Shari Franke: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom from "8 Passengers"
The story of Shari Franke is one of resilience and the pursuit of freedom amidst a tumultuous upbringing marked by family vlogging, alleged abuse, and a mother's descent into extremism. As the eldest daughter of Ruby Franke, the former family vlogger behind the now-defunct YouTube channel "8 Passengers," Shari's life was thrust into the public eye from a young age. This article explores Shari Franke's journey, from her experiences growing up on camera to her advocacy for change and her efforts to heal and rebuild her life.
The "8 Passengers" Era: Growing Up on Camera
Ruby Franke started the "8 Passengers" YouTube channel in 2015, documenting her life as a stay-at-home mom to six children, including Shari, and her husband Kevin. The channel quickly gained popularity, attracting millions of subscribers and securing brand deals. However, behind the seemingly idyllic family life portrayed online, Shari and her siblings faced a reality marked by controversial parenting practices and, as alleged, abuse.
Shari Franke has described her mother directing her children for the cameras “like a Hollywood producer,” saying, “Do this, do that, Shari - we’re filming!” and “Smile, Shari! Say good morning.” When the channel reached nearly one million subscribers, Ruby Franke insisted on waxing her daughter's eyebrows for a video - then removed half of her left brow. Shari writes that the result “made me look like I was perpetually shocked by my own reflection.” Shari Franke writes that her mother could not contain her “glee at striking content gold.” The video, captioned “SHARI, I’M SO SORRY!!” was posted on the family channel, getting hundreds of thousands of views, writes Shari Franke.
Shari Franke was once a YouTube influencer Ruby Franke wasn’t the only vlogger in the family - when Shari Franke was 14, she started her own YouTube channel (now taken down), with Ruby Franke managing the related income. “And like my mom, I exploited my own siblings, doing shaving videos with my sisters and talking about periods, because I knew it would get views,” Shari Franke writes in her book. “The guilt eats at me now, but back then, I was just following the blueprint Ruby had laid out: This is what people like; this is what makes money. The personal stuff.”
The constant surveillance and pressure to perform for the cameras took a toll on Shari. As she writes in her memoir, “But for me, a 12-year-old girl, this constant surveillance was excruciating. All I wanted was to grow up in peace, deal with my bodily changes and these pesky new zits, without it being recorded.”
Read also: Best Hair Salons near Rice University
Allegations of Abuse and the Involvement of Jodi Hildebrandt
In August 2023, Ruby Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested and charged with multiple counts of felony aggravated child abuse. The arrest followed an incident in which Franke's 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt's home and sought help from a neighbor, appearing "emaciated" and "malnourished" with visible injuries.
Shari Franke's memoir, "The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom," sheds light on the alleged abuse she and her siblings endured. She writes about instances of physical discipline, such as slaps during piano practice, and the shift towards more psychological manipulation with the arrival of Jodi Hildebrandt.
According to Shari Franke's book, Jodi Hildebrandt entered their lives at a delicate time: Ruby and Kevin Franke were desperate to tame the behavior of their teenage son, and a family friend recommended Hildebrandt, a licensed mental health counselor who ran a life-coaching program called ConneXions. Hildebrandt made her question whether she was a good person, encouraged self-deprecating thoughts and made her keep a journal of her shortcomings, according to Shari Franke's memoir.
Shari Franke describes Hildebrandt's presence as an “occupation,” writing, “Night after night, she’d fall into these mysterious trances.” Eventually, writes Shari Franke, her mother moved into the same bedroom as Hildebrandt . In the summer of 2022, Shari Franke writes, her father announced that he was leaving the family home at the suggestion of Ruby Franke.
Shari Franke writes about how she became close with an older man high up in her church, known only as “Derek” in the memoir, helping him with social media strategy for his company. She began to see him as a friend and a father figure, the only person who supported her, listened and sympathized with her pain. On her first night as a student at Brigham Young University, he sexually assaulted her for the first time, she says. This pattern continued during her time at BYU, with Derek saying he was “training” her for marriage, she writes. He bought her gifts, co-signed on her apartment, and texted her frequently. When she eventually cut off contact from him and told her bishop what happened, her "temple recommend" - a document that certifies “you’re worthy to enter and participate in temple ceremonies” - was revoked for a month. Derek faced no punishment, she writes. She says Ruby’s emotional abuse primed her for Derek’s: “Ruby had implanted in me very effective mechanisms for intense guilt, shame, and self-loathing. The situation with Derek was the first real-world instance where I faced the repercussions of this conditioning.”
