Who is Ruby Franke? Husband, Kids, Parents, Age, Height, Net Worth, Biography & More
Ruby Franke was once a popular parenting influencer who ran a YouTube channel called 8 Passengers, where she documented her family life in Utah with her husband, Kevin, and their six children. She had millions of followers who watched her videos for tips and advice on raising kids. However, she also faced criticism and controversy for her strict and harsh disciplinary methods, which some viewers considered abusive and neglectful. In 2023, she was arrested and charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, four of which she pleaded guilty to.
She is expected to be sentenced in February 2024. How did it come to this, for a woman who claimed to be a loving and caring mother? Here is everything you need to know about Ruby Franke and her family.
Biography
Ruby Franke is a 41-year-old mother of six from Utah, USA. She started her YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, in 2015, along with her husband, Kevin. The channel featured videos of their daily activities, such as homeschooling, cooking, traveling, and celebrating holidays. The channel quickly gained popularity, reaching almost 2.5 million subscribers and over 1 billion views by 2020. Sources shared that she was born on January 18, 1982
Franke portrayed herself as a devout Mormon and a loving mother who wanted to share her parenting tips and tricks with other families. She often talked about the importance of discipline, responsibility, and self-reliance for her children. She also collaborated with other family vloggers and brands, earning a lucrative income from her online presence.
Ruby Franke Wiki/Bio
| Name | Ruby Franke |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 18, 1982 |
| Place of birth | Utah, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | European |
| Religion | Mormon |
| Occupation | Former family vlogger and mental health coach |
| Spouse | Kevin Franke (separated) |
| Children | Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve |
| Arrest date | August 30, 2023 |
| Charges | Six counts of aggravated child abuse |
| Plea | Guilty to four counts of child abuse |
| Sentence | Pending (up to 15 years in prison for each count) |
| Sources | Wikipedia- @Ruby_Franke Youtube- Deleted Instagram- @moms_of_truth Homepage- Newsunzip |
Height, Weight
- Height: 5 ft 5 in or 165 cm
- Weight: 57 kg or 125.5 lbs
- Eye color: Brown
- Body measurements: 32-23-33 inches
- Skin color: Light
- Hair color: Light brown
- Shoe size: 8 US
The Beginning of 8 Passengers
Ruby Franke started her YouTube channel 8 Passengers in early 2015, during a boom in popularity for family vlogging channels. She said that filming herself with her family helped her “live in the present and just enjoy the kids” The videos she edited were a window into her life, showing a typical Mormon suburban family home-schooling, cooking, eating and chatting away together.
She posted five days a week at 6:00 AM By 2016, her videos had gained tens of thousands of views. She told local news at the time that she wanted to inspire other parents and show them that “they’re not alone”
As her channel grew, she also started to earn money from YouTube ads and sponsorships. She collaborated with other family vloggers and appeared on TV shows and podcasts. She also launched a merchandise line and a website. She became one of the most successful and influential family vloggers on the platform, with almost 2.5 million subscribers and over 1 billion views by 2020.
The Backlash and Controversy
However, not everyone was a fan of Ruby Franke and her parenting style. Some viewers became concerned and outraged by some of the incidents and methods she showed on her videos, which they considered abusive and harmful to her children. Some of these included:
- Telling her sons they would “lose the privilege to eat dinner” if they continued play-fighting
- Saying that her six-year-old “needed” to go hungry after forgetting to take her lunch to school. “Hopefully nobody gives her food and nobody steps in and gives her a lunch, because then she’s not going to learn,” she told the camera
- Banning one of her sons from his bedroom and making him sleep on a bean bag for seven months
- Sending another son to a wilderness camp for troubled teens, where he had to sleep in a tent and hike for miles every day.
- Threatening to behead a stuffed toy that belonged to one of her daughters.
- Telling two of her children that Santa Claus would not be bringing them anything for Christmas that year because they were too “numb” to respond to other punishments.
Many viewers expressed their anger and disgust in the comments section of her videos, accusing her of being a bad mother, a bully, and a narcissist. Some also reported her to YouTube and the authorities for child abuse and neglect. A Change.org petition was launched demanding YouTube to remove her channel and protect her children.
