Utah
Ruby Franke abuse pushes Utah to shift money, power from mommy bloggers to child influencers
The eldest daughter of disgraced Utah parenting blogger Ruby Franke has taken action to help protect other kids with a new child actor law in her home state.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill that Shari Franke helped promote, HB322, which gives certain payment and privacy protections to minors involved in entertainment, which could include traditional acting, i.e. acting in TV commercials, or acting in social media content.
“I have been working on drafting HB322 that would protect child influencers in our state,” Shari Franke said in a February Instagram post. “This bill would require parents to create a trust fund for their children and require parents to pay children a minimum amount. It would also allow children influencers, at 18, to have any content they appeared in to be removed from all social media platforms.”
Shari added that certain family bloggers and lobbyists in Utah are against the legislation, but wrote that “[i]f family vlogging is as good as ‘ethical’ family vloggers want you to think, they should not fear being mandated to pay their children (because they say the children are already being paid anyway).”
MOMMY BLOGGER RUBY FRANKE ASKED DAUGHTER FOR ONE THING BEFORE ARREST: MEMOIR
Shari Franke details the last word she said to her mother in her new memoir, “The House of My Mother.” (Handout)
“And if children are supposedly consenting to being filmed, why fear the kids would want content removed once 18?” she wrote.
Shari’s support of HB322 is one of many actions she has taken to try and help protect the rights of children whose parents are social media influencers since her mother pleaded guilty to multiple counts of child abuse in 2023 and sentenced to years in prison.
MOMMY BLOGGER RUBY FRANKE’S HUSBAND SAYS ‘SOME CRAZY S–T’ WENT ON IN ABUSE ACCOMPLICE’S $5.3M FORTRESS
Blogger Ruby Franke pleaded guilty to child abuse in Utah. (Instagram/ moms_of_truth)
Democratic Utah State Rep. Doug Owens, who sponsored the bill, explained its purpose to Fox News Digital.
“It’s a bill that has a couple different parts: one is it protects traditional child actors, like in the film industry or making commercials, [it] has their parents set aside 15% of their earnings for when they become an adult, and that is copying a number of other states,” Owens said. “And then it goes further and also includes protections for children in social media content.”
He added that it is “usually” children’s parents featuring kids in their content and, in turn, earning money from that content.
YOUTUBE MOMMY BLOGGER RUBY FRANKE, CO-HOST JODI HILDEBRANDT SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE: ‘DARK DELUSION’
Utah authorities found two malnourished and emaciated children at a home in Utah prior to arresting Franke and Hildebrandt. (Instagram/ moms_of_truth)
“It … requires the parents or other adult to save some of that money for the kids when they get to be an adult,” he said. “And then it also has a third part, which says that if you are a child in content creation, when you get to be an adult and you find that content embarrassing or emotionally damaging in some way, you can have that removed from the website later so that it gives kids some protection for when they get to be an adult.”
“[I]f you are a child in content creation, when you get to be an adult and you find that content embarrassing or emotionally damaging in some way, you can have that removed.”
Ruby Franke, a 43-year-old mother of six, and Jodi Hildebrandt, a 55-year-old mother of two, ran a joint parenting and lifestyle YouTube channel called ConneXions Classrooms before they were arrested and pleaded guilty to four of six counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in a St. George courtroom in December 2023.
UTAH POLICE DISCOVER ‘PANIC ROOM’ INSIDE ABUSIVE MOMMY BLOGGER ACCOMPLICE’S $5.3M DESERT HOME
Utah police found a “panic room” inside Jodi Hildebrandt’s $5.3 million Ivins home, where Ruby Franke sent her children to stay with Hildebrandt. (Washington County Attorney’s Office)
Utah authorities initially arrested Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt for abusing Franke’s two youngest children, a 9-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy, after Franke’s son approached a neighbor for help in 2022, and the neighbor called 911. Some of the abuse occurred in Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah.
911 CALL REVEALS SHOCK OF UTAH MOMMY BLOGGER’S ALLEGED CHILD ABUSE: ‘SHE’S A BAD LADY’
Prior to ConneXions, Ruby Franke ran a parenting vlog, or video blog, called 8Passengers, centered around her own family of six children and two parents. But the 8Passengers empire came crumbling down once users started to notice Franke’s unusual behavior and punishments for her children. Ruby Franke stopped posting to the 8Passengers YouTube channel after her last video was uploaded on June 5, 2019.
In earlier videos without Hildebrandt, Franke complained about her children’s school using TikTok to teach dances, the dangers of sleepovers, bullying, and other topics. Some of her videos included her husband, including a “live couples workshop” about managing finances. (YouTube/ ConneXions)
Fox News is not aware of any evidence that Ruby Franke or anyone associated with 8Passengers engaged in any illegal conduct during the period she was actively vlogging on the 8Passengers YouTube channel.
