Full Transcript for In the Headlines: Collin Gosselin

was on her best behavior around the crew, though. 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:04.240 Colin says that she was nicer to everybody when other adults were watching. 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:06.319 They were kind of like a buffer. 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:10.480 Two production assistants became almost like stand-in parents. 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:21.040 They played with Colin, they checked on him, they asked him how he was doing, and they just let him be a kid, which is so sad, obviously, that he wasn't getting that from his actual parents. 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:27.040 And other family members started noticing, I guess, because they eventually raised concerns about the filming. 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:37.680 Kate's brother Kevin and his wife Jodi appeared on CBS's early show in May 2009, accusing John and Kate of exploiting their children for television ratings. 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:40.959 The sex tuplets were only five years old at the time. 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:47.120 Jody said they complained about cameras in their bedrooms and about being filmed while they were crying. 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.120 They were not comfortable with it. 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:54.720 Kevin and Jodi said that they'd confronted John and Kate, but their concerns were dismissed. 00:05:54.959 --> 00:06:02.879 Their relationship with Kate eventually deteriorated, and Colin remembers them just disappearing from his life without an explanation. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:07.120 Meanwhile, John and Kate's marriage was falling apart. 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:10.879 Off camera, Colin heard explosive arguments. 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:18.160 There was no humorous editing or background music like on the show, just two adults screaming while the children listened in fear. 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:25.040 On June 22nd, 2009, they officially announced their separation during an episode of John and Kate Plus 8. 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:29.839 This was the episode that more than 10 million people tuned in to watch. 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:35.199 Their divorce was finalized later that year when the sex tuplets were still just five years old. 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:40.720 They initially planned to alternate staying in the family home, but eventually John moved out. 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:46.319 Colin had been especially close to his dad, one of the few people who made him feel safe. 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:52.399 After the separation, Kate told Colin that John did not want to see him anymore. 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:56.800 His siblings still visited their father, but Colin was excluded. 00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:02.879 Meanwhile, John was being told the exact opposite, that Colin didn't want to see him. 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:05.759 And that kept them apart for years. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:13.360 And I just have to say, like, the level of evil that you have to be to do something like that to your own child. 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:16.160 Like, this woman belongs in hell. 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:23.600 And with John no longer living in the family home, Kate's treatment of Colin became increasingly severe. 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:26.879 But the physical punishment had actually started years earlier. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:36.000 Colin discusses a journal entry in which Kate described hitting him when he was just two years old and begging God to help her stop. 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:41.040 As he became older, Colin describes being spanked frequently and hard. 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:48.639 He says that Kate would grab his ears, hit him on the side of his head, and sometimes it left bruises that he had to conceal. 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:53.040 One of those incidents eventually caught the attention of Colin's teacher. 00:07:53.279 --> 00:08:02.639 Colin was about nine years old and in fourth grade when Kate grabbed him by the ear and pulled so violently that his ear became swollen and purple. 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:08.639 When he went to school, his teacher noticed the injury almost immediately and asked, What happened? 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:16.560 Colin was terrified to tell her, but she pushed and eventually he admitted that his mother had pulled him by the ear. 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:25.759 His teacher took him to the guidance counselor and a report was made to Children and Youth Services, which is Pennsylvania's Child Protective Services Agency. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:30.000 About a month later, investigators came to the Gosslin home. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:33.600 One of the workers asked to speak with Colin privately. 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:40.720 Kate agreed, but Colin remembers seeing her watching that interview through a crack in the door. 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:45.919 He never could seem to get away from Kate's intimidating presence. 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:55.840 And when the investigator asked whether anything concerning was happening at home, Colin said everything was fine because he was terrified of what would happen if he told the truth. 00:08:56.080 --> 00:09:00.559 Afterward, Kate pulled Colin out of school and hired a homeschool teacher. 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:08.720 And let's just put all this together before I move on, because we've painted a pretty clear picture that is very upsetting. 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:11.519 A child shows up to school injured. 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:13.360 The school reports the injury. 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:15.200 CPS investigates. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.480 Then he's immediately pulled from school. 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:23.840 I mean, there is no bigger red flag that child abuse is actively occurring. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:25.039 Like, hello? 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:30.000 And the Child Protective Services visits were not limited to that single incident. 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:40.799 Colin says that workers returned to the house more than once and later learned that his father had received paperwork concerning 14 different complaints against Kate. 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:42.960 But the mistreatment continued.

