Collin Gosselin on Why He Thinks His Mother Kate Had Him Institutionalized at Age 12

The 22-year-old says his willingness to challenge his mother, rather than any diagnosis, is what set him apart from his seven siblings. Now, he's detailing the toll that separation took on both his body and his mind.

Collin Gosselin is looking back on a difficult stretch of his childhood. At just 12 years old, the former reality star was institutionalized by his mother, Kate Gosselin, following multiple mental health diagnoses, including autism, bipolar disorder, and ADHD.

Following his parents' divorce in 2009, his mother was granted full custody of Collin and his siblings — twins Madelyn and Cara, along with sextuplets Alexis, Aaden, Leah, Joel, and Hannah.

Not long after, she sent Collin to a behavioral institution, citing what she described as "unpredictable and violent behavior." But in a September 2025 interview with The U.S. Sun, published in full on June 27, Collin offered a different explanation.

He believes his mother sent him away because he questioned why "Kate Plus 8" continued airing after the divorce, and because he reached a point where he no longer wanted to be filmed for the show.

"I was stubborn enough to question my mom," he said. "I questioned her about everything, and that came before the rebellion of me not wanting to be on camera and be a part of her circus."

According to Collin, he was the only sibling who pushed back, largely because he wanted answers about why his father, Jon Gosselin, had disappeared from their lives.

He said he initially took his mother at her word when she told the children that their father no longer wanted to be part of their lives, allegedly embracing a party lifestyle and living however he pleased. Over time, though, Collin began to doubt that narrative.

"And even as a 12-year-old, before I was sent away, I could start to consider both sides of things. I really could look at things in retrospect," Collin said, noting that his persistent questioning ultimately fueled his reluctance to stay in front of the cameras. "That really killed her."

He went on to speculate about her true motives.

"I don't know what reason it was, whether it was her reputation she was saving by sending me away from home, or whether it was the fact that maybe it's easier to sign a work permit for seven children that are voluntary, instead of seven children that are voluntary and one that's involuntary," he said. "So there are a lot of things to question there."

During the 22 months he spent at the facility, Collin says his mother visited just once, and only for 20 minutes — a visit during which he was blamed for the family's troubles. He claims his physical and mental health deteriorated steadily throughout his stay.

"It was about a year of me being there, and the whole time I had these glasses on and tears coming down my face. I was overweight. I was sick. They had me on all these medications," he recalled.

This isn't the first time Collin has spoken publicly about why he believes his mother sent him away. During a 2023 episode of Vice TV's "Dark Side of the 2000s," he alleged that his mother's abuse — not his diagnoses — was the real reason behind his institutionalization.

"I was starting to tell people what was going on at home, and she caught wind of that and had to put me somewhere where I wouldn't be able to get the secrets out," he said at the time.

Kate has firmly denied every allegation of abuse in the years since Collin first went public, claiming her son suffers from a "distorted perception of reality."