Collin Gosselin calls out reality TV producers for putting ratings ahead of kids: ‘The show must go on’
Collin Gosselin says adults involved in making *Jon & Kate Plus 8* put production priorities ahead of the children’s wellbeing. In a new memoir, he argues that adults should recognise signs of distress, take a child’s wish not to film seriously and act when they see a problem.
Gosselin says filming intensified the focus on the family’s public image and that what was best for production was often unhealthy for him and his siblings. He also says his siblings were kept from learning about events at home, and revisits being placed in a treatment facility and given medication. These are his accounts of his childhood and the show’s production.
In short
- Collin Gosselin says production came before the children’s wellbeing.
- He urges adults to notice distress and act.
- His memoir revisits filming and his treatment experience.
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The case for
Gosselin’s account supports the view that producers and other adults had a duty to put the children’s welfare ahead of a programme’s schedule and public image. Children may not be able to protect themselves from the pressures of filming, so signs of distress and a child’s wish not to take part should prompt serious attention and intervention.
The case against
A fair assessment should distinguish Gosselin’s personal account from independently established facts and recognise that the summary offers only his perspective on the family and production. Filming a family does not by itself show that producers knowingly put ratings ahead of children’s welfare; the adults involved may have understood the arrangements differently or believed they were acting in the children’s interests.
Explained simply
Jon & Kate Plus 8 was a US reality television series about Jon and Kate Gosselin and their eight children. It began in 2007, following the family’s daily life as the children grew up in front of cameras.
Collin Gosselin is one of the couple’s children and has written about his experience of being filmed. His account raises questions about how reality programmes balance making a show with protecting children, who may have little control over filming and its effects on family life.
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