, 2026This book confirms everything I’ve ever thought about Kate Gosselin and her haircut.
But for real, I feel we are now coming to see some of the truly dramatic and heinous results of children on reality TV(and child stars in general). These children were exploited plain and simple.
Really sad story, but I’m glad Collin seems to be healing from a traumatic childhood.
But for real, I feel we are now coming to see some of the truly dramatic and heinous results of children on reality TV(and child stars in general). These children were exploited plain and simple.
Really sad story, but I’m glad Collin seems to be healing from a traumatic childhood.
October 13, 2026
Absolutely Heartbreaking
I finished this book today, and I honestly don’t even know how to put into words how heartbreaking it was.
As a mother, I cannot begin to comprehend how anyone could treat their own child the way Collin describes being treated. Children are supposed to feel safe in their mother’s arms. Home is supposed to be their safe place, not somewhere they live in fear.
The thought of a little boy being locked away in a room, restrained with zip ties, isolated from his siblings, and eventually placed in an institution is absolutely horrifying. But what broke my heart even more was reading about his mother telling him that HE was the reason their family fell apart. Imagine being a little boy, already feeling unwanted and abandoned, and having the person who brought you into this world convince you that you were the problem.
He was never the problem. He was a CHILD.
What also sickens me is the idea of children being treated like puppets, expected to perform for cameras and generate money instead of simply being allowed to have a childhood. Children are not paychecks. They are not props. They are human beings who deserve love, privacy, protection, and the freedom to be themselves.
For years, millions of people watched this family on television, never knowing what Collin says was happening when the cameras weren’t rolling. It is a devastating reminder that the picture perfect lives we see on television can hide unimaginable pain.
What stands out to me most is that despite everything he describes enduring, Collin found the courage to tell his story. The little boy who was made to feel like he didn’t matter finally has a voice, and I hope the world listens.
I hope writing this book has brought him some healing. I hope he knows that he deserved so much better. Most importantly, I hope he knows that none of what happened to him as a child was his fault.
This book is difficult to read, but it is one I believe people should read. It is about so much more than reality television. It’s about childhood trauma, emotional abuse, exploitation, survival, and finding your voice after years of being silenced.
No child should ever have to spend their adult life healing from the person who was supposed to protect them.
My heart absolutely breaks for the little boy Collin once was, and I have so much respect for the man who found the strength to share his story.
I finished this book today, and I honestly don’t even know how to put into words how heartbreaking it was.
As a mother, I cannot begin to comprehend how anyone could treat their own child the way Collin describes being treated. Children are supposed to feel safe in their mother’s arms. Home is supposed to be their safe place, not somewhere they live in fear.
The thought of a little boy being locked away in a room, restrained with zip ties, isolated from his siblings, and eventually placed in an institution is absolutely horrifying. But what broke my heart even more was reading about his mother telling him that HE was the reason their family fell apart. Imagine being a little boy, already feeling unwanted and abandoned, and having the person who brought you into this world convince you that you were the problem.
He was never the problem. He was a CHILD.
What also sickens me is the idea of children being treated like puppets, expected to perform for cameras and generate money instead of simply being allowed to have a childhood. Children are not paychecks. They are not props. They are human beings who deserve love, privacy, protection, and the freedom to be themselves.
For years, millions of people watched this family on television, never knowing what Collin says was happening when the cameras weren’t rolling. It is a devastating reminder that the picture perfect lives we see on television can hide unimaginable pain.
What stands out to me most is that despite everything he describes enduring, Collin found the courage to tell his story. The little boy who was made to feel like he didn’t matter finally has a voice, and I hope the world listens.
I hope writing this book has brought him some healing. I hope he knows that he deserved so much better. Most importantly, I hope he knows that none of what happened to him as a child was his fault.
This book is difficult to read, but it is one I believe people should read. It is about so much more than reality television. It’s about childhood trauma, emotional abuse, exploitation, survival, and finding your voice after years of being silenced.
No child should ever have to spend their adult life healing from the person who was supposed to protect them.
My heart absolutely breaks for the little boy Collin once was, and I have so much respect for the man who found the strength to share his story.
