Russell Franke Biography, Age, Updates, Parents, Siblings, Career and Net Worth

Russell Franke (born June 4, 2011) is an American internet personality and former child YouTube star who rose to public attention as one of the six children featured on the now-defunct family vlogging channel 8 Passengers, run by his parents, Kevin and Ruby Franke. Between 2015 and 2022, the channel documented many aspects of the Franke family’s daily life, homeschool routines, parenting style, family trips, holiday celebrations, and disciplinary moments, attracting a peak audience of more than 2.2 million subscribers and hundreds of millions of total views.

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Russell appeared in hundreds of videos from early childhood through age 11, including popular series about camping adventures, back-to-school preparations, family challenges, birthday celebrations, and everyday sibling interactions. The channel became highly controversial in late 2021 and 2022 after viewers and former fans raised alarms about several clips that appeared to show unusually strict discipline, prolonged punishments, and emotional distress among the children, most notably Russell being forced to sleep on a beanbag on the floor for several months as a consequence for perceived behavioral issues. Those videos, combined with other reported incidents shared by older sister Shari Franke and concerned neighbors, triggered widespread online debate, multiple Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations, police welfare checks, and intense scrutiny of the so-called “8 Passengers parenting style.”

Here is a quick overview of key facts about Russell Franke:

Russell Franke Biography

Russell Franke was born on June 4, 2011, in Springville, Utah. He is the fifth of six children born to Kevin and Ruby Franke. He grew up in a large, devout Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormon) family in the Provo–Orem area of Utah County. Starting in January 2015, the Franke family documented much of their daily life on the YouTube channel 8 Passengers. Ruby and Kevin launched the channel when Russell was three years old. The channel’s name reflected the eight family members (parents plus six children). Early videos showed homeschool lessons, family game nights, holiday traditions, camping trips, birthday parties, and the children’s friendships and hobbies. Russell often appeared in lighthearted content. He was seen learning to ride a bike, participating in family challenges, playing with siblings, and joining summer adventures like the widely viewed August 2021 Utah camping trip vlog.

As the channel grew to more than 2.2 million subscribers, Ruby and Kevin’s strict, highly structured parenting approach began attracting criticism. Several videos from 2020–2022 showed Russell being punished by having to sleep on a beanbag on the bedroom floor (without a mattress, pillow, or blanket) for several months after he allegedly acted unkindly toward a younger sibling and made a joke about school lunch. Other clips depicted long-term removal of privileges, forced apologies on camera, and public shaming of children’s mistakes. Concerned viewers, former fans, and child-welfare advocates began contacting Utah CPS, local police, and YouTube starting in late 2021.

Kevin Franke filed for divorce from Ruby in 2023 and has publicly stated he was unaware of the abuse occurring under Jodi’s influence.

Age

Russell Franke was born on June 4, 2011. As of January 2026, he is 14 years old.

Updates

As of early 2026, Russell Franke (age 14) and his five siblings continue to live under protective court orders. This follows the August 2023 child-abuse case involving their mother, Ruby Franke, and Jodi Hildebrandt. After Ruby’s guilty plea and sentencing in February 2024, the children were not returned to either parent. Kevin Franke has said publicly that he supports the children’s placement in safe, stable environments and is focused on their healing. No new photos, videos, interviews, or social-media posts featuring Russell have been released to the public since 2022. This is due to juvenile privacy protections and court restrictions.

The original 8 Passengers YouTube channel and most associated family accounts have been deleted or made permanently private. True-crime documentaries, podcasts, and news retrospectives, including 2024–2025 updates on Ruby’s prison status and parole eligibility, occasionally mention Russell and his siblings. But detailed personal information remains sealed. Child-welfare advocates and former viewers continue to discuss the case as an example of the dangers of family vlogging, monetized parenting content, and unchecked online influence.

Parents

Russell Franke’s parents are:

• Ruby Franke (mother) – Former YouTube vlogger who co-created and ran the 8 Passengers channel from 2015 until its removal in 2022. She was arrested in August 2023 and pleaded guilty in February 2024 to four counts of aggravated child abuse. She is currently serving concurrent prison sentences at Utah State Prison, with parole eligibility beginning approximately 4 years from now (earliest possible release around 2028–2029, subject to parole board decisions).
• Kevin Franke (father) – Co-founder of the 8 Passengers channel and a licensed marriage and family therapist. Kevin filed for divorce from Ruby in 2023 after the arrests and has publicly distanced himself from the abusive practices that occurred under Jodi Hildebrandt’s influence. He has stated that his priority is the safety and recovery of his children. As of early 2026, Kevin is not in a custodial role but has expressed willingness to support reunification efforts when deemed safe by the court.

Siblings

Russell Franke is the fifth of six children born to Kevin and Ruby Franke. His siblings (in birth order) are:

• Shari Franke (oldest sister) – Born approximately 2003–2004. Shari was the first family member to publicly raise concerns about her parents’ and Jodi Hildebrandt’s treatment of the younger children. She has appeared in several 2023–2025 interviews and podcasts discussing the abuse, her efforts to alert authorities, and her ongoing estrangement from her mother.
• Chad Franke (older brother)
• Abby Franke (older sister)
• Julie Franke (older sister)
• Eve Franke (youngest sister) – Born approximately 2013–2014; the baby of the family during the height of the channel’s popularity.

As of early 2026, all six siblings remain in court-supervised placements or protective custody arrangements.

Career and Net Worth

Russell Franke has never had an independent career. From ages 3 to 11 (2015–2022), he appeared in hundreds of videos on the family’s YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which at its peak had over 2.2 million subscribers and generated advertising revenue through Google AdSense, brand sponsorships, merchandise sales, and other monetization features typical of family vlogging channels. Ruby and Kevin Franke controlled all income from the channel and its related social media accounts. No public financial records indicate that Russell or any of the minor children received personal earnings, royalties, or trust funds from the channel’s revenue. After the 2023 arrests and the subsequent removal of the channel’s content, all associated income streams ended. As a minor under state protection since August 2023, Russell has had no public-facing career, social-media presence, or independent income.