(NewsNation) — “Jon & Kate Plus 8” star Kate Gosselin’s son Collin alleged to The U.S. Sun that his mom “zip-tied” his “hands and feet together” and locked him in the basement.
Gosselin denies her son’s abuse claims.
Collin, 20, told The U.S. Sun he felt he was always treated differently from his seven other children by his mom. When he was 11, she reportedly admitted Collin to a mental health facility following diagnoses of several behavioral and psychiatric conditions, which he believes he never had.
In 2023, Kate shared the following message on Instagram after Collin began speaking about his mother’s alleged abuse.
“My son Collin, whom I love with all my heart, has received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years. For the safety of myself, his brothers and sisters and for his own well-being, he was placed in a facility following years of outpatient treatment, which proved insufficient for his needs. The decision to admit him was made by emergency room doctors following one of his many attacks/ outbursts — this one involving his use of a weapon…”
Licensed professional counselor Polly Kahl, who authored “Jon & Kate Plus Eight: Reality TV & The Selling Of The Gosselins,” joined NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield on Wednesday to discuss Collin’s accusations.
“No prescription would include locking a child in a secluded area and zip tying,” Kahl said. “Collin (allegedly) got a lesson over a period of time that he was not loved as much as his siblings.”
Kahl believes all of Gosselin’s children may have experienced some form of a term she’s coined “fame trauma.” It’s her description of what happens to some people who become rich and famous without having earned it.
“I think that all of them have experienced fame trauma,” Kahl said on “Banfield.”