Latest news with #TheHouseofMyMother:ADaughter'sQuestforFreedom
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shari Franke Confronts Her Past and Says 'Family Vlogging Ruined My Innocence'
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." As Ruby Franke spiraled from popular parenting YouTuber to convicted child abuser, her relationship with her eldest daughter, Shari Franke, deteriorated. Shari was one of the primary stars of the family's now-defunct YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, and some videos captured moments that many teens (and adults, for that matter) would feel mortified to have broadcast online. One memorable example was when Ruby accidentally removed half of Shari's left eyebrow while waxing her daughter's brows. In another, Ruby shared footage of Shari bra shopping. Their contrasting views on vlogging and Ruby's increasingly erratic behavior eventually ruptured the mother-daughter relationship so much that they stopped speaking after Shari went to college in 2021. Now 23, the former child influencer has been outspoken in condemning Ruby's actions and in working to protect other children from experiencing the same pressures and consequences she once faced. 'Family vlogging ruined my innocence long before Ruby committed a crime,' Shari told a Utah Senate committee in October 2024. 'I promise you that my experiences are not unique and are happening to child influencers all over Utah and the country.' At the hearing, she also told lawmakers she lost friends because of the '24/7' work required to create content for the channel and feels regretful that her best and worst moments in childhood were made public online.$20.08 at Shari further detailed her experiences in the recent Hulu docuseries Devil in the Family: The Ruby Franke Story and her best-selling memoir, The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom. She says she and her five younger siblings were treated as de facto employees of the family business. Partly thanks to Shari's testimony, Utah created a law requiring online creators who make more than $150,000 a year from content featuring children to set aside 15 percent of those earnings into a trust fund that the kids can access after turning 18. The law also creates a pathway for children to have posts and videos they're in removed. Shari has no intention of broadcasting her own family's lives on the internet, though. In a December 2024 Instagram post, she announced her engagement and new boundaries about detailing her personal life online. 'For me, this is the end of me sharing my private life... I'm not going to talk about my wedding, future husband, or future kids. I'll continue to advocate for kids who didn't have a voice (so you'll still be seeing me, don't worry) but this is closure for me. I'm moving on with my life, and that's true freedom and joy ❤️.' You Might Also Like Nicole Richie's Surprising Adoption Story The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Her Mother Queen Camilla's Life in Photos
Axios
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Ruby Franke's husband and children speak out in new Hulu docuseries
There is no shortage of crime documentaries based on cases that unfolded in Utah. The latest: Hulu's new three-part docuseries " Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke" centers around the rise and fall of the popular parenting vlogger and her business partner, former therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, who were both arrested for child abuse in 2023. The show features interviews with Franke's estranged husband, who filed for divorce in 2023, and their eldest children. It "cuts through the social media reaction to explore the untold story behind the Ruby Franke case: part family tragedy, part coming-of-age narrative, part tale of our times about the perils of life lived online," according to the series' description. Catch up quick: Franke launched the popular YouTube channel "8 Passengers" in 2015, where she documented her family's life and shared parenting advice. Last year, Franke and Hildebrandt each were sentenced to four to 60 years in prison for abusing Franke's two youngest children. Between the lines: Franke's eldest daughter, Shari, who appears in the docuseries, authored a book recounting her childhood "The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom." It was released in January. Go deeper: The religious extremism of Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt Parenting influencers sentenced in Utah child abuse case
The Independent
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘It was uncomfortably intimate': Ruby Franke's husband reveals new details about relationship with Jodi Hildebrandt
Kevin Franke, the husband of YouTube family vlogger and convicted child abuser, Ruby Franke, has spoken out about the relationship between his soon-to-be ex-wife and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt. 'It was much more than a friendship,' Kevin said in a new Hulu documentary set to debut on Thursday (February 27). 'It was much more than a sisterhood. It was uncomfortably intimate.' Hulu is set to release a three-part docuseries titled Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke where members of Ruby's family: Kevin, her oldest daughter Shari, 21, and her oldest son Chad, 20, discuss what life was like in their home leading up to Ruby's arrest. Last year, Ruby and her business partner Hildebrandt were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, including trying to convince Ruby's two youngest children that they were evil, possessed by demons and needed to be punished. Ruby's four minor children were taken into the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services. During the documentary, Kevin discussed what the relationship was like between his wife and her business partner. At one point, Hildebrandt had moved in with Ruby and Kevin because she was experiencing 'demonic night terrors.' Kevin recalled Ruby telling him that the two of them were the only people who could 'get rid of the evil spirits' in Hildebrandt. 'I would place my hands on her head and command the demons to depart,' Kevin said. 'And I would state every name of Jesus Christ that I could possibly think of. And those evil spirits were very reactive to those names.' Ruby and Hildbrandt eventually began asking Kevin to leave the room so they could continue the process without him. This evolved into Ruby checking on her business partner at night because that was when Hildebrandt said 'The possessions were the worst.' 'And then one day Ruby said, 'I'm just going to stay up there and stay with her. She needs a friend, and maybe if I'm in there with her, these things will leave her alone,'' Kevin said. He admitted that they didn't know the 'extent' of Ruby and Hildebrandt's actions when they were alone together. However, when Shari was deliberately asked by someone off-camera whether or not her mother and Hildebrant were 'lovers' her response was: 'I mean, I have my opinions.' When asked what her opinions were, she said, 'I do think that they were.' The oldest Franke daughter also recalled in her memoir The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom one instance where she went into her room after Hildebrandt moved in. 