Ruby Franke and her YouTube channel, “8 Passengers,” which launched in 2015, was as soon as a preferred account, documenting her seemingly good life along with her husband and 6 kids in Springville, Utah. The channel rapidly gained over 2 million followers. Nevertheless, in August 2023, Ruby was arrested for baby abuse alongside her associate, Jodi Hildebrandt, and the channel’s content material not mirrored the robust Mormon household picture she had labored to create.
The true-life story has been tailored by Hulu right into a docuseries that launched on February 27. It options uncooked footage obtained from the previous YouTuber, together with accounts from her husband, two of her kids, and extra.
To be taught extra about her husband, their present relationship standing, and different particulars, preserve studying under.
Who Is Ruby Franke’s Husband?
Ruby’s estranged husband is Kevin Franke. The couple married in 2000.
When the household vlog began in 2015, it featured Kevin, an assistant engineering professor at Brigham Younger College in Utah on the time, Ruby, a stay-at-home mother, and their six kids, in response to The Washington Publish. It’s unclear what Kevin is doing now.
Are Ruby Franke & Her Husband Divorced?
Ruby and Kevin are nonetheless married, although Kevin filed for divorce in 2023. In an interview with PEOPLE printed on February 26, 2025, he talked about that they had been “attempting to succeed in a settlement” and described the method as “a protracted one, properly over a yr,” however famous that they had been “shut” to finalizing it.
When Ruby was arrested, Kevin knowledgeable police that that they had been separated, and he had agreed to not contact her or the kids in her care, in response to court docket paperwork. In an interview earlier than the documentary’s premiere, he shared with PEOPLE that Jodi had used “indoctrination, coercion, and gaslighting” to control him into believing he was the problem within the household, main him to maneuver out.
Kevin was not arrested or charged with any crimes.
Who Has Custody of Ruby Franke’s Kids?
Following Ruby’s August 2023 arrest, 4 of her six kids had been positioned into custody underneath baby protecting companies, in response to PEOPLE. Kevin has been preventing for full custody of the kids in juvenile court docket, however as of April 2024, they had been nonetheless in state care.
“He simply needs to do what’s finest for his children, get them again, have them underneath his care, and defend them,” Kevin’s legal professional, Randy Kester, stated in a press release on the time.
The eldest, Shari and Chad, now 21 and 20 years previous respectively, live their very own lives and hope to realize a way of company in how they select to share (or not share) their experiences with others. Kevin additionally informed the outlet in February 2025 that he has began a household custom of getting the 2 over for Sunday dinners.
The place Is Ruby Franke Now?
Ruby is at present incarcerated on the Utah State Correctional Facility.
In February 2024, Ruby was sentenced to 4 separate jail phrases starting from 1 to fifteen years, to be served consecutively, in response to reviews from TODAY, KSL 5, and KUTV. Nevertheless, as a consequence of Utah regulation on consecutive sentences, she’s going to serve not more than 30 years, as reported by Enterprise Insider on the time.
In her 2025 memoir The Home of My Mom: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom, Shari wrote that she heard her mom, Ruby, is working towards a level whereas in jail.
In the event you or somebody you realize is experiencing home violence, please name the Nationwide Home Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential assist.