00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:51.200 Colin was systematically excluded from life with his family and separated from siblings that he'd once been so close to. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:54.320 I mean, he'd shared a womb with five of them. 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:57.919 It quite literally doesn't get any closer than that. 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:01.360 So I can only imagine how painful that must have been. 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:11.120 And while the other seven children ate meals together, played, watched movies, and spent time with their parents, Colin was routinely shut away in the basement. 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:20.799 He was only brought upstairs under specific conditions, often after the family had finished eating, so that he could eat alone and clean up after everybody else. 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:24.639 So he wasn't just being left out of activities. 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:27.840 He was being excluded from the family itself. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:30.720 And then there was where Kate made him sleep. 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:34.879 When he was just nine years old, Kate moved Colin into a basement room. 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:36.559 She called it his bedroom. 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:41.679 But Colin points out that bedrooms generally have doors that open from the inside. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:43.120 His didn't. 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:46.399 This door was locked from the outside. 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:51.360 And he remembers lying awake at night worrying what would happen if the house caught fire. 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:54.399 He wondered if anybody would remember he was down there. 00:10:54.559 --> 00:11:02.879 He spent nearly every waking moment in that locked basement room, apart from homeschool, meals, and bathroom breaks. 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:14.639 And speaking of bathroom breaks, he was denied access to a bathroom while locked inside and recalled the pain and humiliation of having to hold it and beg to go. 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:22.559 He even soiled himself on occasion, which is unthinkable for any child, but especially a child in a family like this. 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:33.519 I mean, they lived in this enormous 7,500 square foot home with six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, sitting on 23 acres of land. 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:41.039 And yet Colin was made to live in a room in the unfinished basement used for storing canned goods and paper towels. 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:48.080 He describes feeling like an object himself, something to be stored away, hidden from the rest of the family. 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:50.320 And this just makes me so angry. 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:55.039 Like Kate had millions of dollars, she had a huge house, she had nannies. 00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:57.759 This was not about a lack of resources. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:00.080 It was just plain cruelty. 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:09.919 During filming one day, the family visited an escape room, and Colin jokingly said that he should be good at escaping because it was just like his

room at home. 00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:16.240 So obviously Kate got really angry, and Colin got in serious trouble for that comment. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:23.200 His mother considered him a difficult and dangerous child for inadvertently tarnishing her reputation. 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:28.879 She could not control him, and that was obviously a very big problem in her eyes. 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:34.960 So she started taking him to doctors and putting him on various prescriptions to remedy it. 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:42.559 And during this extremely difficult time, there was one adult Colin thought he could trust, and that was his homeschool teacher. 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:43.919 Her name was Mrs. 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:44.720 Johnson. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:48.399 He liked her and he considered her someone who cared about him. 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:54.000 He thought that surely she'd see him as more than just the child that Kate always sent downstairs. 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:56.480 One day, Kate went away and left Mrs. 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:58.720 Johnson responsible for the children. 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:02.879 They spent the evening playing, ordered pizza, and watched a movie. 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:07.279 Afterward, the other children went upstairs to watch television, while Mrs. 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:10.399 Johnson told Colin to return to the basement. 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:17.279 It hurt him that even she was excluding him from the family, although it was just the norm at this point. 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:20.480 She walked him down to the basement and into his room. 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:23.039 He begged her not to lock the door. 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:27.759 He thought surely because they'd developed a relationship, she would understand. 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:31.120 But she simply said goodnight and locked the door. 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:36.000 Colin cried and begged her not to leave him there, but she walked away. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:40.639 He says that is when he stopped believing there were adults he could trust. 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:44.879 He was eleven years old and completely jaded. 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:46.799 I mean, it's just heartbreaking. 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:57.440 So Colin actually spent years living this way, and eventually he became so desperate that he climbed through a small basement window and ran away. 00:13:57.679 --> 00:14:01.120 But once he got outside, the reality set in. 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:02.879 Where was he supposed to go? 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:11.360 He'd had no contact with his father for years and did not know how to get in touch with him, and as far as he knew, his dad didn't want anything to do with him. 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:19.519 He also had no money and no transportation, and he believed that anyone he approached would recognize him and of course just send him right back home. 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:27.120 I mean, he had been on TV for years, so the odds of him going incognito are like zero here. 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:33.360 So he faced the harsh reality that he had no other choice and returned home on his own. 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:38.879 And instead of becoming concerned and thankful that he was safe, Kate was furious. 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:42.159 She forced Colin back into the basement. 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:46.159 She said that he was a burden and she threw him to the ground. 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:52.799 She then restrained his wrists and his ankles with zip ties, and she left him like that for hours. 00:14:53.039 --> 00:15:02.080 He described hours of pain and burning and numbness in his arms, and he could not move or free himself. 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:04.639 Eventually, Kate returned with Mrs. 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:08.639 Johnson, but Colin says her demeanor had completely changed. 00:15:08.799 --> 00:15:13.840 The furious woman he'd experienced earlier was suddenly behaving like a concerned mother. 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:18.960 He was brought upstairs, strapped onto a gurney, and taken away in an ambulance. 