Collin Gosselin, one of Jon and Kate Gosselin’s army of kids, is now 20 years old and is dropping bombs like it’s reality TV sweeps week. In an interview with The US Sun, Collin casually accused his mom of checks notes\ ZIP-TYING him and locking him in a basement. Yeah, you read that right—zip ties, people! Move over, Home Depot; Kate Gosselin’s got a DIY home security solution for you!
Apparently, Kate had a secret room built in their unfinished basement, not for a new man cave or wine cellar, but to create her very own “child containment unit.” Collin spilled the details, saying this special room came equipped with a mattress on the floor, a single, sad little window in the corner (probably for ventilation purposes… or for giving those Disney villain vibes), and cameras. Because why not livestream the trauma?
And in case you were wondering, yes, it was bolt-locked from the outside. Because when you’re locking your kid in a basement, you want to make sure they’re not escaping to, you know, sunlight or human interaction.
Collin says his mom would throw him into this “containment room” multiple times. It sounds like the worst summer camp ever. But don’t worry—she didn’t forget the zip ties! Hands and feet? Check! Lights off? Check! Cameras rolling? Oh, Kate, you really nailed this whole “mom of the year” thing.
Meanwhile, Jon Gosselin’s Trying to Figure Out What the Heck Happened
Jon, Collin’s dad, claims he was blissfully unaware of all this until he got custody of their daughter, Hannah, who did not have a basement horror story to share, thankfully. But when his friend’s in-laws bought the Gosselin house, they came to him like, “Hey Jon, quick question… why is there a prison cell in your basement? Asking for a friend.” And Jon, stunned like he just saw the world’s most awkward home renovation, realized the gravity of what had gone down.
Kate’s Lawyer Enters the Chat
Kate’s attorney, Richard Puleo, swooped in faster than a lawyer at a fender bender, denying she ever intentionally harmed Collin. Puleo basically said, “Hey, hey, Kate was just protecting herself and the family from Collin’s ‘troubled behavior.’” Yes, because locking a kid in the basement is definitely chapter one of the Parenting 101 Handbook.
Kate’s been pretty vocal about her struggles with Collin, calling him a “very troubled young man.” She claimed he had a Ph.D. in “unpredictable behavior and violent tendencies.” If only there were a way to deal with troubled behavior that didn’t involve transforming your basement into a maximum-security facility…
In fact, she gave People magazine a whole spiel about how Collin had “multiple psychiatric diagnoses” over the years and that his “distorted perception of reality” made things… complicated. Because nothing says “complicated” like zip ties and basement locks!
The Family Feud Continues
Collin’s sister, Madelyn, wasn’t about to sit this one out. She accused him of “physical violence and hate speech,” which Collin flat-out denied, because why not add a bit more fire to this Gosselin inferno?
To round out the cast, Jon and Kate’s other kids include twins Madelyn and Cara, now 23, and sextuplets Leah, Aaden, Joel, and Alexis, all 20. So many kids, so much drama. Jon eventually gained custody of Collin in 2018, after Kate institutionalized him. Yes, institutionalized. It’s like the Gosselin family motto is “go big or go home… unless you’re being sent to a psychiatric facility.”
Reality TV is Less Dramatic Than Reality
The Gosselins—proving once again that reality TV doesn’t even scratch the surface of how wild real life can be. And somewhere, TLC producers are probably kicking themselves for not turning that basement into a spin-off series.
