Ruby Franke and kids Courtesy of Ruby Franke/Instagram
Ruby Franke’s 11-year-old daughter is speaking out about the negative impact her mother’s vlogging had on her life.
Kevin Franke, Ruby’s ex-husband, appeared at a hearing for the House Business, Labor and Commerce Committee in Utah on Tuesday, February 18, where he read a statement on behalf of his 11-year-old daughter, per The Salt Lake Tribune. (Kevin and Ruby share kids Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve.)
“I thought nothing was wrong,” the 11-year-old’s statement read. “I felt ‘happy,’ but I really wasn’t. When I started getting older, I realized the YouTube channel had ruined my childhood. But at least I got some money, right? Oh, right, I actually didn’t, because my mom withdrew all of it in 2023. I worked hard for that money. I acted like someone I wasn’t in front of the camera, and I earned that money. But I feel like my mom used me for money.”
Her statement continued, “You all might be saying right now that my dad told me to say these things, and is using me, but that is not true. If anyone is using their kids, it’s the YouTubers filming them for money.”
Moms of Truth/Instagram After YouTuber Ruby Franke formed a friendship with Jodi Hildebrandt, the duo were arrested for child abuse — but where do they stand now? Hildebrandt, who was the focus of a February 2025 episode of Investigation Discovery’s The Curious Case series, got her start as a Utah-based therapist. She later founded ConneXions, […]
Kevin was at the committee meeting in support of a state bill that would financially protect child influencers and the earnings they make via their parents’ content. The bill would require online creators earning more than $150,000 annually from content featuring children to set aside a portion of the earnings into a trust the children can access when they turn 18.
Ruby Franke Courtesy of Ruby Franke/Instagram
“I know I am stuck with the trauma of YouTube,” the child’s statement continued. “Even now, I can barely make friends, because my whole life I was the center of attention. But now, without even realizing it, I seek attention from others, or I feel like they don’t like me. Then those people think I’m mean.”
She added that she hoped the bill would keep “the children of Utah more safe,” adding that she knows “more than anything” about “the horrible situation that a lot of kids are in right now.”
Kevin also read a statement from his 16-year-old daughter, who noted that “as kids, you don’t realize what you’re subjected to” when discussing being front and center on her mother’s YouTube channel.
Lifetime is making a made-for-TV movie about Ruby Franke after she was convicted of child abuse, though it is allegedly unauthorized. “A note about the Lifetime movie coming out about my family: I saw the trailer suddenly in class and had an anxiety attack,” the 42-year-old’s eldest daughter, Shari, wrote via Instagram Story on Friday, […]
Ruby was convicted of child abuse and sentenced to four consecutive prison terms in February 2024, which range from one to 15 years each.
“You’re selling your life, your privacy, your body and stories to the entire world,” the 16-year-old’s statement continued. “And as a child, you’re involuntarily giving up all of that. You’re selling your childhood. Though there is no amount of money that can make up for that loss, the least that can be done now is making sure the child is getting paid for her work and has the right to remove it and walk away if she wants to.”