October 21, 2026
I really admire you Collin Gosselin. I believe every word. Your book made me cry several times but also made me smile so big and I left it feeling totally inspired by you and your perseverance through experiences so rare not many people could imagine. You have become such a strong, wise, kind and powerful human who we all know will go on to do great things in life against all odds. THANK YOU for sharing your story. This book was so well done.
Kate- You are a nastyyy low vibrational person who should have never become a parent. I hope it tears you up every day missing out on what a wonderful person your son has become. Trust and believe, you didn’t have a single part of that. ✌️
Kate- You are a nastyyy low vibrational person who should have never become a parent. I hope it tears you up every day missing out on what a wonderful person your son has become. Trust and believe, you didn’t have a single part of that. ✌️
October 20, 2026
⋆˙⟡ ── ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ 4.5⭐️
As someone who used to watch Jon and Kate Plus 8 back in the day, I was instantly sympathetic to Collin and what I saw portrayed on TV throughout the years. I always knew something was going on with him, and I’m so happy he had the chance to get his story out there. This was so heartbreaking to read/listen to what he went through, his thoughts, how he was manipulated, and witness how easy (and unfortunate) it was for him to go unseen and unheard. I was never a fan of how his mother treated him (and Jon for that matter) and to see how the tidbits we got unraveled for him in his real life was devastating. We didn’t even know the half of it. I pray this book helped grant Collin closure and a better relationship with his siblings.
As someone who used to watch Jon and Kate Plus 8 back in the day, I was instantly sympathetic to Collin and what I saw portrayed on TV throughout the years. I always knew something was going on with him, and I’m so happy he had the chance to get his story out there. This was so heartbreaking to read/listen to what he went through, his thoughts, how he was manipulated, and witness how easy (and unfortunate) it was for him to go unseen and unheard. I was never a fan of how his mother treated him (and Jon for that matter) and to see how the tidbits we got unraveled for him in his real life was devastating. We didn’t even know the half of it. I pray this book helped grant Collin closure and a better relationship with his siblings.
October 18, 2026
Thank you Collin Gosselin for being brave enough to tell your story to the world.
Kate (the original Karen, haircut and all) is exposed by her son for the sick way she isolated and treated one of her eight kids. I never could stand the woman but honestly I don't find what he said surprising.
I keep wanting to curse but I'll do my best to refrain. She messed him up. Psychologically I believe she ruined his life. Will he continue to grow and gain strength in himself over time, for sure, but who would he have become if she didn't decide he was less worthy than the others. Also, to cause parental alienation with Jon when she wanted nothing to do with him is just another layer of cruelty.
The revelation of all these stars of the 90s and 2000s of childhood by becoming a child star is growing consistantly and I fear what the children of tomorrow will be like with family channels on platforms like YouTube, tiktok, Facebook, etc..
I feel both angry and heartbroken reading this memoir but I am thankful he was was willing to share his story.
Intense memoir!
Kate (the original Karen, haircut and all) is exposed by her son for the sick way she isolated and treated one of her eight kids. I never could stand the woman but honestly I don't find what he said surprising.
I keep wanting to curse but I'll do my best to refrain. She messed him up. Psychologically I believe she ruined his life. Will he continue to grow and gain strength in himself over time, for sure, but who would he have become if she didn't decide he was less worthy than the others. Also, to cause parental alienation with Jon when she wanted nothing to do with him is just another layer of cruelty.
The revelation of all these stars of the 90s and 2000s of childhood by becoming a child star is growing consistantly and I fear what the children of tomorrow will be like with family channels on platforms like YouTube, tiktok, Facebook, etc..
I feel both angry and heartbroken reading this memoir but I am thankful he was was willing to share his story.
Intense memoir!
October 15, 2026
𝑻𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆.
I went into this book knowing very little about Collin Gosselin beyond watching a few episodes of the reality show 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑷𝒍𝒖𝒔 𝑬𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. I knew that he had been institutionalized as a pre-teen, but I came away feeling like I had been handed a completely different piece of the story. Growing up in the public eye is one thing. Growing up with cameras documenting your childhood when you are far too young to understand what that means is something else entirely. The things Collin shares about the abuse he endured at the hands of his mother, the isolation and family alienation, and the profound ways he was failed by the adults and systems around him were heartbreaking to read.
