Kevin Franke filed for divorce on Wednesday, months after his wife, Ruby Franke, had felony child abuse charges filed against her.
The disgraced YouTube parenting vlogger and her partner and podcast co-host Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested August 30 and charged with multiple counts of child abuse.
The accusations were made after two of Franke’s children were found emaciated and malnourished at Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah.
Police said that Kevin Franke, with whom Ruby shares sic children, has not been charged with any crime.
Kevin filed a petition for divorce, which is sealed under Utah law. Also filed was a domestic relations injunction, which orders both Ruby and Kevin not to harass each other or disparage the other in front of their children.
Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt are currently being held without bail by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The Frankes rose to prominence through their YouTube channel “8Passengers,” which portrayed their strict parenting style and generated more than 2 million followers. The channel, which was started in 2015, was eventually shut down by YouTube following her arrest.
Controversy began around 2020, however, when a number of people signed an online petition calling on child services to investigate Ruby’s strict parenting practices.
In 2022, Franke stopped posting on “8Passengers” and joined Hildebrandt’s “ConneXions” podcast.
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested after officers arrived at Hildebrandt’s home to check on the kids after a 911 caller reported that Ruby’s 12-year-old son had come to his house “covered in wounds” and with his arms and legs wrapped in duct tape, requesting food and water.
Kevin’s attorney Randy Kester previously said, “My client and Ruby have been separated over a year at ‘Ruby’s directive’.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