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:20.240 He asked why. 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:24.639 He asked where they were taking him, but he was ignored by everybody. 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:28.320 His twelfth birthday was less than a week away at this point. 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:32.240 At the hospital, Colin again pleaded for more information. 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:33.600 Why was he here? 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:34.639 Where was he? 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:36.000 What was happening? 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:38.080 Again, he was just ignored. 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:43.120 Kate eventually arrived and spoke with the medical staff outside his room. 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:50.320 He saw her, she saw him, but Colin says that she never actually came inside his room to check on him. 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:55.679 Shortly after that, he was transferred to a psychiatric facility called Fairmount. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:58.960 He says that he was transported there like luggage. 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:04.480 He had no idea where he was going, why, or for how long, and he was terrified. 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:13.759 I mean, this little boy of 11 has just been ripped away from the only home and the only people that he ever knew with no reason given. 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:16.240 Have I mentioned that this woman is evil yet? 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:24.399 So Fairmount was a psychiatric treatment facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where children and adolescents received inpatient mental health care. 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:28.799 It was a locked facility with strict routines and constant supervision. 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:33.519 There were fights, foul language, and kids who could be downright cruel. 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:38.399 Colin was completely unprepared, having grown up sheltered with his siblings. 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:44.399 But after years of isolation, he was also a little excited just to be around kids his age. 00:16:44.559 -->

00:16:50.879 Another boy said that stays usually lasted days or weeks, so Colin assumed that he'd go home soon. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:58.720 There was also a bathroom just steps from his bedroom, and he could use it whenever he needed to, unlike at home. 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:03.200 So incredibly, at first, Fairmount felt freer than home. 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:05.680 But that feeling didn't last. 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:10.640 About a week after arriving, Colin attended a meeting with staff where Kate and Mrs. 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:12.799 Johnson participated by telephone. 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:16.799 They described him as a danger to himself and others. 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:23.039 Colin tried explaining that he'd only run away because he did not feel safe at home. 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:29.200 He told them about being restrained and about the years of abuse and isolation, but nobody listened. 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:32.480 So it seemed that Fairmount was his home for now. 00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:35.119 Four days later, he turned 12. 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:40.960 He woke up to his sleeping roommate, and he wasn't really sure what to do. 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:45.680 I mean, this was the first birthday ever where there was nothing planned. 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:48.559 And it felt wrong to just not acknowledge it. 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:50.319 I mean, he was 12. 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:51.279 He was a kid. 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:57.440 So he woke his roommate up, and his roommate wished him a happy birthday, but then just went right back to sleep. 00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:58.480 And that was it. 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.519 That was all Colin got for his birthday that year. 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:07.440 It was his first birthday ever without his siblings, and Kate did not even call. 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:10.240 So from here, months dragged on. 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:14.319 He would wake up, eat, take medications, and wait. 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:22.960 Colin described spending his days in a fog, sleeping constantly, gaining weight, and becoming increasingly depressed. 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:26.240 Other children came and went, but Colin stayed. 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:29.920 He wondered what he'd done to deserve this. 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:38.000 Maybe he hadn't cooperated enough with filming, so he really considered telling his mom, okay, I'll film, I'll do whatever you want. 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:39.519 I just want to come home. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:41.680 But he never really got that opportunity. 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:43.359 John never called him either. 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:49.920 Colin started believing what Kate had said, that his dad just didn't want anything to do with him. 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:52.400 Maybe he really was just a burden. 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:57.119 During his time at Fairmount, Kate came to visit him only once. 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:59.839 And Colin was so excited to see her. 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:06.240 He'd

actually been saving up points he earned at the facility so that he could get origami paper and make her something special. 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:12.559 He made her a paper swan, remembering a Lego swan that he'd made for her years earlier that she liked. 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:17.279 He also made gifts for each of his siblings, hoping that Kate would deliver them. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:19.279 But the visit was devastating. 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:31.519 Kate told Colin that his brothers and sisters were doing better without him around, that they were happier now that he wasn't there, and that he'd been the one causing problems in the family. 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:36.400 And when Colin asked her to give his siblings the gifts he'd made, she refused. 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:37.920 And then she just left. 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:43.359 But despite how terribly that visit went, Colin still desperately wanted to go home. 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:52.720 So as Christmas approached, he held on to the hope that maybe his mom would come back, pick him up, and take him home to spend the holidays with his family. 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:54.240 But that never happened. 00:19:54.480 --> 00:20:00.480 Christmas came and went without even a phone call or a card from anyone to wish him a Merry Christmas. 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:06.160 After 13 months, Colin still didn't know why he was there or when he could leave. 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:08.319 Nobody was telling him anything. 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:13.279 It was worse than prison because at least in prison you know why you're there and when you can leave. 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:17.680 Colin had endured this for over a year and he couldn't take it anymore. 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:25.279 One day during outside time, he asked permission to use the bathroom, but instead, he went to the doctor's office and knocked on the door. 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:32.079 He asked the doctor again for what felt like the millionth time why he was still being held there. 