What surprised me most was how quietly he tells it. This never felt like a tabloid tell-all or an attempt to cash in on a childhood that was already exploited enough. His voice is introspective and almost matter-of-fact, and somehow that made the emotional weight even heavier. You can feel the sadness and isolation of the little boy who still lives somewhere inside the man telling this story. There were moments when I wanted to reach through the pages and tell that little boy that he deserved so much better. He deserved to feel safe and believed. He deserved to have a childhood that belonged to him instead of one that belonged to the cameras.
I devoured this book in less than twenty-four hours, but I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about it anytime soon. More than anything, it made me think about our own role as consumers. We have normalized filming children, sharing their lives, dissecting their behavior, and turning their most vulnerable moments into entertainment and paychecks. We need to stop and ask ourselves what we're actually supporting. Children cannot consent to having their childhoods broadcast to millions of strangers. They shouldn't have to grow up and explain what it felt like to have their lives consumed by people who never knew them. I am grateful Collin survived, found his voice, and was able to tell this story on his own terms. This is a devastating, deeply human read that I won't soon forget.
I went into this book knowing very little about Collin Gosselin beyond watching a few episodes of the reality show 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑲𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑷𝒍𝒖𝒔 𝑬𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. I knew that he had been institutionalized as a pre-teen, but I came away feeling like I had been handed a completely different piece of the story. Growing up in the public eye is one thing. Growing up with cameras documenting your childhood when you are far too young to understand what that means is something else entirely. The things Collin shares about the abuse he endured at the hands of his mother, the isolation and family alienation, and the profound ways he was failed by the adults and systems around him were heartbreaking to read.
What surprised me most was how quietly he tells it. This never felt like a tabloid tell-all or an attempt to cash in on a childhood that was already exploited enough. His voice is introspective and almost matter-of-fact, and somehow that made the emotional weight even heavier. You can feel the sadness and isolation of the little boy who still lives somewhere inside the man telling this story. There were moments when I wanted to reach through the pages and tell that little boy that he deserved so much better. He deserved to feel safe and believed. He deserved to have a childhood that belonged to him instead of one that belonged to the cameras.
I devoured this book in less than twenty-four hours, but I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about it anytime soon. More than anything, it made me think about our own role as consumers. We have normalized filming children, sharing their lives, dissecting their behavior, and turning their most vulnerable moments into entertainment and paychecks. We need to stop and ask ourselves what we're actually supporting. Children cannot consent to having their childhoods broadcast to millions of strangers. They shouldn't have to grow up and explain what it felt like to have their lives consumed by people who never knew them. I am grateful Collin survived, found his voice, and was able to tell this story on his own terms. This is a devastating, deeply human read that I won't soon forget.
October 17, 2026
I can't remember the last time I read a book this quickly. I couldn't put it down. Collin's story is heartbreaking and all he has overcome is inspiring. What an amazing voice for the silenced and invisible.
October 29, 2026
I originally had been following along with someone reading a chapter nightly on TT. I couldn’t handle it and NEEDED to buy the book. I read the entire book tonight on my kindle. Cried through most of it. Collin shares such raw and real emotions and you can’t help but feel every single one. I used to love their show growing up and it’s crazy to think what was really happening. I always questioned why Kate treated John so badly and felt she always seemed stern. The signs were there and money hid it all. I’m so sorry Collin was failed like that. Our system is very broken. He’s so brave and it’s stories like these that help pave the way for reform and change. Very well written. I’d give it more than five stars if I could.
October 15, 2026
as a certified former TLC addict i had to read this. was it well written? no. was it absolutely heartbreaking and necessary? yes.
October 16, 2026
I’m so sorry but I have to be honest. I really, really wanted to read Collin’s story. He is very brave for telling his truth.
However…
The cadence and the writing “style” at times read like ChatGPT. I couldn’t stop noticing it the further into the book I progressed. I’m not saying he did use that by any means, but I would be remiss with I didn’t point out my observation. Especially when it bothered me so much I almost didn’t finish.
And overall, it was very… fast. We never lingered anywhere. Never touch on emotions more than “this is how I felt.” I’m not saying we need to dig into his brain and watch with morbid curiosity all the parts of his life that hurt, but this is lacking connection. It’s a brief retelling of what happened. Or at least that’s how I felt reading this. We skip from one thing to another very rapidly. Most of the time, I never even know what age he is. What the context of the situation is.
