You probably remember the hashtag. #FreeChad. It blew up back in 2020, years before the world actually understood the nightmare happening behind the scenes of the 8 Passengers YouTube channel. Back then, viewers were horrified to learn that Chad Franke, then just a teenager, had his bed taken away for seven months as "discipline." He was sleeping on a beanbag. At the time, his mother, Ruby Franke, laughed it off as tough parenting.
Honestly, looking back at those old vlogs now feels like watching a slow-motion train wreck. It wasn’t just the bed. It was the Anasazi wilderness camp. It was the constant shaming.
By the time the law finally caught up with Ruby Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt in August 2023, Chad had already moved out. He was 18 and trying to build a life away from the cameras that had documented his every "sin" for millions of strangers. But the trauma didn't just vanish because he turned legal age.
The Reality of Living Under 8 Passengers
People always ask: Did Chad know how bad it was for the younger kids?
The truth is complicated. In recent interviews, including the 2025 Hulu docuseries Devil in the Family, Chad opened up about the "distortion" he was fed. That was the buzzword. Jodi Hildebrandt used it to brainwash the family. If you disagreed with them, you were "in distortion." If you questioned the abuse, you were "evil."
Chad basically lived in a house where his mother would "blow up" the second the camera stopped rolling. He’s described being whipped with belts and being forced to "fake happy" for the 2.5 million subscribers who paid the family's bills.
Think about that. Your entire childhood is a performance, and if you miss a cue, you lose your bed. Or your dinner.
Where is Chad Franke Now?
It’s now 2026, and Chad is 20 years old. He has done something a lot of people didn't expect: he's actually thriving, but on his own terms.
He didn't just disappear. You can find him on Instagram and TikTok, but the vibe is totally different. He isn't selling a "perfect" family image. In October 2025, Chad got married to his longtime girlfriend, Kamryn Anderson. He posted a photo of them walking down the aisle with a caption that was classic Chad humor: "She's Mrs. Franke now pray for her."
It’s a bit of a dark joke, but you can’t blame him.
His Career and "Prisonversaries"
Instead of following the influencer path his mom paved, Chad went to real estate school in 2024. By early 2025, he was officially working as a realtor in Utah. He seems to genuinely enjoy it. It's a "normal" job. No scripts, no vlogging your breakfast, just selling houses.
But he hasn't forgotten what happened. On the one-year anniversary of his mother's arrest—August 30, 2024—he posted a photo of Ruby on Snapchat with the caption "Happy Prisonversary."
Some people thought it was petty. Others saw it as a survival mechanism. When you’ve been publicly humiliated by your parents for a decade, a little digital shade seems pretty mild. He also famously posted a video pretending to get a tattoo of his mom, only to wipe away the lotion and show... absolutely nothing.
The message was clear: she isn't a part of his skin or his future.
Rebuilding the Family Bond
One of the most heart-wrenching parts of the 8 Passengers fallout was the split between the siblings. Shari Franke, the oldest, was the first to cut ties and try to get help. For a while, Chad was still under the influence of the "ConneXions" teachings and wouldn't speak to her.
That has changed.
The two of them are close again. Shari wrote a memoir, The House of My Mother, and she's been a vocal advocate for child victims of family vlogging. While Chad is less "activist" than Shari, they are often seen supporting each other.
As for their father, Kevin Franke? That's more of a grey area. Kevin was granted full custody of the four younger children—Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve—after his divorce from Ruby was finalized in March 2025. Chad has done interviews alongside Kevin, but the public remains divided on how much the father knew during the years the abuse was escalating.
What We Can Learn from Chad's Story
Chad Franke is a survivor of a very specific, modern type of trauma: the "monetized childhood."
If you're following this story, the takeaway isn't just about the criminal case against Ruby and Jodi. It’s about the ethics of family vlogging. We watched Chad grow up. We watched him get punished. And for years, most people just clicked "like."
Actionable Insights for Consumers:
- Audit your subscriptions: If a family channel seems to be "punishing" kids for views or filming them in vulnerable moments (crying, being ill, or "learning lessons"), stop watching. Views are the currency that keeps these environments alive.
- Support legislative change: Shari Franke has been pushing for laws to protect child influencers. Supporting Coogan-style laws for social media ensures kids' earnings are protected and their labor is regulated.
- Respect the survivors' privacy: While Chad is public on social media, he doesn't owe anyone the "gory details." Following him for his real estate success or his new life is fine, but don't pester him for trauma stories in the comments.
Chad seems to have found a way to be a "Franke" without being a "Passenger." He’s a husband, a realtor, and a guy who finally gets to sleep in a real bed every single night.