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:35.519 Again, no answer, and the doctor tried to close the door. 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:38.240 Colin stopped him and repeated the question. 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:40.240 He wasn't demanding to leave. 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:44.079 He was just asking the question, why am I still here? 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:49.200 The doctor called for the staff, and two employees slammed Colin to the ground. 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:54.559 Then the doctor, a grown man about six feet tall, sat on his chest. 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:57.839 Colin kept asking, why am I here? 00:20:58.000 --> 00:20:59.680 until he ran out of breath. 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:07.440 When he finally stopped, the staff dragged him back to his room where five or six employees held him face down on the mattress. 00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:11.599 A nurse pulled down his pants and injected him with a sedative. 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:18.960 Even as he was losing consciousness, Colin was still trying to ask,

why am I here? 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:21.599 But still, nobody answered him. 00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:24.480 And the next day, everything got worse. 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:30.799 Colin was transferred from C pod to B pod, which was a much harsher unit. 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:37.519 Colin was only 13 years old, but he was now surrounded by older teenagers and even grown men. 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:43.119 The patients there were aggressive and talked openly about sex, drugs, and violence. 00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:51.279 He remembers watching straight out of Compton on the television and thinking about how he'd been playing tag with his brothers and sisters just a couple years earlier. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:57.759 Now he was living among people that he was terrified of, and they taunted and bullied him frequently. 00:21:57.920 --> 00:22:03.440 Once a patient punched straight Through thick security glass with his bare fist. 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:07.039 I mean, imagine being a 13-year-old and living in that. 00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:08.880 Absolutely terrifying. 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:11.519 And the living conditions were also terrible. 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:16.559 Beepod was infested with ants, and when it rained, water leaked inside. 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:26.880 Colin says that staff used painful physical restraints when patients acted out, sometimes bending their wrists backwards so severely that it felt like they might break. 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:30.240 And he wasn't receiving any kind of an education. 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:34.400 No math, no science, no books, and no classes. 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:40.480 His roommates came and went, and he studied their moods to avoid any friction or violence. 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:43.759 Eventually, though, he was assigned a roommate who was different. 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:47.680 His name was Ryan, and Ryan would change everything. 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:54.400 Ryan was being treated for substance use and self-harm, and he was just nice to Colin and they could talk. 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:56.480 They eventually developed a friendship. 00:22:56.720 --> 00:23:01.200 Colin told Ryan how he'd ended up there, and Ryan asked how long he'd been there. 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:08.559 Colin told him it had been more than a year, and Ryan was immediately like, um, yeah, that's weird. 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:09.680 That's excessive. 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:14.880 So for once, somebody else recognized that his situation was not normal. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:21.119 So Colin started wondering if maybe Ryan could get a message to John when he was discharged. 00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:26.400 In the meantime, during group therapy one day, Colin met a teenage girl named Ava. 00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:30.079 They discovered that they were both from Berks County, Pennsylvania. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:35.680 And in fact, Ava went to the school where Colin's uncle actually taught as a substitute teacher. 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:44.079 At first, Colin couldn't believe it, but she described his uncle and confirmed that he was the soccer coach, so he believed her. 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:47.920 Suddenly, Colin had a connection to his father's family. 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:52.160 He asked Ava to tell his uncle where he was and that he needed help. 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:58.960 She agreed, but they had just met, so he wasn't 100% sure if she would follow through. 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:06.720 Ryan, though, was someone that he'd trusted, and he could be discharged any day, so he knew that he had to act now. 00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:11.039 He didn't have his dad's phone number, but he did remember where he lived. 00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:15.759 So he hid a piece of paper and a crayon in his sleeve and asked to use the bathroom. 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:19.839 Once inside, he began writing using his knee as a desk. 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:25.039 His hands shook, the crayon snapped, and he was terrified that somebody would catch him. 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:28.799 In the letter, Colin begged John to help him. 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:33.759 He said that he still loved him, wanted to live with him, and that Kate would not allow it. 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:39.599 He described being abused and basically held captive and asked his father to take the matter to court. 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:44.240 He repeatedly apologized and insisted he was not trying to trick him. 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:47.440 He begged John to save him and quickly. 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:51.200 He added Fairmount's address and hid the letter in his shoe. 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:53.839 Later that night, he gave it to Ryan. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.319 He told him that he was his only hope. 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:59.279 Ryan promised to deliver the letter. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:01.920 And days later, he was discharged. 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:07.119 Colin had no idea whether that letter would ever reach John, but he held out hope. 00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:16.559 So life at Fairmount continued, and months later in January 2018, Colin was eating breakfast when a staff member told him to report to the front office. 00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:21.759 He thought maybe he was being transferred back to an area with younger residents. 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:30.559 Instead, a social worker informed him that he was leaving Fairmount that day and that he was going to a different residential facility. 00:25:30.799 --> 00:25:37.039 After almost two years at Fairmount, the decision was sudden and nobody explained why. 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:40.960 The staff gathered his belongings and put everything into a trash bag. 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:46.079 Colin climbed into a van without knowing his destination once again. 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:55.359 He watched cars, gas stations, and ordinary people pass by outside, and he realized he hadn't left the grounds in nearly two years. 00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:59.200 Eventually, they arrived at a facility called George Jr.

