Ruby Franke’s son Chad shares last conversation he had with disgraced influencer

Chad Franke revealed the last time he had a conversation with his imprisoned mother.

In 2023 family vlogger Ruby Franke was arrested for child abuse alongside her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, after one of Franke's 'emaciated' children was able to alert authorities to their situation.

She later pleaded guilty to four counts of felony aggravated child abuse and sentenced between four and 30 years behind bars in February 2024.

Following Franke's sentencing, the 44-year-old's eldest children - Shari and Chad Franke - have both spoken out about life with their mother, while numerous documentaries have been made of the case.

Chad recently opened up on what his relationship with Franke looks like now, revealing his final interactions with her during a new interview on The Squeeze podcast.

Ruby Franke was jailed over child abuse (Instagram)

During the episode Taylor Lautner asked Chad if he could remember the last time he spoke to his mother, leading the 21-year-old to reveal that he'd had multiple phone conversations and letters with her after the arrest.

"A week later [after the arrest] I get a call from her," Chad explained. "I was with my older sister, she started the tape recorder and I just got on."

Chad went on to explain that Franke was 'spiritual' and still 'in the mindset of what I did was right' during the first call. "It was kind of like an argument back and forth," he said.

He went on to reveal that he called her again while crying before admitting 'everything that I did was wrong'.

"At the very end of the call she did say 'I love you, I gotta go' and I did say 'I love you' back," he added.

"Hearing her vulnerable like that, I hadn't heard that from her ever, in years... That phone call, knowing my mom, was a genuine phone call.

"That was the last time I've spoken to her."

Chad Franke revealed his last conversation during an interview with Taylor Lautner and his partner, Taylor Lautner (YouTube/The Squeeze)

Chad also revealed that Franke has since written 'four or five' letters to him since the final phone call, which he notes are still 'very spiritual'.

He also clarified on where he stands when it comes to forgiving his mother, saying: "I do forgive her in a sense... I want her to be a better person... I want her to be safe with people and trust people so people can trust her too."

However the realtor did note that he can't just 'forget' about her actions.

"Seeing her actions, I can't just forget about that, forgive and have a full relationship with her again," he added.

"I feel like I'm on the fence of loving them and forgiving them but not having a relationship with them."

Full timeline of the Ruby Franke case

2015-2023: Starting a YouTube channel and initial suspicions

Franke started her parenting YouTube channel '8 Passengers' with now ex-husband Kevin, amassing over 2.5 million subscribers before it was deleted in 2023 following the arrest.

Several subscribers became suspicious of child abuse, with a petition being signed for the police to investigate the family, citing the numerous questionable videos uploaded.

2022: Franke joins ConneXions with Jodi Hildebrandt

Franke stopped uploading videos to the channel in 2022, joining Mormon therapist Hildebrandt's ConneXions podcast.

Their divisive opinions on subjects such as eating disorders, blaming rape victims and criticising immigrants drew the wrong kind of attention.

2023: The arrest

Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on child abuse charges in August 2023.

The Santa Clara Public Safety Department were called to the Ivins neighbourhood in Utah after a neighbour was alerted by Franke's 'emaciated' 12-year-old son, who escaped to knock on their door to ask for help.

He had visible marks and wounds from duct tape put around his ankles, and asked for some food and water.

Police found his 10-year-old sister in a 'similar physical condition of malnourishment' in Hildebrandt's house.

Family members speak out

Franke's oldest daughter, Shari, wrote on Instagram on the day of the arrests: “Today has been a big day."

She continued: "Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up."

In November, Kevin also officially filed for divorce from Franke, and called her actions to their children 'horrific and inhumane'.

Franke and Hildebrandt are charged with six counts of child abuse

Just one week after their arrests, the pair were charged with six counts of felony child abuse.

YouTube banned Franke, deleting both 8 Passengers and ConneXions channels and blocking her from the social media platform.

Franke blames the abuse on Hildebrandt

Her attorneys released a statement that said: “Initially, Ms. Franke believed that Jodi Hildebrandt had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement. Ms. Hildebrandt took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous," according to Fox13.

It blamed Hildebrandt solely for isolating Franke from her family completely, distorting her morality.

Franke pleads guilty

Just three days after the statement was released, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. A court had heard how she had tried to convince her youngest children they were 'evil and possessed'.

2024: Franke and Hildebrandt are sentenced to prison for child abuse

On 20 February 2024, Franke and Hildebrandt were convicted and given four separate prison sentences for one to 15 years, with the length of each sentence decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.

During sentencing Franke apologised to her children and said she would 'never stop crying for hurting their tender souls'.

The two women will not serve more than 30 years in a Federal Penitentiary because of a Utah law about consecutive sentences.

2025: The release of a Netflix documentary

In December 2025, Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story was released on Netflix which outlined the heinous crimes of both Hildebrandt and Franke, including an insight into how the two met and began collaborating with one another.

2026: Franke's son Chad speaks out on social media

In early 2026, Chad, now aged 20, began posting on TikTok and revealed disturbing diary entries he wrote in the months leading up to his mum's arrest.

Franke's daughters urge lawmakers to pass child welfare bill

In March 2026, Eve and Shari Franke urged Utah lawmakers to pass a child welfare bill that failed in the Utah House.

The Senate Bill 124, also known as the 'Gavin Peterson Bill', would have allowed the Utah Division of Child and Family Services to seek a court warrant to physically see a child when there are safety concerns. While it was passed in the Senate, it was voted down on the House floor.

“Kids are dying and being traumatized left and right because, well I don’t know why, and that’s the problem, I see no reason with real logic behind it as to why this law shouldn’t be in place," Eve said in a statement, while her sister added: "I am deeply disappointed in my state legislature for failing to recognize the protection this bill could bring to children across Utah."