Collin Gosselin is sounding the alarm on the reality TV industry, accusing adults of turning a blind eye when children are hurting — all to keep the cameras rolling.
asserted
cameras → sound → eye
The "Jon & Kate Plus 8" star is revisiting the painful realities of his youth in his new memoir, "In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood," alleging that what made for compelling television often came at the expense of the children living it.
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made → revisit → it
"It's the simple fact that adults that are seeing these things, they surely understood that people are choosing not to say anything because the show must go on," Collin told Fox News Digital.
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Collin → see → Digital
"And if, at any point in time, a child can voice that they do not want to film, we need to take that seriously," he said.
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he → voice → that
Collin, one of the sextuplets who rose to fame alongside his parents and siblings, said children should not have to clearly articulate their distress before the adults around them recognize something is wrong.
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something → rise → them
"To understand and to know that at a young age, at any age, means that you really, you feel in your heart that it is not right, and you know you're being exploited and that's crazy for a child to know," he said.
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he → understand → heart
"But we should listen to that because that's a huge thing.
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that → listen → that
"
WATCH HERE: COLLIN GOSSELIN CALLS OUT REALITY TV PRODUCERS FOR PUTTING RATINGS AHEAD OF KIDS
Even when children remain silent, Collin argued, adults have a responsibility to pay attention.
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adults → watch → attention
"But even without a child saying anything, you can tell, you can absolutely tell.
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you → say → anything
It's reading body language," Collin said.
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Collin → read → language
"You can absolutely tell and we should be aware.
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we → tell → ?
We should be paying attention.
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We → pay → attention
We should be protecting children.
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We → protect → children
"
WATCH: COLLIN GOSSELIN BLASTS MOM KATE FOR 'BURYING' HIM TO SAVE HER REPUTATION
Collin said the show's production priorities came at the expense of his well-being and that of his siblings, arguing that the demands of filming conflicted with what was best for the children.
"100% my entire childhood, what was best for production was this direct relationship to what was unhealthy for a child," he said.
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he → watch → child
"But nobody cared about the welfare of me and my siblings, they cared about my paycheck."
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they → care → paycheck
He also said his siblings were kept in the dark about what happened at home while they were at school, adding that he hopes they will examine his account for themselves.
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they → say → themselves
"A lot happened that was kept from them intentionally so that they could be told that their brother was this and that," Collin said.
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Collin → happen → them
As filming intensified, Collin said the family's public image took priority over the children's experiences at home.
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image → intensify → home
"But once everything got going, and we were at the height of filming and production, it was absolutely more about what it looked like on the outside and not necessarily how me and my siblings felt," he said.
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he → go → outside
"It was always about how it looked for everybody else.
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it → look → everybody
For Collin, the failure is not simply recognizing that something is wrong, but refusing to act.
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something → recognize → Collin
"Doing something about it because the biggest thing is when we know something's wrong, and we don't say anything that's worse than not knowing it," he said.
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he → do → it
Collin said the family that audiences watched on "Jon & Kate Plus 8" did not reflect the full reality of his childhood, arguing that viewers saw a more polished version of life at home.
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viewers → say → home
When asked what cameras failed to capture, he described experiences and opportunities that he said were offered to the children for filming but later taken away.
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he → ask → filming
His criticism goes beyond editing and production decisions.
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criticism → go → editing
Collin also revisited his experience of being placed in a treatment facility and given medication, describing a period when he felt stripped of control over his life.
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he → revisit → life
"For a long time, my name was dragged, and I was put away.
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I → drag → time
I was essentially put in a juvenile prison, put on all these medications," he said.
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he → put → medications
I had no control, I had nothing."
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I → have → nothing
WATCH: COLLIN GOSSELIN DETAILS ALLEGED ABUSE, CONFRONTS FAMILY TRAUMA
He said he spent that time doing what he was told, with little ability to change his circumstances.
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he → watch → circumstances
"I did what I was told.
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I → do → what
I went through the motions, and was like a zombie every day," he said.
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he → go → zombie
Reflecting on that experience, Collin said he feels compelled to speak publicly about what happened.
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what → reflect → experience
"And so when you reflect on all that, you realize these things need to be talked about, and I feel just an urge to talk about them,
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I → reflect → them
" he said.
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he → say → ?
Collin said he has not spoken to his mother.
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he → say → mother
He recalled a visit from Kate when he was 13, claiming the encounter left him with a painful final memory.
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encounter → recall → memory
"She berated me for all of 20 minutes after not seeing me for over a year," he said.
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he → berate → year
Meanwhile, Collin told Fox News Digital
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Collin → tell → Digital
he held on to hope even during what he described as his darkest moments.
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he → hold → moments
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