However…
The cadence and the writing “style” at times read like ChatGPT. I couldn’t stop noticing it the further into the book I progressed. I’m not saying he did use that by any means, but I would be remiss with I didn’t point out my observation. Especially when it bothered me so much I almost didn’t finish.
And overall, it was very… fast. We never lingered anywhere. Never touch on emotions more than “this is how I felt.” I’m not saying we need to dig into his brain and watch with morbid curiosity all the parts of his life that hurt, but this is lacking connection. It’s a brief retelling of what happened. Or at least that’s how I felt reading this. We skip from one thing to another very rapidly. Most of the time, I never even know what age he is. What the context of the situation is.
October 16, 2026
Oh Collin, I am so sorry this happened to you. The amount of adults that failed you that you thought you trusted breaks my heart as a person who read your book but also as a mom. I can’t imagine ever allowing anyone to treat my children the way you were treated by your mother. I am devastated for you, and the relief I had in your story when you had your phone call from your dad broke my heart. The fact that Kate blocked your ability to serve our country is disgusting when you were thriving in that environment. I hope you have found peace and healing and have a good community of people surrounding you who truly support and love you the way you deserve.
October 16, 2026
Kate is EVIL
October 15, 2026
This one was heavy. Stories like Collin’s make it so difficult to think about what some kids go through. Enjoyed listening to his audiobook because you could feel his emotions
October 25, 2026
Yea sorry this is HELLA long … I had some shit to say.
#ad much love for my finished copy @grandcentralpub #partner
In the Shadow of Eight
< @
ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ɴᴏᴡ
In the words of Nina the beauty influencer, OOO CHILLLLD! Grab your popcorn, grab a drink, and listen here because this tea is PIPING HOT! ☕️ (something like that lol - idk why but it’s her voice I heard while starting this book).
We watched it all unfold on our TVs. But what was happening behind those moments we thought were so precious was something we could have never have fathomed. We heard the rumors, the rumblings, watched a marriage fall apart, and accusations being flung left and right. But what we didn’t fully see were the innocent ones behind all that tabloid fodder. The children who weren’t asked their permission, the children who had no choices, the children who had no voices.
Until now…
In the Shadow of Eight by Collin Gosselin has been making headlines that I’m sure you might have seen by now. But this book goes so much deeper than the he said/she said we’ve been watching play out in the media for years. Because now it’s time for Collin to tell his own story, in his own words. A child who will be silenced no more.
“Silence felt safer than truth…” (45).
Look, most of us probably gave Kate a lot of grace back then. She was raising EIGHT children. Most of us couldn’t even imagine everything that goes into that. Plus, she was doing it all on her own once the divorce came along. We have our hands full with two, three, four, or even five kids. So we gave some grace when we should have been asking questions instead. But at what point does discipline, structure, and maintaining order cross the line into abuse? There’s many ways..
And what happens when the adults surrounding those children witness things they know aren’t right and do nothing? Ugh. That was one of the hardest parts of this book for me. Reading Collin’s account of how he was treated, how he was excluded, and how many opportunities there were for an adult to step in and say or do something. We saw tiny glimpses of his childhood on television, but there was so much more happening when the cameras weren’t rolling - things that happened behind the cameras.
HOW can a mother treat her own son this way?! HOWWWW?! It’s amazing that even with the amount of pain Kate has caused Collin he still tries to understand her. You have such a special and thoughtful son Kate - WAKE TF UP.
And don’t even get me started on the whole Dr. Phil situation. 😫 Another incident of him coming in and causing more damage than good. When will the world wake up to him and his scams..
Then there’s the issue of labeling children as the problem, medicating them, and expecting them to comply rather than asking WHY they’re struggling in the first place. How many of us experienced something similar growing up? How many children were punished for reacting to circumstances they had absolutely no control over?
This world, this society, is WILD.
I recently read The Night Hunter by Natalie Moss, and although it’s fiction, it explores how two children growing up in the exact same household can have two vastly different experiences. I kept thinking about that while reading this book. Eight children, all raised under the same roof, (well not exactly besides the two who got out) and this is only ONE of their stories. I can’t help but wonder what the others experienced, what they remember, and how differently or similarly they might view their childhoods compared to Collin’s.