00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:00.000 Republic. 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:00.960 George Jr. 00:26:01.119 --> 00:26:10.400 Republic was a residential treatment facility in Grove City, Pennsylvania, where kids lived, went to school, received counseling, and participated in recreational activities. 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:16.400 And Colin immediately noticed there was a very big difference between this facility and Fairmount. 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:23.440 The grounds were clean, the atmosphere was calm, and the staff explained the rules rather than just barking orders. 00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:27.759 There was none of the yelling and chaos that he'd gotten used to at Fairmount. 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:34.640 And to Colin's absolute delight, there were classrooms, books, worksheets, and scheduled lessons. 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:39.119 He hadn't attended school alongside other students since fourth grade. 00:26:39.279 --> 00:26:44.640 He relished holding a pencil again and realized just how much he'd missed learning. 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:48.799 Doctors also discussed his medications and asked how they made him feel. 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:52.079 Colin said he felt slow and unlike himself. 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:56.559 One doctor suggested that he might not need everything he'd been prescribed. 00:26:56.720 --> 00:27:04.480 It was one of the first times a doctor had actually asked Colin about his own experience and not just gave him a pill to take. 00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:09.359 Over approximately five months, most medications were gradually reduced. 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:14.720 Colin began losing weight, sleeping less during the day, and thinking clearly again. 00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:29.119 He later learned they included drugs used for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, attention disorders, and seizures, without anyone at Fairmount explaining to him why he was taking them. 00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:35.839 He also began seeing a counselor who actually listened to him, and gradually Colin learned to trust him. 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:44.000 Then one day, that counselor told Colin he'd contacted John and he asked if he'd like to speak to his father. 00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:46.000 Colin could barely believe it. 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:47.039 His dad? 00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:53.359 He immediately agreed to take the call, although he was terrified about how it would go. 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:58.799 They hadn't spoken in years, and he believed that his dad just didn't want him. 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:02.799 But when John answered, his voice was warm and loving. 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:07.440 Colin broke down, crying so hard he could barely speak. 00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:11.519 He kept apologizing and telling John how much he missed him. 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:17.680 John was crying too and said that he'd missed him too and promised that they were working on bringing him home. 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:26.799 They caught up and John told him about his girlfriend Colleen, their dog Rocky, and Hannah, Colin's sibling, who was now living with them. 00:28:26.960 --> 00:28:29.839 The goal was to have Colin with them too. 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:36.559 Over the following six months, John and Colin spoke weekly, and John told him something stunning. 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:40.720 John said that he had been searching for Colin for years. 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:47.200 Colin thought that John knew where he was and just didn't care, but John said that was not true. 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:51.599 He recalled going to the children's school and discovering that Colin wasn't there. 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:55.599 When he asked Colin's sibling where he was, they just said he was at home. 00:28:55.759 --> 00:29:03.119 Eventually, John learned through child protective services that Colin had been placed in a facility, but he couldn't figure out where. 00:29:03.279 --> 00:29:07.279 Meanwhile, John had been told that Colin did not want to see him. 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:14.000 Then he revealed that he had received that letter from Ryan, the letter Colin wrote with a crayon. 00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:16.400 It had actually reached his father. 00:29:16.640 --> 00:29:23.119 John explained that he'd immediately petitioned the court to modify custody, but Kate had all the legal control. 00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:27.359 He couldn't just immediately take Colin home as much as he wanted to. 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:34.960 He said he'd actually gone to Fairmount to retrieve Colin only to discover that he'd already been transferred to George Jr. 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:35.680 Republic. 00:29:35.920 --> 00:29:40.160 So for the first time ever, Colin knew that his dad had been fighting for him. 00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:46.640 Eventually, John and Hannah were allowed to visit Colin, and the reunion was, of course, very emotional. 00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:51.119 Colin ran into his father's arms and they both sobbed. 00:29:51.200 --> 00:29:56.559 And when he looked at Hannah, he could hardly believe how much she'd grown since he'd last seen her. 00:29:56.720 --> 00:29:59.680 But seeing his sister Hannah was bittersweet. 00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:06.079 She had grown into a teenager with friends, school, and a life that Colin hadn't been a part of. 00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:13.920 He was happy to see her, but he also felt jealous of everything that he'd missed while his own life had essentially been on hold. 00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:18.799 They continued visiting, and eventually Colin was allowed to leave the facility for lunch. 00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:27.039 At the restaurant, Colin was so overwhelmed by all the people and the noise, and when the waiter handed him the menu, he froze. 00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:32.880 He'd spent years having every decision made for him, and he couldn't remember how to choose. 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:35.599 Eventually, he ordered a hamburger and fries. 00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:39.200 For once, he asked for something, and someone listened.

