Maddie Gosselin has been through a lot in her young life.
Obviously, Maddie’s parenting was not stable, and her family’s dysfunction was on display for millions of television viewers.
She was in the limelight as a child, no matter what happened.
But now, as a 22-year-old college student, Maddie has made it clear that if she wants to stay in the public eye, she’s going to do it on her own terms.
Maddie is a popular presence on TikTok, where she has over 200,000 followers.
This feat becomes even more impressive when you consider that Maddie promptly kicks users whose comments exceed the limit.
Last month, Maddie called out racist trolls on her page, and now, she’s responding to followers who think they know her family well, just because they watched a reality show.
Maddie’s latest video is a response to a comment in which a follower speculated about her siblings’ mental health and theorized what steps the family might need to take to begin “healing.”
“I have been getting hate mail since I was 6 but that doesn’t mean you need to keep sending it. Learn how to respect people’s boundaries and practice kindness,” she said in the clip.
“This is the only time I’m going to address it because it’s sending me over the edge,” Maddie continued.
“The rhetoric in many of my comments about childhood trauma and healing and whatever you want to say about my family, my life, my parents, whatever it is is none of your business.”
Maddie explained that everyone has a right to privacy, whether or not they’ve been on a reality TV show once.
“As with every other person in the entire world, it is nobody else’s business what they are doing behind closed doors if they don’t want it to be your business,” she continued.
Maddie explained that the concern for her siblings is misplaced, as they all grew up to be bright, well-adjusted young adults.
“Regardless of what you’ve seen, my siblings are doing great,” she explained.
“They’re all wonderful people. They’re all smart, they’re all kind, they inspire the students, they’re hard working, they’re funny, they’re stylish.
Maddie concluded with comments that should serve as a mantra for every social media user on the planet:
“What I share on social media is my choice and you don’t deserve more than that,” she added.
“I’m sorry if this is hard to hear but this is a boundary I set for myself and what I share here about my family and if you can’t respect that, unfollow me or I will I will block you.”
Clearly, she’s dealing with an intrusion into her personal life that few of us can imagine.
But Maddie’s comments serve as a reminder that we all have a right to privacy, and a fondness for using social media doesn’t negate that fact.