Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
Former YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke‘s estranged husband, Kevin Franke, filed for divorce in November 2023. This occurred months after authorities arrested and charged the former with multiple counts of child aggravated child abuse. Ruby’s ex-business partner and therapist, Jodi Hildebrandt, was also facing similar charges.
People Magazine reported that Ruby and Kevin Franke first garnered public attention via their now-defunct YouTube channel, 8Passengers. They racked up over two million followers on the channel that portrayed videos depicting their strict parenting styles towards their shared six kids. However, the couple soon faced massive backlash for their unusual parenting strategies, which included refusing food to their children as punishment. Their viewers began accusing them couple of being abusive.
The truth only surfaced after Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt’s arrests in August 2023. This occurred after the former’s son escaped Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah, and went to a neighbor’s home asking for food and water. According to the neighbor, who called the police, the boy was malnourished, emaciated, and had open wounds and duct tape on his ankles and wrists.
Both Ruby and Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts each of aggravated child abuse in December after signing plea agreements. Earlier this week, they received four terms of one to 15 years in prison each, which will run consecutively.
Is Kevin Franke facing charges in the child abuse case?
Ruby Franke’s estranged husband, Kevin Franke, is not facing charges in connection with the child abuse case. As per ABC News, in a September 2023 interview with Good Morning America, Kevin’s lawyer, Randy Kester, called the father-of-six a “very gentle” person. Kester further alleged that his client played no role in his children’s abuse. The lawyer said, “No one’s ever made any allegations that he’s ever physically abused those kids or anyone else.”
That same month, Kester told TODAY that Kevin was working on mending his relationship with his children at the time. He said, “[Kevin] is making an effort to rebuild and bridge these relationships rather than sling mud and point fingers. He is focused on doing what is best for his kids at this point, even if that means undergoing some introspection.”
The couple once faced backlash for the YouTube channel, which led viewers to believe they had been abusive for years. The controversy led to an online petition when people called on child services to investigate their strict parenting practices. In 2022, Ruby stopped posting on the channel, reported People Magazine.
Following Ruby’s arrest in August 2023, Kevin Franke filed for divorce from her in November, reported NBC News. Kevin’s attorney, Randy Kester, told TODAY.com in October that the couple had been separated for 13 months “at Ruby’s directive.”
Kester said, “Kevin did not want to be separated. He wanted to work through concerns as a family. There was never any formal, written decree of separate maintenance or separation agreement. The separation was under terms proscribed by Ruby and Jodi Hildebrandt.”
What happened to Ruby and Kevin Franke’s children?
People Magazine‘s report stated that Ruby and Kevin Franke share six children—Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve. Child protective services have taken in four of their children after Ruby’s arrest. According to Page Six, court filings revealed that Kevin filed for guardianship over their 16-year-old daughter, Abby. The estranged husband submitted the request for custody on February 9, 2024. He has been trying to regain custody of his four minor children since Ruby’s arrest.
Moreover, prior to the sentencing, Kevin’s attorney, Kester, relayed his wishes that Ruby and Jodi Hildebrandt should receive the maximum prison sentence. The New York Post reported that Kester told Law & Crime, “We trust the judge to sentence them both to one to 15 years for each of the four counts, to run consecutively and let the Utah State Board of Pardons decide if that should be shortened or other conditions imposed.”
The lawyer further added, “The treatment these children received at the hands of those whom the children had a right to trust was horrific and inhumane, both physically and psychologically. Kevin remains focused on the rehabilitation of these sweet and vulnerable children so that they might return to a normal life as soon as possible.”
Impact X Nightline has previously chronicled the case in an episode titled “Ruby Franke: A Momfluencer’s Double Life?”
