You find yourself pulled into a private account of control and coercion as Chad Franke reads journal entries that describe life under his mother’s authority. Those entries claim a year of strict rules, scripted conversations about purity, and episodes he now calls “brainwashing,” offering a firsthand window into the family dynamics that preceded Ruby Franke’s child abuse conviction.
Expect a close look at the journal passages Chad has shared, how they align with documented allegations against Ruby Franke, and what the accounts reveal about the household’s emotional and psychological atmosphere. This article will map the journals to the broader abuse claims and the legal aftermath so you can understand both the personal testimony and the public record.
Chad Franke’s Journals and Claims of Brainwashing
Chad Franke published excerpts from his 2023 diaries and read them on TikTok, describing high-control language, strict purity rules, and daily rituals that governed home life. The entries record specific moments—church attendance, pool shifts, and family meals—that he later interprets as part of a wider pattern of manipulation.
Background and Motivation Behind the Journal Entries
Chad began keeping the journal in 2023 after moving to college while still communicating with his mother, Ruby Franke. He presents the entries as contemporaneous notes written when he was trying to reconcile family expectations with new independence. The writing often lists concrete goals—scripture study, coursework, work shifts—and tracks internal struggles with desires labeled as “lust,” showing how religious language shaped self-monitoring.
He has said the diaries serve as a day-by-day record of what he later describes as being “brainwashed,” and used TikTok to contextualize passages for an audience familiar with the Franke family’s online history. The entries therefore function both as personal therapy and public testimony, tying private routine to the public narrative about control within the 8 Passengers era.
Key Revelations From the 2023 Diary
The diaries contain repeated references to policing thoughts and actions in everyday settings, such as lifeguard duties and swimming pools, where Chad noted opportunities to “evidence” resisting lust. He cites family activities—church services and shared meals like “funeral potatoes”—alongside long phone calls that focused on moral correction rather than casual conversation. One entry explicitly frames entertainment as a “distraction” to be curtailed.
Those specifics corroborate themes raised in documentaries about the Franke family and echo claims of coercive instruction and behavioral monitoring. Chad’s public readings highlight how religious imperatives and parental oversight translated into routine self-surveillance, suggesting the control affected both private emotions and public behavior tied to the family’s online following.
Personal Reflections on Family Dynamics and Manipulation
Chad frames many passages with hindsight, labeling earlier compliance as conditioned rather than freely chosen. He reflects on how ritualized practices—scripture note-taking, strict daily schedules, and corrective phone calls—normalized constant scrutiny. The tone in his TikTok readings mixes regret and analytical distance as he connects those practices to patterns of influence exerted by his mother and her partner.
He also acknowledges attempts to reclaim autonomy through college studies, work, and starting projects like a streetwear brand. Those efforts serve as concrete markers of separation from the household regime depicted in the diaries and in coverage such as the Hulu documentary The Devil in the Family, which examines the broader Franke family history.
The Franke Family, Abuse Allegations, and Aftermath
The family gained a large online following, then faced criminal charges after Utah authorities and neighbors uncovered severe neglect and physical injuries. Prosecutors and released documents describe coordinated abuse driven by extreme religious beliefs and manipulative control.
The Rise and Fall of 8 Passengers YouTube Channel
Ruby Franke and her husband, Kevin Franke, built the 8 Passengers channel into a large parenting brand that attracted over two million subscribers by showcasing daily family life and child-rearing advice. The channel’s popularity amplified Ruby’s status as a parenting influencer and gave her access to a broad audience that often debated her methods.
Concerns from viewers and social-media critics, including groups such as Moms of Truth and individual commenters, accumulated over years as some followers flagged worrying clips and allegations. After law enforcement intervened in August 2023 and police removed children from a partner’s home, the channel shut down and public reputation collapsed. Media outlets—from Fox News Digital to true-crime coverage and the Hulu documentary The Devil in the Family—reexamined the channel’s content and the extent to which on-camera parenting masked private abuse.
Abusive Parenting Tactics and Family Environment
Prosecutors described a pattern of isolated, punitive practices including enforced deprivation, prolonged exposure to the elements, forced hair-shaving, binding with duct tape, and withholding food. Journal entries released during prosecutions depict Ruby asserting that children were possessed and needed harsh “repentance” rituals; those entries and police reports detail incidents where one child was pushed into water and another was forced to stand outside in the sun or rain.
Investigators and journalists characterized the home environment as highly controlled, with reports comparing it to a “concentration camp–like setting” in its brutality and systematic coercion. Jodi Hildebrandt, a business partner and associate who lived with some of the children, participated in and admitted to similar actions. Observers noted the interplay of religious extremism and manipulative parenting that isolated children from outside help and discouraged dissent.
Legal Actions and Sentencing of Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt
Police arrested Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt in August 2023 after a child escaped to a neighbor and officers found another child malnourished with open wounds. Both women pleaded guilty to multiple counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse. In February 2024, a judge imposed four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years each for each defendant; the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will help determine actual time served.
Prosecutors released redacted journal pages, bodycam footage, and interrogation tapes to support charges and to document the abusive acts. Court filings and media coverage—including reporting by NBC, ABC, People, and others—outlined how evidence tied the pair’s actions to a belief that extreme punishment expelled alleged demons or sins. Kevin Franke later filed for divorce amid the legal proceedings.
Lasting Impact and Public Response
The case triggered wide online debate about influencer accountability, child-protection failures, and how communities and platforms respond to warning signs. Former viewers, journalists, and advocacy groups criticized YouTube’s oversight and questioned whether the channel’s content enabled grooming or normalized abusive practices.
Families, legal experts, and mental-health professionals pointed to the need for better reporting mechanisms and support for survivors; some former fans and family members spoke publicly, and the story became the subject of true-crime coverage and documentary work. The released journals and the Hulu series renewed focus on how religious extremism and authoritarian parenting can mask abuse, prompting calls for policy and platform changes.
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