NEED TO KNOW
Collin Gosselin announced his memoir, In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood, which will be released on Oct. 13
The former reality TV star said he kept parts of his story to himself for years because he was “afraid,” didn’t think people would believe him and “wasn’t ready”
Collin said writing the book forced him to revisit some of the “hardest moments” of his life and helped him find “my voice”
Collin Gosselin is ready to tell his story.
The 22-year-old son of former reality TV stars Jon and Kate Gosselin announced on Instagram that he is releasing a memoir titled In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood, which is scheduled to be published on Oct. 13, 2026.
In a post shared on Wednesday, June 17, Collin opened up about the years he spent keeping parts of his experience private and explained why he has decided to speak publicly now.
“For a long time, I wasn’t sure I’d ever tell this story,” he wrote alongside a photo of the book cover, which appeared to feature a childhood image of Collin with his mother during the height of Jon & Kate Plus 8.
“Growing up, millions of people watched my life on television. People felt like they knew me. They knew my family. They watched me grow up. But there was so much they never saw.”
Collin Gosselin’s book cover for ‘In the Shadow of Eight Surviving the Reality of My Childhood’
Credit: Grand Central Publishing/Amazon
Collin, who rose to fame as one of the sextuplets featured on the hit reality series Jon & Kate Plus 8, said there were several reasons he remained silent for so long.
“For 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,” he wrote.
The upcoming book revisits what he described as some of the most difficult periods of his life.
“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,” Collin continued.
Collin Gosselin
Credit: Collin Gosselin/Instagram
He added, “This isn’t the story people think they know. It’s the story I’ve lived.”
Supportive messages quickly poured into the comments section of his post. Among those cheering him on was reality television personality Alexia Umansky, who wrote, “So proud of you Collin!”
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Collin is one of Jon and Kate’s eight children, alongside twins Cara and Mady, 25, and 22-year-old sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Leah and Joel.
Collin’s announcement comes after years of publicly discussing his complicated upbringing. Following Jon and Kate’s 2009 divorce, Kate was awarded custody of the couple’s eight children. In 2016, she sent Collin to a behavioral health institution, later citing what she described as “unpredictable and violent behavior.”
Two years later, Collin left the program and moved in with his father, Jon Gosselin, after Jon was awarded custody of him. Collin later graduated from high school in 2023 alongside his sister Hannah.
In recent years, Collin has also spoken publicly about the lasting impact of growing up in the spotlight. In a 2025 social media post addressed to his siblings, he reflected on feeling “forced apart” from them and wondered what their lives “could’ve looked like” had they remained closer.
In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood is set to be released on Oct. 13 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
