Where All of Ruby Franke’s Kids Are Now After Claiming Their Mom ‘Ruined’ Their Childhood
The story of mommy vlogger Ruby Franke, who became a YouTube sensation due to her ‘8 Passengers’ channel, is set to be depicted in the Hulu show Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke. Franke became famous for her videos chronicling the life of her family of eight in Utah. The vlogger also shared parenting advice with her audience, which at one point was over 2.5 million.
But Franke’s strict parenting style soon came under scrutiny, particularly after Franke discussed on-camera punishments like restricting her children’s access to food and to a bed. Later, Franke joined forces with controversial family therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, rebranding herself alongside Jodi as “Moms of Truth,” and separating from her husband Kevin.
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It wasn’t until 2023, however, that things finally came to a head, with Franke being arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse after two of her kids were found to be malnourished and sporting open wounds. Franke has since pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 4 to 60 years in prison for her crimes.
For her children, Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve, life has continued after their mother’s sentencing. But where are Ruby Franke’s kids now? What has happened to them since they stopped being featured on her YouTube videos and returned to a more or less normal life?
Where are Ruby Franke’s kids now?
In 2015, when Ruby Franke and her former husband Kevin started their YouTube channel, they had six children: Daughters Shari, Abby, Julie, and Eve and sons Chad and Russell, whose ages ranged from 1 (Eve) to 11 years old (Shari). And though at first, they grew a steady following, by 2020, comments on their strict parenting style led to Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services visiting the Franke home and interviewing the children individually. This case was dropped due to lack of evidence.
However, after Franke became partners with Jodi Hildebrant, things escalated. The mommy vlogger moved to Hildebrant’s house, and it was there that her two youngest children were subjected to the treatment that would later see her end up behind bars. The day after Franke’s arrest in 2023 her oldest daughter, Shari, who was 20 at the time, had some strong words for her mother. “Today has been a big day,” Shari wrote on Instagram. “Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.”
It’s Shari who has been the most outspoken about her family’s ordeal. In October 2024 she harshly criticized the Lifetime movie about her family, calling it “trash” and asking people to please “not support” it. In the same month, she also addressed Utah lawmakers asking them to pass legislation to reform the family vlogging industry and protect child influencers, saying that “family vlogging ruined my innocence” and childhood, and adding that there was “no such thing as a moral or ethical family vlogger.”
Shari also went on to write a book about her experience, titled, The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom, which was released earlier this year. In a December 2024 Instagram post, alongside news of her engagement, she wrote, “For me, this is the end of me sharing my private life… I’m not going to talk about my wedding, future husband, or future kids. I’ll continue to advocate for kids who didn’t have a voice (so you’ll still be seeing me, don’t worry) but this is closure for me. I’m moving on with my life, and that’s true freedom and joy ❤️.”
Meanwhile, Chad, the second oldest Franke child, is active on Instagram, posting frequently about his hobbies and travels. In July 2024, the 19-year-old shared that he’d started real estate school. Both Shari and Chad, alongside their father Kevin, are set to appear in Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke.
The four youngest siblings—all underage—have remained out of the spotlight since their days appearing on their family’s vlog. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, they were all taken into custody by the Division of Child and Family Services, with their father Kevin filing for custody of them. “[Kevin] is making an effort to rebuild and bridge these relationships rather than sling mud and point fingers,” his attorney told Today in September 2023.
