Back in the day, reality TV fans enjoyed getting to know the Gosselin family on the reality TV show “Jon and Kate Plus 8.” The show was about married couple Jon and Kate along with 8 kids, 6 of which were septuplets.
The saying goes that fame is fleeting, and while the kids are now mainly out of the spotlight, all grown up and going off to college, their world is nothing like it once was. In fact, it was fame that tore them part.
While Kate leaned into fame, Jon eventually had enough of the reality TV lifestyle. That led to divorce and the kids choosing sides. Six of the kids choose to live with their mom. One child, Hannah, went to live with her dad. And another child, Collin, was sent to an institution for 2 years before his dad pulled him out and brought him home to live with himself and his sister Hannah.
Now, Collin has not spoken to his other siblings or his mom in over a decade, and a recent post on Instagram shows how he really feels about his mom. While he didn’t mention her at all in the post, he did mention the person he considers to be his “real mom,” his stepmom Colleen, his dad’s ex-girlfriend. Jon and Colleen dated from 2014 to 2021.
In the post, he described Colleen as “the strongest woman I know, who stepped in at the toughest part of my life and CHOSE to be a mother to me.” He added that she is “hardworking, passionate, and I could go on…”
The post served double duty to wish Colleen a happy birthday and to announce his memoir.
Back in 2023, Jon’s representative told PEOPLE, “Jon and Colleen have remained friends and he will always be appreciative of Colleen’s participation in coparenting Collin.”
Collin’s new memoir is titled “Shadow of Eight,” and it is schedule to be published on October 13th.
Collin shared a bit about his experience writing the book on Instagram. He explained, “Growing up, millions of people watched my life on television. People felt like they knew me. They knew my family. They watched me grow up. But there was so much they never saw. For years, I kept those experiences to myself. Some because I was afraid. Some because I didn’t think anyone would believe me. And some because I just wasn’t ready. Writing this book forced me to revisit some of the hardest moments of my life, but it also gave me something I’ve been searching for for a long time: my voice. This isn’t the story people think they know. It’s the story I’ve lived.”
Watch the video below to hear more about how Collin feels about his mom and his siblings.
