Parenting influencer Ruby Franke's daughter speaks out after mum is sentenced for child abuse
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Parenting influencer Ruby Franke's daughter, Shari, has spoken out after her mum received a sentenced for child abuse.
It's been nearly a year now since the former parenting YouTuber was given four consecutive one to 15-year sentences for second-degree aggravated child abuse.
Ruby, a devout Mormon, admitted in a plea agreement to abusing her two youngest children, telling them they were 'evil and possessed'.
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She also admitted to denying them food and water, handcuffing her son’s wrists and ankles, and holding his head underwater.
In February of 2024, both Ruby and a therapist she worked closely with, Jodi Hildebrandt, who advocated for strict parental discipline, received four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in prison.
Shari, who is the eldest of Ruby's six children, has since written a memoir about her experiences at home titled The House of My Mother, A Daughter's Quest for Freedom.
Speaking in an interview promoting the book which aired on Good Morning America today (7 January), Shari shared: "Sometimes I'll, see myself in the mirror and I'm like, 'Oh, my gosh, I look like her,' or 'I sound like her,' but I don't wanna be anything like her."
Shari continued to open up about her childhood, recalling: "When I was younger, around, like, five-six, Ruby was really physical.
"Whether it was like a slap to the lip or - a slap to the cheek… when I would practice the piano, her hand would slam and it was really scary."
"I certainly got weird vibes from Jodi and Ruby," she said, claiming that her mum was 'secretive' about the relationship with Hildebrandt.
"I don't think it's normal at all that a therapist would move in to your client's home... I was moving out to college, I hadn't even left the house yet, and she is in my room and in my bed," Shari revealed.
When asked if she reckoned her mum and Hildebrandt were more than friends, Shari answered: "I'm not sure."
She added that her mum cannot 'fully comprehend the guilt' of what she pleaded guilty to, continuing: "I think that she's as sorry as she can be.
"What she has done is so bad that I don't think her mind allows her to kind of fully comprehend the guilt of all that. And so I think that she probably genuinely believed everything she said. I don't believe it though."
Ruby previously teared up while reading a statement in court before she was charged, saying: "For the past four years, I've chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion. My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me."
"I was led to believe that this world was an evil place filled with cops who control, hospitals that injure, government agencies that brainwash, church leaders who lie and lust, husbands who refuse to protect and children who need abuse," she continued.
"Jodi Hildebrandt was never my business partner, nor was I ever employed by her. I have never received wages from her or connections. Jodi was employed as my son's counsellor, in 2019 and in 2020, I paid her to be my mentor.
"It is important to me to demonstrate my remorse and regret without blame. I take full accountability for my choices, and it is my preference that I serve a prison sentence."
Opening up about her issues with forgiving her mum, Shari explained: "Forgiveness is something I've had to study a lot and kind of think about what it means.
"But for me, forgiveness would look like not letting that consume every moment of my life and all of my thoughts. I am just trying to move on with my life and trust that things are gonna work out the way they're supposed to."
And, when asked if there was anything she would say to her mum, Shari replied: "Probably tell her I'm happy without you.
"I was scared of her for so long, and I am here without her approval, and I am just fine."
Full timeline of the Ruby Franke case:
Starting a YouTube channel and initial suspicions
Franke started her parenting YouTube channel '8 Passengers' with now ex-husband Kevin, amassing over 2.5 million subscribers before it was deleted in 2023 following the arrest.
Several subscribers became suspicious of child abuse, with a petition being signed for the police to investigate the family, citing the numerous questionable videos uploaded.
Franke joins ConneXions with Jodi Hildebrandt
The mum told critics in a 2021 interview for The Wrap that she was showing everyone 'what a responsible mother looks like'.
She stopped uploading videos to the channel in 2022, joining Mormon therapist Hildebrandt's ConneXions podcast.
Their divisive opinions on subjects such as eating disorders, blaming rape victims and criticising immigrants drew the wrong kind of attention.
The arrest
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on child abuse charges in August 2023.
The Santa Clara Public Safety Department were called to the Ivins neighbourhood in Utah after a neighbour was alerted by Franke's 'emaciated' 12-year-old son, who escaped to knock on their door to ask for help.
He had visible marks and wounds from duct tape put around his ankles, and asked for some food and water.
Police found his 10-year-old sister in a 'similar physical condition of malnourishment' in Hildebrandt's house.
Family members speak out
Franke's oldest daughter, Shari, wrote on Instagram on the day of the arrests: "Today has been a big day."
She continued: "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."
In November, Kevin also officially filed for divorce from Franke, and called her actions to their children 'horrific and inhumane'.
Franke and Hildebrandt are charged with six counts of child abuse
Just one week after their arrests, the pair were charged with six counts of felony child abuse.
YouTube banned Franke, deleting both 8 Passengers and ConneXions channels and blocking her from the social media platform.
Franke blames the abuse on Hildebrandt
Her attorneys released a statement that said: “Initially, Ms. Franke believed that Jodi Hildebrandt had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement. Ms. Hildebrandt took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous," according to Fox13.
It blamed Hildebrandt solely for isolating Franke from her family completely, distorting her morality.
Franke pleads guilty
Just three days after the statement was released, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. A court had heard how she had tried to convince her youngest children they were 'evil and possessed'.
Franke and Hildebrandt are sentenced to prison for child abuse
On 20 February 2024, Franke and Hildebrandt were convicted and given four separate prison sentences for one to 15 years, with the length of each sentence decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
During sentencing Franke apologised to her children and said she would 'never stop crying for hurting their tender souls'.
She said: "My willingness to sacrifice all for you was masterfully manipulated into something very ugly.
"I took from you all that was soft and safe and good."
The two women will not serve more than 30 years in a Federal Penitentiary because of a Utah law about consecutive sentences.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: Parenting, Celebrity, Crime, US News, Mental Health
Rhiannon Ingle