The Franke Family.

My personal opinion on the Franke Family case.

The talk of the country, the #1 show on Hulu currently, the Franke Family Documentary. The Franke family, once known for their popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, built a massive following by sharing their daily lives. However, over time, their content sparked discussions and controversy, leading to significant changes, and one day the family was caught.

Background

Suppose you have been living under a rock or just have not been paying attention to the news. You have missed a key case in the world, the Franke Family. A family from Utah that looked to live the perfect life on YouTube. Ruby, Kevin, Chad, Shari, and their four youngest, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve were the “perfect family” we all saw on YouTube. Yet their life had been uncovered, one of the youngest kids had gotten out of the basement where they were kept for abuse and went to neighbors, went to the nearest police station, and reported Ruby Franke. Ruby was then detained, and put in jail for abuse of her kids. Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, who co-founded a parenting advice and counseling YouTube channel and service called Moms of Truth. They were both arrested and charged with six counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in Utah in September 2023. Yet, viewers started to speculate in 2020 that Ruby and Kevin had been abusing their kids, and several warning signs were popping up of the mistreatment of her kids. Now, Hulu has released a documentary on this case called “The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke”

The Documentary

The Documentary of the Franke Family is a watch. Kevin released multiple unreleased videos that would’ve never been seen without him. Shari spoke out for probably the last time on this issue, and Chad also spoke on this. The 4 other kids did not since they are not 18. Let it be known, that the psychological terror Ruby put these kids through is something I have never heard. In one unreleased clip of herself, the mother of six yelled at her family for making noise before stopping and restarting her footage, reverting to a calm demeanor. Other footage showed similar instances of anger, such as when Ruby Franke expressed frustration at her husband for not being interactive enough on camera. Kevin also stated that Ruby recorded every single aspect of their lives and Kevin was very uncomfortable with it. The kids even started getting uncomfortable as we can see a clip of Chad saying he had to smile for the camera as their personality wasn’t enough.

The Documentary is a 3 part series that is 50-minute episodes. It is a psychological documentary in my opinion where you deep dive into the Franke Family.

Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt

Once seen as a devoted mother and a trusted counselor, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt now stand at the center of a shocking case that has exposed the dark reality behind their teachings. Ruby Franke was the mom to 6 kids and was Mormon. She was the perfect mom on YouTube and they built a huge following, everyone loved seeing the kids grow up and have fun. No one saw behind the scenes though. Ruby was an angry mother, anything the kids did she would yell at them, tell them to shut up while she was recording, and even went so far as to tell one of her kids she would cut off the head of her stuffed animal if she kept acting up. Ruby was a good mom before YouTube though according to Chad and Shari Franke, she was a peaceful, loving, and courageous mom, but after the brand deals, she went down a dark path. Towards a later time when it was just the four youngest kids and herself, she went towards the abusive side of parenthood, and she was caught. Her youngest boy got out and reported her. She gave a sob story at her court date but in my opinion, it was because she was caught that she gave this sob story.

Jodi was a therapist and life coach, which Ruby fell in love with practically very quickly. Jodi had a good reputation for women and a terrible reputation for men. She ruined relationships left and right. She ran a business called Connexions, a therapy group. People thought of it as a cult group and hated every second of it. Men were practically put down as she said things like “You guys always look to lust” and many more say to put down men. Her connexions program was a cult, it was a feminist cult and the fact it stayed going for that long is terrible. Jodi was an abuser of power and she did it when she moved into the Franke Household for her “demonic times.” In my opinion, Jodi was a terrible person and she used her power to get things she wanted. She treated clients with more money better and made sure to help them.

They both pleaded guilty to 4 counts of Child Abuse and could serve up to 30 years in prison. In my opinion, they should not be let out until all the children turn 18.

Kevin Franke

Once admired as a devoted father on the 8 Passengers YouTube channel, Kevin Franke now finds himself entangled in a shocking family controversy that has left fans questioning everything. Of course, people have mixed opinions on the family, especially the dad. Some people think he was a part of the abuse but some people also think he wanted to feel accepted by Ruby because Ruby asked him to go grab the kids from the police station when they were reporting the abuse and he did just that, Ruby hadn’t called Kevin in a year and Kevin in the documentary stated: “I was finally talking to the woman I loved.” Some may think he is putting this all up as an act, people on X (especially women) took offense to Kevin saying “I hope he rots in hell”, “get this weak f*** off my screen”, “Kevin Franke is a dangerous man”, “Kevin Franke is a spineless man” and much more. Yet in my opinion, it could go both ways, yes Kevin had the camera and did a terrible thing, but pay attention to when they were dating. He studied her like a book and almost treated her like a God and that she could do no wrong, it seems he either already had an acceptance issue or was obsessed with her or was brainwashed, who knows.

