Ruby Franke, the convicted YouTube mommy blogger, has been sentenced to up to six decades in prison for aggravated child abuse. Her son, Chad, is now sharing his side of the story through a series of TikTok videos. In the first video, Chad reads from his 2023 diary entries, revealing he was "brainwashed" by his mother's behavior.
The diary entries provide insight into Chad's life during that period, including his struggles with lust and his desire to be more disciplined. He also discusses his relationship with his mother, Ruby Franke, who had a significant influence on his views on religion and parenting.
Chad has been working as a lifeguard at a local pool, where he observes people's choices and grapples with the concept of lust. He acknowledges that it will take practice to overcome his lifetime of feedinglust and wants to grow into a hardworking and principled man.
The family's YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, gained over 2 million followers in 2015, but its popularity began to fall after Chad mentioned being forced to sleep on a beanbag chair as punishment. Ruby Franke then partnered with Jodi Hildebrandt, a controversial family therapist, on a podcast and joint Instagram account.
In 2023, Utah authorities arrested both Franke and Hildebrandt on charges of abusing their two youngest children. The pair pleaded guilty to child abuse in December 2023 and were sentenced to four consecutive terms between a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison in February 2024.
Chad's diary entries offer a unique perspective on his family dynamics and the events leading up to his mother's arrest. They also provide insight into Chad's personal growth and his desire to overcome his past experiences.
The diary entries provide insight into Chad's life during that period, including his struggles with lust and his desire to be more disciplined. He also discusses his relationship with his mother, Ruby Franke, who had a significant influence on his views on religion and parenting.
Chad has been working as a lifeguard at a local pool, where he observes people's choices and grapples with the concept of lust. He acknowledges that it will take practice to overcome his lifetime of feedinglust and wants to grow into a hardworking and principled man.
The family's YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, gained over 2 million followers in 2015, but its popularity began to fall after Chad mentioned being forced to sleep on a beanbag chair as punishment. Ruby Franke then partnered with Jodi Hildebrandt, a controversial family therapist, on a podcast and joint Instagram account.
In 2023, Utah authorities arrested both Franke and Hildebrandt on charges of abusing their two youngest children. The pair pleaded guilty to child abuse in December 2023 and were sentenced to four consecutive terms between a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison in February 2024.
Chad's diary entries offer a unique perspective on his family dynamics and the events leading up to his mother's arrest. They also provide insight into Chad's personal growth and his desire to overcome his past experiences.
six decades in prison is way too harsh, I feel so bad for Ruby Franke's kids 
they've been through so much trauma 
Chad's diary entries are super revealing, it's crazy how she manipulated him like that 
my heart goes out to the young lifeguard trying to figure out his own lust and desire issues 
at least he's taking steps to grow and be a better person 
this just breaks my heart. i keep thinking about all the young parents out there who are watching these videos, trying to make sense of what they're seeing. like how do you even know if your own mom is doing right by you? or is she just brainwashed too? 
chad's story is a wild ride, but it's also super sad that his whole childhood was tainted by abuse. i hope he finds some peace and healing soon. maybe his tiktok videos will help others who are struggling to find their own way out of the darkness 
chad's tiktok vids are giving me all the feels he's been through so much and it's just heartbreaking to see him struggle with his own lust and desire for discipline 
i'm so proud of him tho for wanting to grow and become a better person, that takes a lot of courage 
u gotta feel bad for him though, living under the shadow of his mom's crimes for as long as he did 
She was basically grooming her own son to be some kinda servant or something! It's so messed up that she manipulated him into believing those toxic views. And now Chad is trying to recover from all the emotional damage... I hope he gets the help and support he needs 
Those diary entries are giving me major chills, though - it's like we're reading about a real-life horror story 
. I mean, we've all seen those YouTube vloggers who just seem too perfect, right? But in reality, their kids are probably going through hell 
. Chad's diary entries are like a glimpse into the dark side of some people's lives and it's not pretty. Six decades is a looong time to be locked up 
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. It's crazy to think that she's been influencing his views on religion and parenting for so long 
. #JusticeForChad #ChildAbuseAwareness #SupportChad
. But it's amazing that he's taking steps to heal and grow into the person he wants to be - that takes so much courage and self-awareness 
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. It's crazy how he was basically brainwashed by her behavior... like, you can't even make this stuff up 
. The part about him struggling with lust is pretty relatable, tbh 
. I'm glad he's trying to turn his life around and become a better person 
... like, how did he even survive growing up in that environment? 
... it's amazing how far he's come just by sharing his story 
. I think it's really brave of him to confront all this head-on and try to grow from it 
... hopefully, Chad will be okay and continue to rise above everything that happened to him 
. Now it turns out they were manipulating each other like puppets on strings 
... It's crazy to think about how far Chad has come by sharing his story on TikTok 
. I mean, he's basically saying that his whole childhood was a lie 
. It's wild to see how Ruby Franke's behavior affected him and the rest of their kids. The fact that she brainwashed him with all those weird religious teachings is just disturbing 
He's been through so much trauma and abuse at the hands of his mom 
️. It's amazing that he's finding his voice and sharing his story on TikTok 
. I'm really proud of him for taking control of his life and wanting to grow into a better person 
. It's never too late to change and grow into a better person 
. I'm just glad that justice has been served and Ruby Franke is getting the punishment she deserves 
. But I hope Chad can heal from his past experiences and find happiness in life 
