Watching a wholesome family, spending quality time with each other, sharing experiences, making memories, playing together, and having fun feel like a warm blanket in cold weather.
Some viewers have stated that they subscribe to YouTube family channels because it gives them the comfort they never got from their own. They perceive these channels as safe spaces where they share laughs with the family, feel a part of their little world, and empathize with their concerns.
A few of these channels were started by parents when they just had babies, so people love watching the kids grow over the years.
Amidst the toxicity of online dramas, roasting each other, obnoxious pranks, unhealthy commentaries, and petty and fake social friendships, the family channels brought a fresh air of positivity. These families would share their private lives, inviting people to watch them and increase their viewership. And this is the turning point of these channels—the viewers count.
Over the past decade, several family OG family channels like Shaytards, Saccone-Jolys, Roman Atwood Vlogs, The Tube Family, The Bee Family, Family Funpack, ItsJudy’sLife, and more, were dominating the YoutTube algorithm and were least affected by the “Adpocalypse” due to the family-friendly content.
But then again, every channel rises at the helm of viewership, where they thrived on prioritizing pushing content rather than focusing on the family. Because of this, several families were embroiled in scandals and controversies over child neglect, infidelity, scamming viewers, and more. In recent years, channels like The ACE family, The Labrant Family, Daddy’o Five, and others have been scrutinized for child neglect and exploiting minors for views.
And now, another case resurfaces of a mother arrested for abusing her children behind the scenes before putting a virtuous, ethical, righteous facade on camera.
Ruby Franke, who runs the family channel 8 Passengers, was arrested at 9:33 p.m. on August 30 with her manager, Jodi Hildebrandt, at her home in Springville, Utah, on two counts of aggravated child abuse. She is reportedly still “in custody,” as per the Washington County Sheriff’s Office’s website.
Before getting in with the case, here is a quick rundown of the family in 8Passengers–
Who Is Ruby Franke? How Old Is Ruby Franke From 8 Passengers?
YouTube in the early 2010s was brimming with vlogging channels, documenting their private lives and getting considerable views on each video. Following the trend, Ruby Franke, a mother from Utah, launched her channel in January 2015.
The 41-year-old mother dedicated her channel to mothers who have started the parenting journey, and this was her way to help, guide, or be relatable to parents who might find the process overwhelming.
Ruby Franke gave advice (it’s up to viewers to decide whether it was good advice or unhealthy) and also exhibited that her religious values were core to raising her kids and teaching them valuable lessons. She was stern in disciplining her children when necessary and maintained that every kid should follow her orders.
In a candid 2016 interview with a local news station KSL, Ruby said–
“I just want women who are still nursing babies, women who are still trying to get their families, women who are not sleeping through the night to see what it looks like at the finish line, to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s beautiful, and it’s powerful, and it’s worth it, it’s worth all the effort that families put into their family.”
Who Is Ruby Franke’s Husband? How Many Kids Does Ruby Franke Have?
The 8 Passengers’ name is derived from eight members of the family consisting of the matriarch, Ruby Franke, her husband, Kevin Franke, and their six children, Shari (20), Chad (18), Abby (16), Julie (14), Russell (12), and Eve (9).
The family are devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. The Mormon values can also be seen in the family’s conduct, who also believe in having a bunch of kids.
Kevin (44), a former associate professor at Brigham Young University, allowed his wife to vlog the kids as he believed she was caring for the family while he was working. According to his account, he was oblivious to what his wife was doing to the kids behind his back. Whether the couple are together is uncertain, but he was once involved with Ruby’s current management agency.
What Happened with Ruby Franke and Her Family?
Ruby Franke has a manager, Jodi Hildebrandt, who owns a counseling business called ConneXions Classroom. This “counseling” consults and teaches clients how to improve their lives by being honest, responsible, and humble. As it turns out, Hildebrandt’s ConneXions did con under the pretext of righteousness.
But before that, Ruby Franke’s odd behavior and parenting style irked many netizens in 2018. In one of the earlier videos, Ruby said that she refused to bring lunch for her daughter Eve, who was only six years old at that time.
She said that it would teach the kid a lesson on not forgetting to pick up lunch before school. Viewers thought it was an extreme reaction to a forgetful little one, which in turn raised suspicions that the mother might be starving her children.
Then, in the summer of 2020, Chad revealed that his mom kicked him out of his bedroom after he pranked his little brother. He had to sleep on the beanbag, which people thought was quite cruel.
Viewers started scrubbing through more videos and found a concerning pattern in Ruby’s parenting–
- She took away Russell’s dinner because he was play-fighting with Chad.
- She ruined Christmas to teach her children “moral values” on “selfishness” and “egregious choices.”
- She withholds breakfast from the kids until they finish their chores.
- She denies them any personal space, even though the older kids are 18+.
A group of concerned subscribers filed a petition on Change.org for child protective services to step in. The petition was signed by over 17000 people.
In September 2022, Shari withdrew from her family, citing that she did not vouch for the extreme beliefs of ConneXions Classroom. Even Chad has reportedly moved out.
Why Did Ruby Franke Get Arrested?
In a Thursday press release, the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department revealed that they received a call about a juvenile in distress.
The following account is reported from the arrest documents obtained by Salt Lake City station Fox 13–
- An “emaciated” child was seen climbing out of a window.
- He then ran towards the neighbor’s house to ask for a sip of water urgently.
- The neighbor immediately noticed “open wounds” and duct tape wrapped “around the extremities” on the child.
- The neighbor alerted the authorities.
- Due to the severity of his condition, the child was promptly taken to Saint George Regional Hospital. Per the cops, the child was taken to the ER “due to deep lacerations from being tied up with rope.”
- Upon further inspection of the house from which the child climbed out, they found another child “in the similar physical condition of malnourishment.”
- Four minors were rescued and taken into care by the Department of Child and Family Services.
The house belonged to Ruby’s manager, Jodi Hildebrandt. Both were arrested on the charges of child abuse. On Thursday, the judge agreed on the detective’s request to deny bail to the perpetrators on the grounds of “the severity of the injuries of her two kids located in the home.”
Ruby’s sister posted a statement on Instagram–
Meanwhile, the kids’ father, Kevin Franke, is ensuring that his children are safe. His attorney, Randy S. Kester, said the “urgent focus is simply to keep his children together under his fatherly care.”
[Some reports suggest that Kevin was arrested as well, although it isn’t confirmed yet.]
What is your verdict on this case? Were you expecting this scenario from Ruby’s past behavior?
Do you think Ruby is a victim of brainwashing by a cult, or is she an evil mom? Let us know in the comments section below.
