As Ruby Franke spiraled from popular parenting YouTuber to convicted child abuser, her relationship with her eldest daughter, Shari Franke, deteriorated. Shari was one of the primary stars of the family’s now-defunct YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, and some videos captured moments that many teens (and adults, for that matter) would feel mortified to have broadcast online.
One memorable example was when Ruby accidentally removed half of Shari’s left eyebrow while waxing her daughter’s brows. In another, Ruby shared footage of Shari bra shopping. Their contrasting views on vlogging and Ruby’s increasingly erratic behavior eventually ruptured the mother-daughter relationship so much that they stopped speaking after Shari went to college in 2021.
Now 23, the former child influencer has been outspoken in condemning Ruby’s actions and in working to protect other children from experiencing the same pressures and consequences she once faced. “Family vlogging ruined my innocence long before Ruby committed a crime,” Shari told a Utah Senate committee in October 2024. “I promise you that my experiences are not unique and are happening to child influencers all over Utah and the country.”
At the hearing, she also told lawmakers she lost friends because of the “24/7” work required to create content for the channel and feels regretful that her best and worst moments in childhood were made public online.
The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom
Shari further detailed her experiences in the recent Hulu docuseries Devil in the Family: The Ruby Franke Story and her best-selling memoir, The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom. She says she and her five younger siblings were treated as de facto employees of the family business.
Partly thanks to Shari’s testimony, Utah created a law requiring online creators who make more than $150,000 a year from content featuring children to set aside 15 percent of those earnings into a trust fund that the kids can access after turning 18. The law also creates a pathway for children to have posts and videos they’re in removed.
Shari has no intention of broadcasting her own family’s lives on the internet, though. In a December 2024 Instagram post, she announced her engagement and new boundaries about detailing her personal life online. “For me, this is the end of me sharing my private life... I’m not going to talk about my wedding, future husband, or future kids. I’ll continue to advocate for kids who didn’t have a voice (so you’ll still be seeing me, don’t worry) but this is closure for me. I’m moving on with my life, and that’s true freedom and joy ❤️.”
Adrienne directs the daily news operation and content production for Biography.com. She joined the staff in October 2022 and most recently worked as an editor for Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, and Bicycling. Adrienne has served as editor-in-chief of two regional print magazines, and her work has won several awards, including the Best Explanatory Journalism award from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers. Her current working theory is that people are the point of life, and she’s fascinated by everyone who (and every system that) creates our societal norms. When she’s not behind the news desk, find her hiking, working on her latest cocktail project, or eating mint chocolate chip ice cream.
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