And that brings me to something else this book had me thinking about. About all the other children - anywhere - who went through similar experiences but never had a savior of sorts? Someone who stepped in and filled that void. Someone who remained a constant in their lives. Someone who showed them that all those horrible things they learned to believe about themselves during childhood weren’t actually true. That people don’t always leave. That love isn’t something you have to earn through obedience or perfection. That people can love you simply because you’re YOU.
What happens to the children who never get that? We know, but it’s something to think about.
Society spends so much time telling children to be small, keep quiet, respect their elders, and obey. But WHEN WILL THE CHILDREN EVER START TO MATTER? When will we start listening instead of automatically assuming the adult must be right? That the children are the ones in the wrong?
This was a brutal read for me personally. I experienced a lot of things similar to what Collin describes, so there were moments that hit incredibly close to home. It was heavy. It was heartbreaking. And there were times I had to sit with what I’d just read because I understood exactly what he was talking about. You aren’t alone bro, you aren’t alone.
Collin is so brave to have told his story and I give him all the props! How hard it must have been to revisit those experiences, knowing the entire world is going to have an opinion about them and doing it anyways. Especially when you’ve spent so much of your life having other people tell your story for you.
There was one part that actually made me laugh, though. Collin’s acknowledgment:
“And last, but least, a special thank-you to my mom, Kate. Without you, none of this would’ve been possible.”
LMFAO. 🫣 I can absolutely appreciate the humor there.
But beneath that humor is a story that will weigh heavily on your heart. One that will break it. It’s devastating to read about a child who describes feeling rejected, singled out, and excluded by the very person who should have made him feel safe. He doesn’t just describe he, he lived it - and that is the hardest right there.
And it really makes you think about how much the public actually doesn’t know about the families they watch on television. How easily narratives are created, how quickly we decide who’s the villain and who’s the hero, and how little we might know about what’s actually happening behind closed doors.
Who knew that the person the media built up was actually the villain this whole time, while the person they tore down was the hero - the one trying to protect a child, trying to find his child. And most of the general public had no clue.
I hope that one day Collin and his siblings can come together, find some understanding, and have the relationships they deserve with each other. It’s kind of sick a mother would do this to them. Divide them, influence them to have nothing to do with each other. Just sick.
And yo, Kate, you might want to just sit this one out. Just STFU. Because watching the media back-and-forth since this book’s publication has been really eye opening. Collin finally has the space to tell his story, and he deserves to be heard without you trying to control the narrative.
Because, WE STAND WITH COLLIN!
GAME OVER Kate.
This is so much more than just another celebrity memoir. It’s a heartbreaking look at childhood and growing up in the spotlight. It’s about family, power, silence, and what happens when the people who are supposed to protect children become the people those children need protection from.
𝕄𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖:
╰⪼ Scooter incident 😫😭
╰⪼ HOW DARE YOU NURSES! What a FKING DISGRACE!!!F
╰⪼ I got a Code Yellow called on me. 🫠 Oof. I get it, bro. I freaking GET IT! 🫶🏻 Tackled, drugged, yep! How many of us are there?
𝕆𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 ℚ𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤:
╰⪼ “We were crushed together like we were one thing instead of eight. That was the whole point of sardines. You didn't win by being alone. You won by finding each other.” (17).
╰⪼ “By then, I wasn't just reacting to what was happening to me. I was starting to absorb it. Somewhere along the way, her version of the story began to feel more believable than my own. When a child is told often enough that they are the problem, the words start sounding like facts. I learned to see myself through other people's eyes before I ever learned how to trust my own. I became careful with my voice, with my face, with my body. I stopped asking for things. I stopped expecting help. I learned how to take up as little space as possible and still exist.” (66).
𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥:
Another horrible and brutal read that really makes you think. At what point do we stop and question what we’re calling entertainment? Here’s another example of a child caught in the middle of something created for our enjoyment, and it’s kind of heartbreaking. Entertainment should NEVER come at the expense of innocent children. Who knows what Collin’s life would have looked like had they never been on TV - no one knows, but what we do know is that the fame got to Kate’s ego. She cared more about the money, the fame, and everything that came with it. Maybe she was already a monster hiding, just waiting to pounce, or maybe a television company made this monster. It’s probably a little of both.