Ruby and Kevin Franke defended their actions, saying they were trying to teach their children to “live responsibly” as “masters of themselves”. They said that the incidents had been taken out of context and that they loved their children and wanted the best for them. They also claimed that they had consulted with professionals and experts before implementing their disciplinary methods.
However, their explanations did not convince many viewers, who continued to criticize and boycott their channel. The 8 Passengers YouTube channel declined in popularity and views in 2021.
The End of 8 Passengers
In 2022, she and Kevin Franke separated, and Kevin Franke moved out of the house. Ruby deleted the YouTube channel and began working as a mental health coach at ConneXions, a company run by Jodi Nan Hildebrandt, a counselor. They launched a new video channel together in 2022 and partnered in an Instagram account called Moms of Truth to offer parenting classes.
However, their new ventures did not last long, as they were soon arrested and charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, a felony.
What happened to Ruby Franke and her children?
In 2022, Franke and her husband separated, and he moved out of the house. She deleted her YouTube channel and started working as a mental health coach at ConneXions, a company run by Jodi Nan Hildebrandt, a counselor. They launched a new video channel together, as well as an Instagram account called Moms of Truth, where they offered parenting classes.
However, her children were not doing well under her care. Neighbors and her oldest daughter, who was a college student, noticed that Franke often left the children alone at home and called authorities to check on them.
On August 30, 2023, She and Hildebrandt were arrested in Ivins, Utah, after Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt’s house and asked for help at a neighboring house. The boy was emaciated, covered in open wounds, and had duct tape around his ankles. He told the police that she and Hildebrandt had tied him up, starved him, and tried to convince him that he was evil and possessed.
The police found Ruby Franke 10-year-old daughter in the house, also malnourished and abused. Both children were taken to a hospital, where the boy was treated for severe malnourishment and deep lacerations. The police also found evidence of torture in the house, such as ropes, duct tape, and a knife. The Utah Division of Child and Family Services took the boy and girl and two more of Franke’s children into custody.
On September 1, 2023, Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt were charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, a felony On December 18, 2023, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution against Hildebrandt. She is expected to be sentenced in February 2024 and faces up to 15 years in prison for each count.
The Arrest and Charges
On August 30, 2023, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested in Ivins, Utah, after a shocking incident involving her 12-year-old son. According to a statement from the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department, the boy, who appeared emaciated and had “open wounds and duct tape around the extremities”, had climbed through a window of Hildebrandt’s house and asked at a neighboring house for food and water Emergency services found her 10-year-old daughter in the house, also malnourished; both children were taken to a hospital, where the boy was treated for severe malnourishment and “deep lacerations from being tied up with rope”
A search of the house found evidence “consistent with the markings” on the 12-year-old, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services took the boy and girl and two more of Franke’s children into care. Neighbors and the her’ oldest daughter, a college student, said that Franke often left the children alone at home and called authorities to check on them.
On September 1, Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt were both charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse under Utah law, which applies when a person “knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly causes serious physical injury to a child or engages in conduct that creates a grave risk of serious physical injury to a child”. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each count.
On December 18, 2023, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse as part of a plea deal. She is expected to be sentenced on February 20, 2024. Hildebrandt pleaded not guilty to all six counts and is awaiting trial.
Net Worth
| Year | Net Worth |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $600,000 |
| 2022 | $500,000 |
| 2023 | $1 million USD |
How did the public react to Ruby Franke’s case?
Ruby Franke’s case shocked and outraged the public, especially her former fans and followers. Many people expressed their disgust and anger at Franke’s actions and demanded justice for her children. They also criticized YouTube for allowing Franke to profit from exploiting her children and not taking action sooner. Some people also questioned the ethics and safety of family vlogging as a genre, and the potential harm it can cause to children’s privacy, well-being, and development
On the other hand, some people expressed sympathy and compassion for Franke, saying that she was a victim of her own upbringing, religion, and mental health issues. They argued that Franke needed help and support, not condemnation and punishment. They also pointed out that Franke was not the only parent who used harsh methods to discipline their children, and that there was a lack of awareness and resources for parents who struggle with parenting.
