Ruby Franke's Daughter Tells All

Ruby's "strange" relationship with Jodi, plus chilling revelations about abuse

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Shari Franke, the eldest daughter of former YouTuber and convicted child abuser Ruby Franke, is on the media circuit right now to promote her new memoir, "The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom." It launched today and I can’t wait to see how it sells given the country’s morbid curiosity with the Franke abuse scandal. Shari talks about the abuse she and her siblings endured in the household and about her mother’s strange relationship with her busy partner Jody Hilldebrandt.

“Ruby tried to be secretive about it, and so I don’t know all the details,” Shari said in one of her interviews. “The vibes I was getting was that something was strange between them.”

The hardcover is currently #34 in books on Amazon which means it is doing quite well.

This book was turned around incredibly fast. The Ruby Franke scandal first broke in August of 2023. That’s a 16 month writing and publishing cycle which is absolutely insane in the publishing world. Trust me. I am constantly asking for my books to come out FASTER. The book is also available on the Book of the Month website. Again, no small publishing feat. I’m predicting it is gonna come in at number three on the nonfiction list, but I’ll also take bets on that.

Shari gave her first exclusive interview with ABC News. Excellent power PR move.

"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 the interview that aired Tuesday on "Good Morning America."

"When I was younger, around, like, five-six, Ruby was really physical," she told Pilgrim of her childhood. "Whether it was like a slap to the lip or-- a slap to the cheek…when I would practice the piano, her hand would slam and it was really scary."

Just a quick catch-up for those of you who haven’t heard the Ruby Franke story. It’s one of the biggest scandals in the mom influencer industrial complex and it brings up every issue we’ve talked about here when it comes to children, social media fame and the manipulative influence of vlogging parents. Here’s the tldr.

Ruby rose to fame as a family vlogger on YouTube with her channel "8 Passengers," which she created in 2015. The channel amassed 1 billion views by June 2020

However, Franke's controversial parenting methods, including harsh disciplinary tactics like withholding food and sending children to wilderness camps, raised concerns.

In 2022, the Frankes separated, and Ruby deleted the YouTube channel, subsequently partnering with Jodi Hildebrandt, a counselor, to launch a new venture called ConneXions

This partnership took a dark turn when, on August 30, 2023, both Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested and charged with six counts of felony aggravated child abuse

Franke pleaded guilty to four counts and was sentenced on February 20, 2024, to serve between four and thirty years in prison.

The book is eye-opening without being salacious. This is a terrible story and it deserves attention from every single angle. Ruby Franke’s content was both viewed and adored by millions of people. Children were harmed and a family was shattered. And people watched it in real time. What does that say about us as a culture? I’m so curious about your thoughts. But first let’s dig into what Shari has to say.

Ruby’s daughter has shared several key points about her experiences:

• Alleged abuse: Shari details physical and psychological abuse she claims to have suffered during her childhood. "When I was younger, around, like, five-six, Ruby was really physical," she told Pilgrim of her childhood. "Whether it was like a slap to the lip or-- a slap to the cheek…when I would practice the piano, her hand would slam and it was really scary."