Franke and Hildebrandt were both sentenced to serve up to 30 years in prison.
Shari also wrote a memoir titled “The House of My Mother,” in which she explains how she and her siblings were listed as 8Passengers LLC’s “employees.”
Shari Franke explained how she tried for years to get the Department of Family and Child Services to take action against her mother in her memoir. (Hulu)
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In dozens of YouTube videos and social media posts, Franke and Hildebrandt coached parents in calm voices from a living room couch on how to raise their children in “truth.” In a video posted just before their arrests, Hildebrandt said pain can be a good thing for children of a certain age.
The case has prompted discussions about how parenting and lifestyle blogs often present only a sliver of a person’s or family’s reality, as well as children’s rights to their own privacy if their parent is a social media star.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Leaders in the Utah Jewish community have prepared security measures ahead of their Festival of Lights celebration, following a deadly attack at a similar holiday event in Australia.
At least 11 people were killed, and 29 were injured after two gunmen attacked a Hanukkah celebration on a beach in Sydney. Government officials called the shooting an act of antisemitism and terrorism.
Officials with the United Jewish Federation of Utah released a statement Sunday echoing this sentiment, saying they are “heartbroken and outraged by the antisemitic terrorist attack.”
“Once again, Jews were targeted simply for being Jewish and for celebrating our traditions and our right to religious freedom. We must not ignore efforts to normalize hatred or to cloak antisemitism in political rhetoric,” the statement read.
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The Jewish community in Utah plans to gather for a Hanukkah celebration at the Capitol Sunday evening, a similar event to the one attacked in Sydney.
Officials said they are working closely with law enforcement and security partners to protect the attendees of the Festival of Lights celebration.
“Chanukah marks the Jewish people’s fight to live openly as Jews – and to bring light into dark times. That message is painfully relevant today. Those who sought to extinguish that light will not succeed,” the statement read.
The statement closed by saying the Utah Jewish community will “stand in solidarity” with communities across the world as they mourn those killed in the attack.
“We mourn the victims, pray for the recovery of the injured, and recommit ourselves to ensuring that the lights of Chanukah continue to shine,” it said.
Read the full statement below:
United Jewish Federation of Utah is heartbroken and outraged by the antisemitic terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia, during a first night-of-Chanukah gathering. According to reports, at least eleven people were killed, with many more injured, as families came together to celebrate the Festival of Lights. As details continue to emerge, we mourn every life lost and hold the victims, the injured, and their loved ones in our hearts.
This was a deliberate act of violence against Jews gathered openly to practice their faith. It must be named clearly: this was antisemitism. Once again, Jews were targeted simply for being Jewish and for celebrating our traditions and our right to religious freedom. We must not ignore efforts to normalize hatred or to cloak antisemitism in political rhetoric.
Chanukah marks the Jewish people’s fight to live openly as Jews – and to bring light into dark times. That message is painfully relevant today. Those who sought to extinguish that light will not succeed. The Jewish people will not retreat from Jewish life in the face of hatred.
As Jewish communities in Utah prepare to gather for Chanukah, we do so with vigilance and resolve. The United Jewish Federation of Utah is in close coordination with local law enforcement and community security partners to help ensure celebrations across our state are safe and secure.
We are grateful for the support of Utah’s elected officials and civic leaders and call on leaders everywhere to speak out clearly and forcefully. This attack must be condemned for what it is: a blatant act of antisemitic terror. Words matter – and so do actions. Strong public safety commitments and an unwavering refusal to normalize antisemitism are essential.
We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community of Sydney and with Jewish communities around the world. We mourn the victims, pray for the recovery of the injured, and recommit ourselves to ensuring that the lights of Chanukah continue to shine.
___
Game Notes
Quick Hits
1) Today, Pittsburgh concludes its fifth set of back-to-back games. So far, the Penguins are 2-3-4 in back-to-backs (2-1-2 on the first night and 0-2-2 on the second night).
2) The Penguins enter today’s game ranked first in the NHL in power-play percentage (32.9%) and fifth in penalty kill success rate (84.3%).
3) Yesterday, Sidney Crosby notched two power-play points (1G-1A), making him the 12th player in NHL history to record 600 or more power-play points.
4) Sidney Crosby’s next even-strength goal will surpass Phil Esposito (448) for sole possession of the ninth-most even-strength goals in NHL history.
5) Goaltender Stuart Skinner is 2-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage in two career games versus Utah. Only Darcy Kuemper (4), Sergei Bobrovsky (3) and Lukas Dostal (3) have more wins against the Mammoth in NHL history.
FRANCHISE ICON
Sidney Crosby enters tonight’s game riding a four-game point streak (1G-4A) and has points in seven of his last eight games (6G-5A). Crosby, who has notched 1,711 points (644G-1,077A) in his career, sits just two points shy of tying Mario Lemieux’s franchise record of 1,723 points.
