Kate Gosselin Spotted in Rare Outing Amid Allegations of Abuse by Son Collin

Kate Gosselin was spotted in high spirits during a rare public outing, despite facing abuse allegations involving her son Collin Gosselin.

The Jon and Kate Plus 8 alum, 49, was seen beaming while visiting a friend and her baby near her home in North Carolina, according to photos obtained by The U.S. Sun on Tuesday, October 15. Kate wore a baby pink t-shirt, black joggers and sneakers as she carried a big container of animal crackers. In another snap, the reality TV star was all smiles as she held her friend’s baby outside on the lawn.

The TLC alum was in a positive mood despite Collin, 20, accusing her of harsh treatment during his childhood, actions that included tying him up and locking him into a “containment room” in the family’s basement starting before he turned 10. Kate shares eight children with her ex-husband Jon Gosselin, including 23-year-old twins Madelyn and Cara, as well as 20-year-old sextuplets Collin, Alexis, Hannah, Leah, Aaden and Joel.

In addition, Collin claimed his dreams of joining the Marines were derailed due to his past institutionalization by his mother. Kate — who divorced Jon, 47, in 2009 after 10 years of marriage — put Collin in an institution in 2016 when he was “11 or 12” after he allegedly had issues with his fellow sextuplets.

Despite the serious allegations, Collin remains open to having a relationship with his mother, though with certain conditions.

“So first and foremost, my relationship with my brothers and sisters is of top priority to me,” Collin told The U.S. Sun in an interview published on October 8. “And I think the only way that my mother and I would be able to reconnect and fix our relationship in the future is if she would just come forward with the truth and all the things that she has kept under wraps.”

Speaking from his dorm room at Penn State, he added, “And, you know, the many times that she’s tried to soil my name and my father’s [Jon Gosselin] name. I just would want her to come forward with the truth. [But] yes, that door would be open. 100 percent.”

Collin opened up about why he was separated from his siblings during a July 2023 episode of Vice TV’s Dark Side of the 2000s. Jon was granted primary custody of Collin in 2018, and his sister Hannah, one of the sextuplets, also chose to live with them.

“I was starting to tell people what was going on at home and, you know, [Kate] she caught wind of that and had to put me somewhere where I wouldn’t be able to get the secrets out,” he alleged, adding that his mother was “going through a lot of things.”

“I mean, a divorce and plenty of different things that can’t be easy to go through,” Collin added.

Kate broke her silence on her son’s accusations that same month in a lengthy statement on Instagram. “Unfortunately, I believe Collin remains a very troubled young man who continues to need a lot of help,” she wrote. “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.”