Who is Ruby Franke, former US YouTuber sentenced in child abuse case?

According to BBC, Ruby and her husband Kevin Franke began their journey as family vloggers in 2015. They started their YouTube channel ‘8 Passengers’, amassing nearly 2.5 million subscribers by June 2020. It eventually got flagged after concerns were raised over the nature of their parenting practices, and was deleted by YouTube, according to People.

Ruby and Kevin separated 13 months before her arrest. In an interview on the TV show Good Morning America, Kevin’s lawyer Randy Kester said, “No one’s ever made any allegations that he’s ever physically abused those kids or anyone else.” He also described Kevin as a “very gentle person” who was unaware of the abuse inflicted on his children.

Who is Ruby Franke?

Through vlogs on ‘8 Passengers’, Ruby and Kevin showcased their family life of raising six children in Springville, Utah. The family belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and were devout members.

With an increase in audience engagement came heightened scrutiny of their parenting practices. While viewers were initially drawn to the family’s seemingly idyllic life, they later began to raise concerns over the disciplinary methods employed by them.

In her vlogs, Ruby said her approach to parenting was “deeply rooted in her faith, values and personal convictions”. She also said that the core of her parenting philosophy was a commitment to instilling a discipline, responsibility and moral values in her children.

According to various media reports, incidents such as depriving a child of their bed for a long time or withholding meals as a punishment sparked heated debates in the online parenting community.

However, both Ruby and Kevin continued to defend their parenting decisions, saying that they were committed to being authentic on their videos.

Ruby also attempted to extend her online reach by connecting with her fans on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

What are the allegations of abuse against Ruby Franke

The allegations against Ruby surfaced in August 2023, when her 12-year-old son escaped from home and sought assistance from a neighbour, shedding light on the abuse and neglect in his household.

According to BBC, Franke’s son was emaciated when he sought help from his neighbours. Later, allegations of malnourishment, physical injuries and psychological trauma also came out against Ruby, leading to her arrest.

In December 2023, Ruby pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse.

Who is Jodi Hildebrandt

In 2022, Ruby started collaborating with therapist Jodi Hildebrandt on a parenting advice podcast called ‘ConneXions’.

The two would go on to leverage their combined social media presence under the banner of ‘Moms of Truth’.