When Crosby ties Lemieux, only two players in NHL history will have recorded more points with one franchise: Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman.
The captain enters tonight’s game with six goals over his last eight games (6G-5A), and is tied for fourth in the NHL in goals.
HOME COOKIN’
Forward Bryan Rust recorded three points (1G-2A) yesterday against San Jose, giving him five points (2G-3A) over his last two games, both of which have come at home. This season, only Sidney Crosby has more points than Rust at PPG Paints Arena.
DECEMBER LEADERS
Forward Anthony Mantha notched a season-high three points (1G-2A) yesterday against San Jose, giving him six points (2G-4A) over his last six games. Since the calendar flipped to December, only three players on Pittsburgh have more points than him (Bryan Rust, Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson).
POINT PRODUCIN’
Defenseman Kris Letang enters tonight’s game one point shy of surpassing Hall-of-Famer Borje Salming for the 21st most points by a defenseman in NHL history.
PENS ACQUIRE SKINNER AND KULAK
On Friday, the Penguins acquired goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak and the Edmonton Oilers 2029 second-round draft pick in exchange for goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin.
Skinner, 27, has appeared in 23 games this season for the Oilers where he’s gone 11-8-4 with a 2.83 goals-against average and two shutouts. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound goaltender has spent his entire professional career with Edmonton, appearing in 197 career regular-season games going 109-62-18 with a 2.74 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage and nine shutouts. Skinner’s 109 regular-season wins rank fifth in Oilers franchise history while his nine shutouts are tied for fourth.
The native of Edmonton, Alberta also has 50 games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience, going 26-22 with a 2.88 goals-against average. Skinner most recently helped the Oilers reach back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, and only eight active goaltenders have more postseason wins than his 26.
Kulak, 31, is a veteran of 611 NHL games split between Edmonton, Montreal and Calgary since 2014. The defenseman is coming off of a career year, where he tallied career highs across the board with seven goals, 18 assists and 25 points in 82 games in 2024-25. This season, he has recorded two assists through 31 games.
Throughout parts of 12 seasons in the league, the 6-foot-2, 192-pound defenseman has registered 28 goals, 99 assists and 127 points. Kulak has added three goals, 21 assists and 24 points through 98 career playoff games, including a combined 13 points (2G-11A) in 47 games over the past two years en route to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals.
The acquisition of Edmonton’s 2029 second-round draft pick gives Pittsburgh eight selections in the 2029 NHL Draft – their original seven selections plus the Oiler’s second-round pick.
It looks like we might have a general ballpark of what type of contract extension numbers Walker Kessler was seeking from the Utah Jazz before the 2025-26 NBA season when negotiations were ongoing.
According to a batch of NBA rumors from Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal, Kessler was said to have desired upwards of $120 million in total value for his next contract, a price that Utah was seemingly unwilling to match.
“In contract discussions with the Jazz, Kessler sought upwards of $120 million in total compensation for a long-term contract extension, sources told , but Utah was unwilling to commit to that price range,” Afseth wrote. “There was a clear gap in talks between Kessler and Utah,’ one source said.”
It’s an interesting nugget thrown into the situation is Kessler’s pending new contract, offering a bit of insight into what exactly was expected from Kessler’s camp in the negotiations for a second deal with the Jazz.
Kessler Was Searching for $120M From Utah Jazz
Earlier this summer, it initially seemed as if the expected outcome would be for the Jazz and Kessler to hammer out a new rookie extension to ink him on for the next four-to-five years.
But instead, Utah wanted to prioritize having that cap flexibility until next summer rolled around; ultimately leaving their fourth-year big man to play out the final year of his deal, then hit restricted free agency in 2026.
That’s exactly what would transpire, but it wouldn’t take long for Kessler’s fourth season in the mix to be quickly derailed, as he would go down with season-ending shoulder surgery just five games into the year, now leaving him to prepare for the 2026-27 campaign, and cutting a pivotal contract year short.
Before getting injured this season to be sidelined for the entire year, Kessler played five games where he averaged a career-best 14.4 points a game, along with 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 block in just over 30 minutes a night.
It’s not exactly concrete of exactly what Kessler was searching on that new contract, but a $150 million value over the next five years would place him into the top-12 highest paid centers in the NBA per AAV.
That’s a hefty price to pay, no doubt. But for one of the more appealing young rim protectors around the league who’s gotten better every season, that might be a deal one team may be willing to pay him on the restricted free agency market, which would then force the Jazz to match that $30 million annually to keep him on their own roster.
Inevitably, the Jazz and Kessler will hit the negotiation table once again this summer as the two sides try to remain paired together for the long haul. Then, time will tell if they’ll be able to come to that long-awaited agreement to lock him into a fresh contract for what could be the next half-decade.
Be sure to bookmark Utah Jazz On SI and follow @JazzOnSI on X to stay up-to-date on daily Utah Jazz news, interviews, breakdowns and more!
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