More and more memoirs like this have been coming out over the past few years, and I know there are more to come. These stories are so important because they force us to look beyond what we see on our screens and consider what is happening behind the scenes, especially to the children who never had a choice in any of it.
Whether it’s a TV show, a YouTube channel, or any other form of media, we need to do better. These memoirs are crucial reads, and I hope we’re not just reading them, feeling horrified, and then moving on to the next book, the next memoir. I hope we’re actually learning something from them.
#ad much love for my finished copy @grandcentralpub #partner
In the Shadow of Eight
< @
ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ɴᴏᴡ
In the words of Nina the beauty influencer, OOO CHILLLLD! Grab your popcorn, grab a drink, and listen here because this tea is PIPING HOT! ☕️ (something like that lol - idk why but it’s her voice I heard while starting this book).
We watched it all unfold on our TVs. But what was happening behind those moments we thought were so precious was something we could have never have fathomed. We heard the rumors, the rumblings, watched a marriage fall apart, and accusations being flung left and right. But what we didn’t fully see were the innocent ones behind all that tabloid fodder. The children who weren’t asked their permission, the children who had no choices, the children who had no voices.
Until now…
In the Shadow of Eight by Collin Gosselin has been making headlines that I’m sure you might have seen by now. But this book goes so much deeper than the he said/she said we’ve been watching play out in the media for years. Because now it’s time for Collin to tell his own story, in his own words. A child who will be silenced no more.
“Silence felt safer than truth…” (45).
Look, most of us probably gave Kate a lot of grace back then. She was raising EIGHT children. Most of us couldn’t even imagine everything that goes into that. Plus, she was doing it all on her own once the divorce came along. We have our hands full with two, three, four, or even five kids. So we gave some grace when we should have been asking questions instead. But at what point does discipline, structure, and maintaining order cross the line into abuse? There’s many ways..
And what happens when the adults surrounding those children witness things they know aren’t right and do nothing? Ugh. That was one of the hardest parts of this book for me. Reading Collin’s account of how he was treated, how he was excluded, and how many opportunities there were for an adult to step in and say or do something. We saw tiny glimpses of his childhood on television, but there was so much more happening when the cameras weren’t rolling - things that happened behind the cameras.
HOW can a mother treat her own son this way?! HOWWWW?! It’s amazing that even with the amount of pain Kate has caused Collin he still tries to understand her. You have such a special and thoughtful son Kate - WAKE TF UP.
And don’t even get me started on the whole Dr. Phil situation. 😫 Another incident of him coming in and causing more damage than good. When will the world wake up to him and his scams..
Then there’s the issue of labeling children as the problem, medicating them, and expecting them to comply rather than asking WHY they’re struggling in the first place. How many of us experienced something similar growing up? How many children were punished for reacting to circumstances they had absolutely no control over?
This world, this society, is WILD.
I recently read The Night Hunter by Natalie Moss, and although it’s fiction, it explores how two children growing up in the exact same household can have two vastly different experiences. I kept thinking about that while reading this book. Eight children, all raised under the same roof, (well not exactly besides the two who got out) and this is only ONE of their stories. I can’t help but wonder what the others experienced, what they remember, and how differently or similarly they might view their childhoods compared to Collin’s.
And that brings me to something else this book had me thinking about. About all the other children - anywhere - who went through similar experiences but never had a savior of sorts? Someone who stepped in and filled that void. Someone who remained a constant in their lives. Someone who showed them that all those horrible things they learned to believe about themselves during childhood weren’t actually true. That people don’t always leave. That love isn’t something you have to earn through obedience or perfection. That people can love you simply because you’re YOU.
What happens to the children who never get that? We know, but it’s something to think about.
Society spends so much time telling children to be small, keep quiet, respect their elders, and obey. But WHEN WILL THE CHILDREN EVER START TO MATTER? When will we start listening instead of automatically assuming the adult must be right? That the children are the ones in the wrong?
This was a brutal read for me personally. I experienced a lot of things similar to what Collin describes, so there were moments that hit incredibly close to home. It was heavy. It was heartbreaking. And there were times I had to sit with what I’d just read because I understood exactly what he was talking about. You aren’t alone bro, you aren’t alone.
Collin is so brave to have told his story and I give him all the props! How hard it must have been to revisit those experiences, knowing the entire world is going to have an opinion about them and doing it anyways. Especially when you’ve spent so much of your life having other people tell your story for you.
