A little more than a year after Ruby Franke received four consecutive sentences for aggravated child abuse, the former social media influencer’s estranged husband, Kevin Franke, speaks out.
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While speaking to ABC News’ Eva Pilgrim, Kevin, who shares six children with Ruby, discussed the dangers of social media.
“I want people to know that there is real danger when you place yourself or your family or children out onto public social media,” Kevin said. His eldest son, Chad, was present for the interview. “There are real consequences associated with that, and I want people to know that, to be just careful with who they choose to follow, with who they choose to put on a pedestal and to put their faith and to put their trust in.”
“Because if you put your trust in the wrong person,” he pointed out. “It can have massive consequences in your life.”
Ruby Franke was known for offering parenting advice and sharing details about her family through her YouTube channel. She was eventually accused and charged for abusing two of her children.
Chad spoke out about his mother’s controversy, telling Pilgrim he has “very fond memories” of his early years.
When asked at what point he saw a change in his family, he recalled when the attention increased. “I think once companies started coming to us offering big money for scripts,” he recalled. “It was a chaotic, chaotic experience. So lots of yelling, lots of snapping, and lots of time outs in the corner.”
Ruby Franke’s Husband Also Spoke Out Against Jodi Hildebrandt
Chad and Kevin also stated that their family’s dynamic shifted further when Jodi Hildebrandt, a therapist and life coach, appeared.
“She came across as somebody who was firm and very authoritative, and so we thought, this is the perfect fit,” Kevin explained. “What became surprising to me was when the focus gradually shifted away from just solely on our children to us as a couple.”
Chad then said, “Looking back, I treated her as a god, and I trusted her so much.”
Kevin further claimed that Jodi and Ruby eventually insisted that he move out of the family home. They also encouraged him to cut off contact with the family to work on his “addiction to selfishness.”
“The bottom line is that I was choosing to trust a licensed professional mental health counselor and my wife,” he said. “And they gave some terrible counsel. And I have regrets and I wish that I hadn’t done those things.”
Both Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in Utah in August 2023. Ruby and Kevin’s 12-year-old son escaped through the window of Hildebrandt’s home. He then ran to a neighbor’s house and pleaded for food and water.
When authorities arrived, they discovered Ruby’s 10-year-old daughter was malnourished. They believe the influencer “had knowledge of [the] malnourishment, abuse and neglect.”
Kevin filed for divorce from Ruby in November 2023. A month later, Ruby and Jodi pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse. They were both sentenced to the same four consecutive terms of one to 15 years.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. You can also chat with a representative at thehotline.org or by texting “START” to 88788.