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For years, Collin Gosselin’s story has played out in headlines, court documents, and on our TV screens.
Now, the former reality star says he’s ready to tell the tale himself.
The son of former Jon & Kate Plus 8 stars Jon and Kate Gosselin has announced plans to release a memoir detailing his experiences growing up in one of reality television’s most famous families.
Collin’s book is titled In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood and is scheduled for release on October 13.
And based on his comments, readers should expect some major revelations.
In a statement announcing the project, Collin explained that fear kept him from speaking openly about many aspects of his childhood.
“For a long time, I wasn’t sure I’d ever tell this story. Growing up, millions of people watched my life on television. People felt like they knew me. They knew my family,” he wrote on Instagram, adding:
“They watched me grow up. But there was so much they never saw.mFor 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.”
But the 22-year-old says he’s finally ready to share his truth.
According to Collin, writing the memoir forced him to delve into some very difficult episodes from his childhood.
“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.
Collin’s relationship with his mother has been strained for a long time.
As fans of the family know, Kate Gosselin sent Collin to a behavioral treatment facility when he was a child, citing behavioral and mental health concerns. Years later, Jon Gosselin obtained custody of both Collin and his sister Hannah.
Since then, Collin has repeatedly accused Kate of mistreating him during his childhood.
In previous interviews, he alleged that he was isolated from his siblings and subjected to abusive treatment. Kate has strongly denied those allegations and has maintained that decisions regarding Collin’s care were made because of serious behavioral and psychiatric issues.
The family remains deeply divided, with several of Collin’s siblings reportedly estranged from both him and Jon.
Kate is probably dreading the release date, but Collin says the book won’t just focus on family conflict.
Instead, he hopes it will provide readers with a fuller understanding of what he experienced behind the scenes while growing up in the spotlight.
For longtime followers of the Gosselin family saga, the book could provide the most detailed account yet from one of the children at the center of the controversy.
Whether it also reignites the long-running feud between Jon and Kate remains to be seen.