There was one part that actually made me laugh, though. Collin’s acknowledgment:
“And last, but least, a special thank-you to my mom, Kate. Without you, none of this would’ve been possible.”
LMFAO. 🫣 I can absolutely appreciate the humor there.
But beneath that humor is a story that will weigh heavily on your heart. One that will break it. It’s devastating to read about a child who describes feeling rejected, singled out, and excluded by the very person who should have made him feel safe. He doesn’t just describe he, he lived it - and that is the hardest right there.
And it really makes you think about how much the public actually doesn’t know about the families they watch on television. How easily narratives are created, how quickly we decide who’s the villain and who’s the hero, and how little we might know about what’s actually happening behind closed doors.
Who knew that the person the media built up was actually the villain this whole time, while the person they tore down was the hero - the one trying to protect a child, trying to find his child. And most of the general public had no clue.
I hope that one day Collin and his siblings can come together, find some understanding, and have the relationships they deserve with each other. It’s kind of sick a mother would do this to them. Divide them, influence them to have nothing to do with each other. Just sick.
And yo, Kate, you might want to just sit this one out. Just STFU. Because watching the media back-and-forth since this book’s publication has been really eye opening. Collin finally has the space to tell his story, and he deserves to be heard without you trying to control the narrative.
Because, WE STAND WITH COLLIN!
GAME OVER Kate.
This is so much more than just another celebrity memoir. It’s a heartbreaking look at childhood and growing up in the spotlight. It’s about family, power, silence, and what happens when the people who are supposed to protect children become the people those children need protection from.
𝕄𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖:
╰⪼ Scooter incident 😫😭
╰⪼ HOW DARE YOU NURSES! What a FKING DISGRACE!!!F
╰⪼ I got a Code Yellow called on me. 🫠 Oof. I get it, bro. I freaking GET IT! 🫶🏻 Tackled, drugged, yep! How many of us are there?
𝕆𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 ℚ𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤:
╰⪼ “We were crushed together like we were one thing instead of eight. That was the whole point of sardines. You didn't win by being alone. You won by finding each other.” (17).
╰⪼ “By then, I wasn't just reacting to what was happening to me. I was starting to absorb it. Somewhere along the way, her version of the story began to feel more believable than my own. When a child is told often enough that they are the problem, the words start sounding like facts. I learned to see myself through other people's eyes before I ever learned how to trust my own. I became careful with my voice, with my face, with my body. I stopped asking for things. I stopped expecting help. I learned how to take up as little space as possible and still exist.” (66).
𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥:
Another horrible and brutal read that really makes you think. At what point do we stop and question what we’re calling entertainment? Here’s another example of a child caught in the middle of something created for our enjoyment, and it’s kind of heartbreaking. Entertainment should NEVER come at the expense of innocent children. Who knows what Collin’s life would have looked like had they never been on TV - no one knows, but what we do know is that the fame got to Kate’s ego. She cared more about the money, the fame, and everything that came with it. Maybe she was already a monster hiding, just waiting to pounce, or maybe a television company made this monster. It’s probably a little of both.
More and more memoirs like this have been coming out over the past few years, and I know there are more to come. These stories are so important because they force us to look beyond what we see on our screens and consider what is happening behind the scenes, especially to the children who never had a choice in any of it.
Whether it’s a TV show, a YouTube channel, or any other form of media, we need to do better. These memoirs are crucial reads, and I hope we’re not just reading them, feeling horrified, and then moving on to the next book, the next memoir. I hope we’re actually learning something from them.
October 16, 2026
What a weird feeling to listen to someone whose show you watched growing up… feeling like you grew up with them… expose the truth behind the cameras.
I commend Collin for speaking up, and putting the narrative in his own words.
Kate is notoriously known for her anal “motherly” behavior and intensity. Now, it just feels like we are finally hearing the truth of what happened when no one was watching.
I commend Collin for speaking up, and putting the narrative in his own words.
Kate is notoriously known for her anal “motherly” behavior and intensity. Now, it just feels like we are finally hearing the truth of what happened when no one was watching.
October 15, 2026
The system failed him. Adults in his life failed him. His mom is a bitch and she is the ultimate Karen and mommy dearest.
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