00:30:39.359 --> 00:30:43.759 That was a very new and very welcome feeling for Colin. 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:50.400 Eventually, his counselor told him the visits with John were going well and he was going home. 00:30:50.640 --> 00:30:54.880 Colin almost couldn't believe the news after so many disappointments. 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:57.759 Four days later, he was discharged. 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:01.920 The other boys gathered to hug him goodbye, and George Jr. 00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:06.480 Republic sent him home with a duffel bag rather than the trash bag he'd arrived with. 00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:12.160 Colin says that small dignity meant the world to him, and he still has that duffel bag. 00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:19.599 After a four-hour bus ride, Colin saw John waiting at his stop, and he ran straight into his arms. 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:21.680 This time he wasn't going back. 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:28.480 Colin went for the back seat on John's car, but John told him that he was 14 now and he could ride up front. 00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:31.599 He marveled at the radio and the temperature controls. 00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:36.720 The last time he'd ridden in a regular car, he'd been too young for the front seat. 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:45.839 John was actually in the process of moving into his girlfriend Colleen's house during this time, and Hannah was living there as well as Colleen's daughter, Jordan. 00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:50.640 The house was decorated for Christmas, and Colleen welcomed Pauline warmly. 00:31:50.799 --> 00:31:56.319 After Kate, though, Colin was nervous about another maternal figure, but Colleen seemed genuine. 00:31:56.480 --> 00:31:58.240 Then they showed him his bedroom. 00:31:58.400 --> 00:32:04.079 A queen size bed, soft blankets, and space that belonged only to him. 00:32:04.319 --> 00:32:08.400 He recognized one of the blankets on the bed, and it had a wolf on it. 00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:10.559 It belonged to his brother, Joel. 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:16.240 It reminded him of his absent siblings, and John said that they hadn't visited in years. 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:21.680 Colin wondered whether Kate had told them something similar to what she'd told him about John. 00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:24.000 Still, he was home for Christmas. 00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:30.160 He thought about sleeping in and waking up when he wanted to, for the first time in years. 00:32:30.400 --> 00:32:34.480 But coming home, of course, did not erase the years of trauma. 00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:42.000 When John bought Hannah platform sneakers one day, Colin got jealous and accused his dad of always buying her things. 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:46.960 They argued, and Colin told John that he hadn't been there for him for years. 00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:53.200 And of course, I mean that comment hurt John, considering just how hard he'd fought to bring Colin home. 00:32:53.440 --> 00:32:54.240 But I get it. 00:32:54.480 --> 00:33:01.119 Colin still ultimately spent

years without his father, and he suffered in unimaginable ways. 00:33:01.279 --> 00:33:05.440 He believed his dad did not want him and that he was a burden. 00:33:05.599 --> 00:33:09.279 Even if that wasn't true, that leaves a mark no matter what. 00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:14.559 But they have continued to work on their relationship and things are improving. 00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:23.039 In the spring of 2019, just a few months after Colin came home, there was a court-mandated reunion involving all six sex tuplets. 00:33:23.279 --> 00:33:25.200 Neither parent was allowed to attend. 00:33:25.359 --> 00:33:28.000 They met at an arcade they'd gone to as kids. 00:33:28.160 --> 00:33:30.880 Initially, it was extremely awkward. 00:33:31.039 --> 00:33:34.000 But eventually they played some games and things loosened up. 00:33:34.160 --> 00:33:38.160 Colin was trying so hard to make the reunion go well. 00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:40.000 He missed his siblings. 00:33:40.160 --> 00:33:43.920 He bought everybody lemonade and put money on their arcade cards. 00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:49.039 He felt that if he didn't have anything else to offer his siblings, he could at least offer them money. 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:55.200 And when his money ran out, that awkward silence returned, and the visit ended shortly after. 00:33:55.440 --> 00:34:01.759 Colin says that he hasn't seen those four siblings since that day, which is so sad, y'all. 00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:08.159 As Colin got older, he joined ROTC at high school and became interested in military service. 00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:11.119 But at home, more challenges followed. 