Kevin has filed for divorce from Ruby, of course, he has also created a relationship with Chad. Chad and Kevin did an interview with Good Day America and Kevin said a lot of things and opened up about Jodi, Rubys' accomplice in all the abuse and “therapist.” In my opinion, Kevin was brainwashed, treating Ruby like a God from day one is a very key thing to take in. He studied her “characteristics” list for guys and made sure that he would win. He did things that treated her like a God. Then when she was caught, Kevin came to a realization when he went to the house that he was indeed brainwashed and told Chad that he was also brainwashed.

Shari Franke

Shari, one of the most fun kids in the 8 passengers videos now finds herself abandoned and lost at BYU, with no communication to the family. Shari was the oldest in the Franke Family. When Ruby was caught in her child abuse with Jodi, Shari was 20 and at BYU. Shari though was a warrior in that family. She saw through Jodi, she saw that Jodi’s therapy license was taken away or suspended for unprofessional conduct. She saw through Jodi and for that she was kicked out, she gave up her room, and she gave up her life for Jodi. Just for Jodi to be a major feminist, ruin relationships, families, and so much more. Shari sacrificed a lot of things for Jodi just to be abandoned by the family after telling Ruby how she felt. Shari is a warrior and she couldn’t do anything more for the younger kids. She felt bad when Chad was beaten and helped him clean blood off the walls, helped him with his bloody nose, and much more. As Shari Franke moves forward, she proves that healing and growth are possible even after abandonment choosing to define her future on her terms, away from the shadows of her past. Shari now has her book called The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom and advocates against family vlogging.

Chad Franke

Now forging his path away from the 8 Passengers spotlight, Chad Franke is redefining his identity beyond the strict upbringing and public scrutiny of his past. Chad, now 20, has a great relationship with his girlfriend Kamryn, he streams on Twitch by the name of MrSpeedzz, he is also a realtor and has a good life. He put his past behind him just like Shari. Yet Chad had the start of the abuse, being beaten by Ruby and much more. He took multiple beatings, from being expelled from school to just being disobedient to his parents. Chad was exiled from the family as well for watching explicit content and they believed this led to Jodi’s demonic spirits inside of her. Chad was abandoned by the family just like Shari and had to live in an apartment by himself. He had no contact with anyone other than Jodi on Tuesdays at 3:30 weekly. At a young age, barely an adult, only having contact with a therapist and not your own family does a toll on you. Then reading one day at work while on break that your mom was arrested and charged with Child Abuse is insanity to me. Chad went through it all just like Shari, and now even though Shari and Chad took different approaches to life, they are living a life that is better than they did.

The 4 Youngest Kids

Since the 4 youngest are under 18, we didn’t hear from them at all. From what I have heard, they are in foster care and Kevin is actively fighting to have his kids back. There is a very slim chance he will get the kids just because of the Trauma and PTSD the kids will have but he is actively fighting in court. Yet the courageous, heroic, and brave act of the youngest boy to climb out the window, with Duct Tape on his wrists, and ankles to get to a neighbor's house to report the abuse is insane. I have no clue how he got out and the fact he pulled it off is something so impressive and brave. Those kids are a light in this world, and hopefully, when they are 18, we will hear their story of what happened just like how we have heard parts of Shari and Chad's story.

Conclusion

Ruby Franke was a sick individual, but that does not mean she doesn’t deserve love though. Jesus tells us everyone deserves love, no matter if they murder or just lie. They all deserve love, and the fact people are calling out Chad for loving his mom is crazy. He is not brainwashed, it is his mom. He will always love his mom and if my mom ever committed a crime, I would still love her. She grew him up, she made him into the person he is today. There is no need to hate her. 1 John 4:8 states that “Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.” Even if you are not Christian, she still deserves love and care no matter what she did. I know this was a hate article mostly and I am sorry for that but I wanted to voice my opinion.

God Bless.

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” - 1 John 4:12