Kate Gosselin's estranged son Collin breaks down over reality star mom's alleged abuse... as she fires back at his shocking allegations

Kate Gosselin's estranged son Collin broke down in tears while recounting the alleged abuse he experienced at the hands of his reality star mom.

In an exclusive preview from the next episode of Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, the 22-year-old admitted that he blames Kate for how he was kicked out of the Marine Corps in 2024.

Collin enlisted in the Marines after graduating from high school, but he was discharged after they discovered that he'd spent time in a mental health facility as a child. 

'My mom made a statement on Instagram that I had all these crazy diagnoses and emotional disorders,' he explained on the hit Fox series, which he is currently starring in. 

'Navy chain of command told me to go home and get a psyche eval, and they dumped me off. It would be difficult to ever get me back there.'

Fighting back tears, Collin said, 'My only shot ever at a family was joining the marines, literally. It sucks, that's the life I'm on. It's horrible. I'll probably never get my chance again.'

Kate sent Collin to live in a residential behavioral health facility in 2016, shortly before his twelfth birthday, where he remained for two years until he went to live with his dad Jon full time. 

Kate later claimed that Collin had displayed 'unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies towards' his relatives and that he had 'received multiple psychiatric diagnoses'. 

Collin was diagnosed with multiple mental health issues, including autism, ADHD, and bipolar.

He was later re-diagnosed as an adult and was found by a clinical psychologist not to have any current psychiatric or behavioral issues.

This week, Kate addressed Collin's recent allegations about her in a TikTok comment to one of her fans, saying, 'I know rational and logical people or anyone who has dealt with mental illness understands what's going on here.' 

The Gosselin family originally skyrocketed to fame in their TLC reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8, which followed then-married couple Kate and Jon Gosselin as they raised their sextuplets.

The couple eventually split and Kate got custody of all eight children. She then continued doing the series, under its new title Kate Plus 8, until it was canceled in 2017.

Collin is now lifting the lid on what life was like growing up in the spotlight in his new memoir, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood.

In the bombshell book, Collin claims that Kate subjected him to physical and mental abuse – which she has denied.

He said that it started out 'in the emotional space' before things allegedly escalated.

'And then there was the physical side. I learned early that my mom's anger didn’t stop at words. Sometimes it was a sharp yank to my ear. Sometimes a slap across the face. She would always stretch her fingers outward and hit us with the palm of her hand. Right across the cheekbone. Quick, decisive, meant to correct.'

Collin then claimed that the strikes were so brutal that they left his face bruised.

'It was always the same side of my face that carried the evidence. It would turn purple, bruised, tender to the touch, marks that faded just in time to be replaced by new ones,' he wrote.

'I learned to angle myself away from her without making it obvious, to anticipate her hand before it moved,' he continued.

Collin claimed that he wasn't the only sibling to suffer Kate's wrath, alleging that she once pulled his brother's ear 'so hard it was actually injured'.

He also reiterated previous allegations that he had been forced to live in a 'locked basement', where he slept on an air mattress and was monitored via a camera.

Kate, who has denied abusing Collin, was recently asked by a TikTok user why she hasn't taken legal measures against her son over his abuse claims against her.

She replied: 'I can't because I'm a public figure. Rules are different unfortunately. Or I definitely would! The rules are different for ppl in the public eye.

'I consulted a high power LA attorney (you've definitely heard of him) years ago when other people were putting crazy stuff out there and that's what he said. The courts don't honor it if you're in the public eye [sad face emoji].'

In 2023, she told People magazine: '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.'

She called Collin 'a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help.'

Kate added that his 'brothers and sisters and I have not been directly involved in his life due to his history of unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies towards us.' 

Jon was granted full custody of Collin in 2018, as well as his 22-year-old sister Hannah in 2016.

Collin is estranged from his 22-year-old siblings Aaden, Alexis, Joel, and Leah as well as his 25-year-old twin sisters Madelyn and Cara who also starred in Jon & Kate Plus 8.

Collin is currently starring on season five of Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.