Read also: US Education System Performance
Shari Franke called child protective services Shari Franke writes in her memoir that her mother "disowned" her a year before her arrest in August 2023. She also wrote that after Kevin Franke moved out of the family home, he told her that she was no longer allowed to speak to him or her teen brother. Shari Franke writes that her father would avoid her at Brigham Young University, where she attends college and where he was a professor. Shari writes in her book that she called Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services for a welfare check on her siblings when she heard that Ruby Franke had left her younger children home alone for five days. According to Shari Franke, police visited the home and determined that the children “were there and apparently everyone was fine.” Shari Franke says she called DCFS again when a neighbor told her that Ruby Franke had pulled her children from school. After an investigation, writes Shari Franke, DCFS determined there was no evidence of physical abuse.
Ruby Franke's Legal Consequences and Shari's Reaction
In December 2023, Ruby Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. She admitted to forcing her son to work outdoors for weeks without adequate protection, resulting in severe sunburns, and to claiming that her children were possessed. In February 2024, Franke was sentenced to four consecutive sentences of between one and fifteen years' imprisonment. Jodi Hildebrandt also pleaded guilty to four counts of felony aggravated child abuse and received a similar sentence.
Shari Franke attended her mother's sentencing hearing. Shari Franke compares her mother’s courtroom statement, during which she called law enforcement “angels” who “saved” her children, to an awards show speech. Shari Franke writes that she felt Ruby’s tearful statement about her kids - “my babies, my six little chicks” - was hollow. Shari Franke writes that she forgave her father Kevin, adding in her book, “I would never forget the pain he had caused, ignored, and enabled. He had not been absolved. But I had chosen to release the burden of resentment I held against him. In extending a hand of compassion and understanding, I was granting myself the freedom to heal.”
Speaking Out and Advocating for Change
In the aftermath of her mother's arrest and sentencing, Shari Franke has become an advocate for change, particularly concerning the exploitation of children in family vlogging. In October, Shari Franke addressed lawmakers in Utah about what she described at the time as the "dangers" of parents monetizing their children online. "When children become stars in their family’s online content, they become child influencers," she said in testimony during a Utah Senate committee hearing. "It is more than just filming your family life and putting it online."
Shari Franke has spoken about being a “victim of family vlogging,” telling Utah lawmakers in a testimony that “there is no such thing as a moral or ethical family vlogger.”
Read also: Waterville's Colby College
"The House of My Mother": Telling Her Story
Shari Franke's memoir, "The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom," offers a personal account of her experiences growing up in the "8 Passengers" family and the alleged abuse she endured. In the book, Shari details her relationship with her mother, the impact of Jodi Hildebrandt's presence in their lives, and her journey towards healing and self-discovery.
"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 Franke told Eva Pilgrim in an interview about her book that aired Tuesday on "Good Morning America." In the book, Shari Franke, who says she was cut off from the family when she left for college, details alleged abuse she says her mother inflicted throughout her childhood.
The memoir also explores the dynamics within the Franke family, including Shari's relationship with her father, Kevin, and her siblings. Shari writes that she forgave her father Kevin, adding in her book, “I would never forget the pain he had caused, ignored, and enabled. He had not been absolved. But I had chosen to release the burden of resentment I held against him. In extending a hand of compassion and understanding, I was granting myself the freedom to heal.”
Moving Forward: Healing and Rebuilding
As she continues her healing journey, Shari Franke is focused on rebuilding her relationships with her siblings and her father. Kevin Franke told ABC News in a statement that he is "incredibly proud" of his daughter. “I am incredibly proud of Shari for the woman she has become and for her strength. She has played and will continue to play a crucial role in the healing of our family," he said. "I am grateful for her example and learn a lot from her vulnerability and courage. She has a powerful voice and will make a positive impact in this world. I love my daughter.”
When asked if there was anything she would say to Ruby Franke, Shari Franke told Pilgrim, "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."
Now engaged, Shari is still attending college at Brigham Young University in Utah and last year, she spoke to the Utah House of Representatives about the dangers of family vlogging. Shari Franke writes that she vowed to break the cycle of abuse, not only for “the child within me” but also her future children. “I will guide them, but I will also learn from them and allow their innocence and wonder to heal the wounded parts of my soul,” writes Shari Franke. “Together we will create a new story.”
