Kate and Jon Gosselin’s children grew up in the spotlight — and now Aaden Gosselin is looking back on what it was really like to be part of a hit reality TV family.
More than a decade after Jon & Kate Plus 8 and its spinoff Kate Plus 8 came to an end, Aaden, now 21, reflected on his favorite memory from filming during a TikTok Live on August 15 with his mom.
When asked which moments stood out to him most, Aaden shared, “Probably anytime we went to Wyoming.”
Kate quickly agreed with her son, adding, “Oh yeah. I was talking about it earlier how they sold the ranch in Wyoming—so sad.”
The family traveled to Wyoming twice while filming. In 2009, Kate took a trip to a dude ranch with her sons in the midst of her divorce from Jon, while the girls stayed home with their dad. Two years later, cameras followed the family on an RV road trip to Jackson Hole, giving fans another glimpse into their adventures out West.
While Aaden looks back at the show with some fondness, not all of his siblings share the same perspective. His twin sisters, Mady and Cara, 24, and sextuplets Alexis, Joel, Leah, Hannah and Collin have all grown up and forged different paths. In fact, Aaden’s brother Collin has been outspoken about the lasting impact of reality TV on his life.
On August 8, Collin posted a TikTok reflecting on his childhood, writing, “Born to be a team, us against the world. Forced to do it alone, and wonder everyday what our lives could’ve looked like.” In the caption, he added, “All the fame and money in the world, but what about kids being kids?”
Collin’s message highlighted the estrangement he feels from most of his siblings. Following Kate and Jon’s divorce, Collin and Hannah chose to live with their dad, while the other children stayed with Kate. Today, Collin remains closest to Hannah, who is in college.
In a separate TikTok Live on August 20, Collin admitted, “Unfortunately, it’s just not something that is easy for me to talk about.” He explained that while he doesn’t post often, social media has become a way for him to share updates and, hopefully, connect with his brothers and sisters.
“I do still talk to Hannah,” he shared. “I actually just texted her today, you know, she’s in college doing her thing. I always say, though, Hannah’s just very like living the life, you know, like having fun, always doing something, so we catch up when we can.”
Collin isn’t the only sibling to speak out. In 2023, Mady addressed fans who still speculate about the family dynamic, writing on Instagram, “We are real people living real lives, not just characters on your TV, which means there is SO much you will never know about our lives. There’s no need to ‘take sides.’ Please just be kind.”
