5 Times Kate Gosselin Was Accused Of Mistreating Her Eight Kids
There's a lot of disturbing allegations.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock / @jongosselin1 / Instagram It’s been a little over five years since Kate Gosselin's reality TV show with her eight children, “Kate Plus 8”, was pulled from the air.
However, the mother of eight still remains relevant in the media due to the accusations of abuse made by her children, ex-husband, Jon Gosselin, and her ex-mother-in-law.
The allegations have been obtained through court documents, word of mouth, and explosive tell-all interviews with Kate Gosselin’s family members.
Here are 5 times Kate Gosselin’s family members have accused her of mistreating them.
1. Forcing children to film
Kate Gosselin made a name for herself by featuring her eight children, a set of twins and sextuplets, on the show “Jon & Kate Plus 8” which premiered in 2007. The show documented Jon and Kate navigating through parenthood and bringing up their eight children.
Following the couple’s divorce in 2009, the show’s title was changed to “Kate Plus 8” and primarily featured just Kate and her children.
During filming, the Gosselin children were minors, with the twins being eight years old and the sextuplets being five years old.
Concerns were raised about the children filming long hours and how it was impacting their mental well-being.
In a 2020 interview on “The Dr. Oz Show,” Jon revealed that their children revealed to him that they felt like they were “forced” to film to support their mother’s livelihood.
"They have all said they have to film because they feel they need to provide a lifestyle for their mother," Jon said.
"They don't want to film. They said they have to film. That's heartbreaking. Why do my kids need to provide for themselves? They're kids."
Kate was reportedly fired by the TLC network after failing to obtain proper permissions and permits for her minor children to film on her spin-off show, “Kate Plus Date.”
2. Fight at the dentist's office.
In 2017, a dispute between Jon and Kate erupted in a dentist’s office after their daughter, Hannah, reportedly wanted to leave with her father instead of going home with her mother.
Tensions between to two got so intense that police were called to the scene.
Jon filed for custody of Hannah in 2015 after she told him that she was uncomfortable living with Kate.
The incident was witnessed by Jon’s mother, who claimed that Kate used “physical force” against her children at the time.
"I would never have believed that a scene could be so horrible until I witnessed the custody exchange myself," Jon’s mother said in an interview with In Touch.
“Kate thinks there is nothing wrong with her, so she would never subject herself to going to therapy. But she needs psychological help."
3. Alienating the children from Jon.
In the same In Touch interview, Jon’s mother also accused Kate of isolating the children from their father.
According to her, Kate allegedly made the children refer to their father as “Jon” instead of “dad” and encouraged them not to visit him.
"Hannah told me that Kate made her and her brothers and sisters all chant, 'We will not visit Jon.' Not even 'We will not visit Daddy.' She makes them say 'Jon,’” Jon’s mother reported.
Jon later received full custody of two of his eight children, Collin and Hannah. He still attempts to maintain a relationship with his six remaining children.
“Communication with my children that live with Kate is very difficult because I have been alienated from those children,” Jon said in an interview with ET in 2022. “I think it was a poor parenting decision.”
4. Allegedly zip-tying her son to a chair
A 2018 report obtained by Daily Mail revealed horrific details regarding Kate’s treatment of her son, Collin.
According to the report, Collin confided to his court-appointed therapist that his mother treated him differently than his siblings and employed numerous harmful actions on him, including zip-tying him to a chair, forcing him to sleep in a closet or the basement, and labeling him as a “bad” child in front of his siblings to isolate him from the rest of them.
As a result of his mother’s treatment, Collin reportedly suffered from PTSD and emotional distress.
"It's evidential that she has been abusive to Collin," Jon said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
"I have the evidence to prove that and ... she made this public and she wants to drag it out. She better watch what she's saying only because it's only going to, you know, come back to hurt her in the end. I have nothing to hide."
Jon confirmed the existence of the report but did not elaborate on the details.
Kate was quick to fire back with a statement accusing her ex-husband of being “violent” and “abusive”, but no provides no evidence to prove her claim.
5. Institutionalizing her son, Collin.
In an explosive interview with ET’s Kevin Fraizer, Collin revealed his traumatic ordeal of being institutionalized for what Kate claimed was “special needs” and “behavioral issues.”
Collin says that he was admitted to one institution when he was 12, and another where he spent his 13th and 14th birthdays.
When asked why he was admitted after Jon claimed that he did not need to be, Collin responded that his mother “had her own agenda.”
“It’s unfortunate that that that’s how my mom phrased me as a person,” Collin said in response to Kate’s claims that his behavioral issues were “affecting the whole family.”
“I hope that if we meet again one day she would understand that it’s not the case.”
Collin was eventually let out of the institution after writing a series of heartbreaking letters to Jon, begging him for help.
“You’re my dad, you’re my savior, please help me. I’m counting on you to get me out of here,” one letter reads.
Jon eventually received temporary full custody of Collin in 2018. Kate was not present during the custody hearing.
As if right now, Collin is unfortunately estranged from his mother and other six siblings.
"It's unfortunate that we didn't have a relationship," Collin says of Kate. "I think every son wants to have a relationship with their mom. But I'm doing very well."
The 18-year-old grew emotional when asked about his siblings.
Despite the ongoing drama surrounding Kate Gosselin, we hope that those who have been impacted by her mistreatment are able to heal and build other relationships moving forward.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.