'The room was bathed in the soft glow of candles,' she wrote. 'The air was heavy with the scent of lavender and vanilla wafting from the massage oils on the dresser.' 'I quickly grabbed what I needed and got the hell out of there, feeling like I had just walked into someone else's honeymoon suite,' she continued.'The only thing missing was rose petals on the bed.' She recalled Ruby then leaving her old bedroom at 5 a.m. trying to quickly tie her robe with 'messy hair' and 'flushed cheeks.' 'What the hell was going on?' she asked in her memoir. 'Why was Ruby sneaking around in the middle of the night like a teenager trying not to get caught by her parents? Were they really doing candlelit massages in my bedroom?' She also commented on how the two of them had 'condemned queerness very publicly in their ConneXions videos, while embodying it privately. In my room. On my bed, most likely.' Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke will be available to watch on Hulu on February 27.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ruby Franke's husband explains why he asked her to stop contacting him from prison: ‘I'm very angry'
Kevin Franke, the husband of YouTube family vlogger and convicted child abuser Ruby Franke, has opened up about his current relationship with his soon-to-be ex-wife. Last year, Ruby and her business partner Jodi Hildebrant were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, including trying to convince Ruby's two youngest children that they were evil, possessed by demons, and needed to be punished. Ruby's four minor children were taken into the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services. 'The last letter that I received from her from prison was maybe in March or April of last year,' Kevin told the People about Ruby, who is currently serving her sentence at the Utah State Correctional Facility. 'And then I requested the Department of Corrections to ask her to stop writing me. I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't like what she was saying.' Kevin refused to reveal what Ruby wrote to him. 'I'm not going to share,' he told People. 'That's between her and me. But it just didn't feel right and it didn't feel good, and I'm very angry. I'm still very angry.' Currently, Kevin is still in the process of filing for divorce from Ruby and said they were 'close' to reaching a settlement. Kevin, his oldest son Chad, 20, and his oldest daughter Shari, 21 will all be opening up about their lives with Ruby in a new three-part docuseries on Hulu called Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke. The show will be available to stream on Thursday. The Hulu series comes almost two months after Shari's memoir The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom was released. In the book, she wrote about her life on the '8 Passengers' family vlog channel and how her mom was 'sneaking around' with Hildebrant. After Ruby was arrested in 2023, she admitted to several horrific acts, as shown in a statement filed in court to support her guilty pleas, which said she abused two of her children from May 22 2023 until her arrest. She said that she tried to convince two of her children that they were evil and possessed and that the 'punishments' were a form of repentance. She described the abuse as 'acts of love.' Traumatic details revealed that she forced her son into long physical tasks outside in summer without shoes or adequate water, leaving him with 'repeated and serious sunburns.' He was also denied sufficient food, and when he was given food, they were very plain meals while the rest of the household got more flavourful food, the plea agreement said. In February 2024, Ruby was handed four one to 15-year sentences in prison, one for each of the four counts of child abuse to which she pleaded guilty in December 2023. However, she and Hildebrandt will only serve up to 30 years in prison due to a Utah state law that caps the sentence duration for consecutive penalties. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will consider their behavior while incarcerated and determine how much of that time each will spend behind bars.
The Independent
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Ruby Franke's husband explains why he asked her to stop contacting him from prison: ‘I'm very angry'
Kevin Franke, the husband of YouTube family vlogger and convicted child abuser Ruby Franke, has opened up about his current relationship with his soon-to-be ex-wife. Last year, Ruby and her business partner Jodi Hildebrant were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, including trying to convince Ruby's two youngest children that they were evil, possessed by demons, and needed to be punished. Ruby's four minor children were taken into the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services. 'The last letter that I received from her from prison was maybe in March or April of last year,' Kevin told the People about Ruby, who is currently serving her sentence at the Utah State Correctional Facility. 'And then I requested the Department of Corrections to ask her to stop writing me. I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't like what she was saying.' Kevin refused to reveal what Ruby wrote to him. 'I'm not going to share,' he told People. 'That's between her and me. But it just didn't feel right and it didn't feel good, and I'm very angry. I'm still very angry.' Currently, Kevin is still in the process of filing for divorce from Ruby and said they were 'close' to reaching a settlement. Kevin, his oldest son Chad, 20, and his oldest daughter Shari, 21 will all be opening up about their lives with Ruby in a new three-part docuseries on Hulu called Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke. The show will be available to stream on Thursday. The Hulu series comes almost two months after Shari's memoir The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom was released. In the book, she wrote about her life on the '8 Passengers' family vlog channel and how her mom was 'sneaking around' with Hildebrant. After Ruby was arrested in 2023, she admitted to several horrific acts, as shown in a statement filed in court to support her guilty pleas, which said she abused two of her children from May 22 2023 until her arrest. She said that she tried to convince two of her children that they were evil and possessed and that the 'punishments' were a form of repentance. She described the abuse as 'acts of love.' Traumatic details revealed that she forced her son into long physical tasks outside in summer without shoes or adequate water, leaving him with 'repeated and serious sunburns.' He was also denied sufficient food, and when he was given food, they were very plain meals while the rest of the household got more flavourful food, the plea agreement said. In February 2024, Ruby was handed four one to 15-year sentences in prison, one for each of the four counts of child abuse to which she pleaded guilty in December 2023. However, she and Hildebrandt will only serve up to 30 years in prison due to a Utah state law that caps the sentence duration for consecutive penalties. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will consider their behavior while incarcerated and determine how much of that time each will spend behind bars.