00:34:11.280 --> 00:34:17.039 During the pandemic, John contracted COVID and pneumonia and spent 11 days hospitalized. 00:34:17.119 --> 00:34:20.320 Then Colleen was diagnosed with breast cancer. 00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:26.480 Both illnesses terrified Colin, bringing back his fear of losing people he loved. 00:34:26.639 --> 00:34:32.719 And by summer 2021, John and Colleen ended their relationship after about seven years together. 00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:38.079 They remained friends, though, and Colleen continued being a maternal figure in Colin's life. 00:34:38.239 --> 00:34:42.719 After all that, Colin remained determined to join the military. 00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:50.000 Initially, he considered the army, but after meeting a Marine recruiter, he decided he wanted the challenge of becoming a Marine. 00:34:50.159 --> 00:34:55.280 The recruiter warned how grueling the training would be, but Colin was not discouraged. 00:34:55.440 --> 00:35:01.199 He'd already been through incredibly difficult experiences before, but he never chose those. 00:35:01.360 --> 00:35:07.840 He hadn't chosen to grow up on television or be separated from his family or be institutionalized. 00:35:08.079 --> 00:35:09.920 But this was his choice. 00:35:10.159 --> 00:35:16.079 He graduated with honors and received an award for having the highest GPA, and to the Marines he went. 00:35:16.239 --> 00:35:20.880 But unfortunately, his dream of becoming a Marine came crashing down. 00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:35.280 In 2023, he was training at Paris Island, just a week and a half from the crucible, which is the grueling final major challenge recruits face before becoming Marines, when he was called into the medical office. 00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:39.199 He had already worked for weeks to get to that point. 00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:46.719 Apparently, officials had learned about his history and institutions and his mental health, and they had concerns. 00:35:46.960 --> 00:35:53.760 Around that time, Kate had publicly responded to accusations Colin made about his childhood in a documentary. 00:35:53.920 --> 00:36:03.280 She claimed that he'd received multiple psychiatric diagnoses, including bipolar disorder, autism, ADHD, and OCD. 00:36:03.519 --> 00:36:08.480 Colin believes those public statements led the Marines to question his fitness for service. 00:36:08.639 --> 00:36:17.840 He was told he could not continue training until he underwent a comprehensive psychological evaluation to address those concerns, and he was discharged. 00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:21.920 And for Colin, the Marines was not just about having a career. 00:36:22.079 --> 00:36:27.519 He wanted that sense of brotherhood and belonging that he'd been missing for so much of his life. 00:36:27.679 --> 00:36:31.039 But Colin was not willing to give up without a fight. 00:36:31.280 --> 00:36:37.519 Almost immediately after returning home, he started calling psychologists to arrange an independent evaluation. 00:36:37.679 --> 00:36:40.960 He wanted a chance to go back and finish what he'd started. 00:36:41.199 --> 00:36:47.199 He ended up spending about$2,000 of the money that he'd earned during boot camp to pay for it. 00:36:47.360 --> 00:36:52.480 The evaluation took five or six hours and included hundreds of questions. 00:36:52.639 --> 00:37:02.559 The psychologist ruled out the psychiatric diagnoses that had been attributed to him, finding no basis for those conditions or evidence of another psychiatric disorder. 00:37:02.719 --> 00:37:09.920 He made those results public, but even with the paperwork, Colin didn't get to return and finish marine training. 00:37:10.079 --> 00:37:16.960 As of October 2026, Colin is 22 years old and attending Penn State, where he's studying finance. 00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:19.519 He also started a pressure washing business. 00:37:19.760 --> 00:37:24.639 His memoir is out and he hopes it helps other children who face abuse and exploitation. 00:37:24.800 --> 00:37:27.599 He still hasn't abandoned his desire to help people. 00:37:27.760 --> 00:37:32.800 He's even talked about eventually creating a foundation for children who need support and protection. 00:37:33.039 --> 00:37:40.000 And y'all, before we wrap this up, there have been some pretty significant developments in this case just in the last few days. 00:37:40.239 --> 00:37:48.639 First,

yesterday, October 23rd, a former Gosselin family housekeeper and nanny named Ashley spoke out in an interview with People magazine. 00:37:48.880 --> 00:37:56.079 Ashley worked for the family around 2013, and she says that she personally witnessed Kate mistreating Colin. 00:37:56.159 --> 00:38:03.199 She described Kate grabbing him by the ear, physically pulling him out of his chair, and singling him out for abuse. 00:38:03.360 --> 00:38:11.440 And get this, Ashley says that she was so concerned that she actually reported Kate to Burks County Children and Youth Services. 00:38:11.599 --> 00:38:19.039 So now we have a former employee coming forward and describing some of the exact same treatment Colin has been alleging for years. 00:38:19.280 --> 00:38:26.559 And meanwhile, Kate has been defending herself in TikTok comments, once again bringing up Colin's alleged mental health issues. 