Ruby Franke's estranged husband speaks out about dangers of social media
The estranged husband of Ruby Franke -- a mom who rose to fame on YouTube and later pleaded guilty to child abuse -- is now speaking out to warn other families about the dangers of social media.
Kevin Franke -- who shares six children with Ruby Franke, whom he filed for divorce from in 2023 -- spoke to ABC News' Eva Pilgrim in an exclusive interview, his first since Ruby Franke was sentenced in February 2024 to four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated child abuse of two of her children.
"I want people to know that there is real danger when you place yourself or your family or children out onto public social media," Kevin Franke told Pilgrim in an interview alongside his eldest son, Chad.
"There are real consequences associated with that, and I want people to know that, to be just careful with who they choose to follow, with who they choose to put on a pedestal and to put their faith and to put their trust in,” he continued. “Because if you put your trust in the wrong person, it can have massive consequences in your life."
Ruby Franke became known in the public eye by sharing her family on YouTube and offering parenting advice, some of it controversial.
Chad told Pilgrim that while he has "very fond memories" of his early years, things started to change at home as the family's social media presence grew.
When asked by Pilgrim at what point he saw his family dynamic change, Chad replied, "I think once companies started coming to us offering big money for scripts."
"It was a chaotic, chaotic experience," Chad continued, describing his family life. "So lots of yelling, lots of snapping and lots of time outs in the corner."
Both Chad and Kevin Franke also told Pilgrim the family dynamic changed further when Jodi Hildebrandt, a therapist and life coach who would go onto become Ruby Franke's business partner, began to work with their family.
"She came across as somebody who was firm and very authoritative, and so we thought, this is the perfect fit," Kevin Franke said. "What became surprising to me was when the focus gradually shifted away from just solely on our children to us as a couple."
Describing his own impression of Hildebrandt, Chad said, "Looking back, I treated her as a god, and I trusted her so much."
At one point, Kevin Franke says Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke insisted he move out of the family home and cut off contact with his family to work on what they described as his "addiction to selfishness."
"The bottom line is that I was choosing to trust a licensed professional mental health counselor and my wife, and they gave some terrible counsel," he said of his decision to follow the advice to leave his family. "And I have regrets and I wish that I hadn't done those things."
Both Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in Utah in August 2023 after Ruby Franke and Kevin Franke's 12-year-old son escaped through the window of Hildebrandt's home and ran to a neighbor's house, pleading for food and water. Authorities said they also found Ruby Franke's 10-year-old malnourished daughter inside the home and said they believed the mother-of-six "had knowledge of [the] malnourishment, abuse and neglect."
At the time of her arrest, Ruby Franke and Kevin Franke had been separated and living in separate homes for one year, Kevin Franke's attorney told ABC News at the time. In November 2023, Kevin Franke filed a petition for divorce in Utah.
One month later, in December 2023, Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt, the founder of Connexions Classroom, both pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse in Washington County 5th District Court in Utah. Hildebrandt was sentenced to the same four consecutive terms of one to 15 years following Franke.
In their plea agreements, Franke and Hildebrandt admitted to inflicting or allowing another adult to inflict serious physical injuries upon Franke's two youngest children between May and August 2023.
Two other charges were dismissed against Franke, according to the Washington County Attorney's Office. She agreed to serve consecutive sentences as part of her plea agreement.
"Ruby Franke wants to take responsibility for the harm she has caused to her children and to her entire family. She knows that by pleading guilty and accepting the punishment, she is taking a step in the right direction to be accountable for her actions," Ruby Franke's attorneys said in a statement to ABC News at the time of her guilty plea.
Ruby Franke's journey from having a YouTube following of millions to serving prison time is explored in a new Hulu series "Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke." The series, debuting on Feb. 27, is the first time Kevin Franke and his son Chad are speaking out to share their own story.
"Everything that Chad and Kevin remembered about this crazy story was meticulously documented," the series' director, Olly Lambert, told Pilgrim. "It was like having camera crews inside the house over a decade."
The series also features Kevin Franke and Ruby Franke's eldest daughter, Shari Franke, who alleged in an interview with Pilgrim in January that she was abused by her mother throughout her childhood.
Shari Franke, whose memoir, "The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom," was published in January, also claimed that she was cut off from the family when she left for college.
Kevin Franke told Pilgrim he hopes people watch the series to learn more about what the family experienced as their lives were played out on social media and in the press.
"I think what you'll see is something very, very different than what you thought you knew," he said.
Over one year after Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt were sentenced to prison, Kevin Franke and Chad said their family dynamic is much different today.
"It feels a lot more free," Chad said.
"It's wonderful to be surrounded by my children. There's laughter again. We have a lot of new furry friends," Kevin Franke added. "It is a zoo, and it's funny because like, they chew up all the floorboards and everything, and I'm just thinking, if Ruby was here, she'd be furious. But Ruby's not, and I don't care, and I'm happy."
While he said he still loves the mother of his children, Kevin Franke said he does not foresee a future where Ruby Franke is part of their family again.
"I don't think I'll ever stop loving her. Does that mean that I want to let her back into my life? Let her back into my kids' lives? Absolutely not," he said.
ABC News reached out to both Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt for comment.
Hildebrandt did not respond. Ruby Franke said in a statement that she, "does not want to cause any distress to the Franke children and wants them to know they are loved and her priority."
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of Hulu and ABC News.