00:38:26.800 --> 00:38:30.159 She insists that her children know who she really is. 00:38:30.400 --> 00:38:40.159 There's also sadly been some drama involving his sister Hannah, which is really unfortunate considering how close she and Colin had become after their reunion with John. 00:38:40.400 --> 00:38:50.639 On October 21st, Hannah publicly claimed that she hadn't spoken to Colin in nearly a year and that she's maintained relationships with Kate and their other siblings. 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:58.239 But on the very next day, Colin appeared on the view and disputed that, saying that he'd actually seen Hannah several times over the past year. 00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:05.119 He also suggested that Kate may be using money and Hannah's relationships with their siblings to influence her. 00:39:05.360 --> 00:39:13.679 And it's just so sad that these kids are still dealing with all this family drama as adults after everything they've already been through. 00:39:13.840 --> 00:39:15.840 I mean, it's still a tug of war. 00:39:16.159 --> 00:39:26.000 And lastly, Netflix just announced on October 21st that a new documentary about the Gosselin family is in the works, with John, Colin, and Hannah all participating. 00:39:26.159 --> 00:39:31.039 There's no release date yet, but I will definitely be keeping an eye out for that one. 00:39:31.199 --> 00:39:39.920 So clearly, this story is still developing, and I would not be surprised if it tragically gets even messier based on what we're hearing. 00:39:40.079 --> 00:39:43.360 Ultimately, though, Colin's story is heartbreaking. 00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:50.800 This little boy spent his entire childhood being filmed for the entertainment of millions and exploited financially. 00:39:50.960 --> 00:39:57.840 He was forced to put on a happy face for all of it while he was suffering in ways nobody watching at home could have imagined. 00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:05.440 He deserved to feel safe and loved and protected, and he deserved to grow up with his brothers and sisters and just be a kid. 00:40:05.679 --> 00:40:10.159 And his story raises a serious issue that we all need to be discussing. 00:40:10.400 --> 00:40:15.280 Why are we still allowing children to be exploited for entertainment? 00:40:15.440 --> 00:40:17.840 Because this isn't just reality TV anymore. 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:25.599 It's family vloggers, YouTube, TikTok, and parents who have turned their children's entire lives into content and called it a career. 00:40:25.760 --> 00:40:33.679 We're talking about kids who are too young to understand what it means to have their most personal moments broadcast to millions of strangers. 00:40:33.920 --> 00:40:39.119 Children cannot consent to having their childhoods documented and monetized. 00:40:39.280 --> 00:40:46.000 And it may look like fun and games from the outside when you're watching those videos, but make no mistake, it is work. 00:40:46.239 --> 00:40:50.159 It's real labor, and it is completely unethical. 00:40:50.320 --> 00:40:56.000 They are put under enormous pressure to be the breadwinner for the entire family in some cases. 00:40:56.239 --> 00:41:02.320 Multiple children who grew up in that environment have spoken out about how grueling and damaging it is. 00:41:02.559 --> 00:41:04.719 And who's protecting the money they earn? 00:41:04.880 --> 00:41:08.880 Like, who's making sure that they have their privacy or that they can say no? 00:41:09.039 --> 00:41:13.679 Who is looking out for their interests instead of everybody's bank accounts? 00:41:13.920 --> 00:41:21.360 We shouldn't have to wait until these children grow up and write books about what happened to them before we start taking this seriously. 00:41:21.599 --> 00:41:24.559 Thankfully, some progress is being made. 00:41:24.800 --> 00:41:34.159 States like Illinois, California, and Minnesota have passed laws protecting child influencers, including requiring parents to set aside some of the money for their children. 00:41:34.320 --> 00:41:36.159 But that is nowhere near enough. 00:41:36.400 --> 00:41:41.519 And in fact, just the term child influencer gives me the ick. 00:41:41.760 --> 00:41:44.400 Child influencers should not exist. 00:41:44.639 --> 00:41:51.679 We need stronger laws, actual oversight, and accountability for the adults making money off of these children. 00:41:51.840 --> 00:41:58.400 And I also really encourage y'all to read Colin's book, In the Shadow of Eight, Surviving the Reality of My Childhood. 00:41:58.639 --> 00:42:05.440 As much as I've covered today, there is so much more to his story that I just could not have fit into the episode. 00:42:05.519 --> 00:42:09.199 And hearing everything in his own words is absolutely worth it. 00:42:09.440 --> 00:42:14.480 I am so glad that he is finally getting to live his own life and make his own decisions. 00:42:14.639 --> 00:42:18.159 I hope he gets every opportunity to build the future that he wants. 00:42:18.320 --> 00:42:26.480 And more than anything, I hope his story does help bring about meaningful change so that fewer children have to endure what he did. 00:42:26.719 --> 00:42:33.840 Alright, y'all, that is all I've got for today, and I will see you Friday when our Halloween spectacular continues. 00:42:34.000 --> 00:42:37.599 Until next time, be divas, not deadly.