Life is weird. One minute you're a respected engineering professor at BYU, co-hosting a massive YouTube channel called 8 Passengers, and the next, your name is synonymous with one of the most horrific child abuse scandals in modern history.
That’s the reality for Kevin Franke. While his ex-wife, Ruby Franke, is currently sitting in a prison cell serving what could be up to 30 years, Kevin has been quietly—and sometimes not so quietly—trying to scrape together the pieces of a life that was essentially detonated.
People have a lot of feelings about him. Honestly, it’s complicated. Some see him as a victim of a master manipulator, while others can’t get past the fact that he was the father in the house while things were spiraling. But where is he now? What’s actually going on with the man who was once the "patriarch" of a family that 2.5 million people watched every single day?
The Divorce and the New Wife
Basically, the 8 Passengers era is dead and buried. Kevin filed for divorce from Ruby in November 2023, just a few months after she and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested. It wasn't just a legal formality; it was a total severance. By March 20, 2025, a judge signed off on the paperwork, making it official.
Kevin didn't wait long to try and find happiness again.
You’ve probably seen the headlines: Kevin Franke is remarried. In late 2025, he got engaged to a woman named Becca Bevan. They didn't do a massive, televised wedding. No vlogging. They kept it simple in Springville on November 14, 2025. His eldest daughter, Shari, even posted about it, saying it was "amazing" to see her dad happy because, apparently, he hadn't been for a long time.
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It's a stark contrast to the life he led with Ruby. While his ex-wife is undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy in prison and waiting for a 2026 parole hearing, Kevin is living in the $1.3 million home they once shared. The divorce settlement gave him the house and a big plot of land in Scofield. He’s essentially the sole owner of the remains of their former empire.
Where the Kids Stand Today
This is the part that usually gets people heated. After the arrest, the four minor children were placed in state custody. It took some time, but Kevin eventually regained full custody.
He’s currently raising them as a single father (well, now with Becca). According to his lawyer, Randy Kester, Kevin has been doing the work—therapy, introspection, the whole nine yards. He’s been trying to bridge the gap with the older kids, too. Chad Franke, who is now 20, recently got married himself to a girl named Kamryn Anderson.
It seems the family is trying to move on, but the trauma doesn't just evaporate. In the Hulu docuseries Devil in the Family, Kevin and Chad both spoke out about how Jodi Hildebrandt basically "dismantled" their family. Kevin claims he was forced to live apart from the family for over a year before the arrest, which is how he says he didn't know the full extent of the physical torture happening in Hildebrandt's home.
The BYU Job and the Lawsuits
You won't find Dr. Franke in a BYU classroom anymore. He was an associate professor of civil engineering, a "rising star" in earthquake engineering, but that career hit a brick wall.
He’s now suing Jodi Hildebrandt.
In a lawsuit filed in late 2025, Kevin claims Jodi misrepresented herself as a psychologist and "weaponized" her authority to blow up his life. He even blames her for him losing his job at BYU. According to the suit, Jodi told him that getting fired would be the "best outcome" for his spiritual growth and allegedly messed with his "Temple recommend," which is a requirement for employment at the church-owned university.
Currently, he's working as an engineering consultant. He still has a YouTube channel called "Office Hours" where he posts technical lectures, but it’s a far cry from the "Moms of Truth" videos or the 8 Passengers vlogs.
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Actionable Insights: Moving Forward
If you’re following this story, here’s what’s actually happening on the ground in 2026:
- Legal Accountability: Kevin is actively pursuing Hildebrandt in civil court for medical malpractice and emotional distress. This case is likely to set a precedent for how "life coaches" are regulated in Utah.
- Child Welfare Reform: Kevin has actually started showing up at the Utah State Capitol. He’s been testifying before the Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel, trying to close the loopholes that allowed his family to fly under the radar for so long despite 15 visits from authorities.
- The 2026 Parole Hearing: All eyes are on December 2026. That’s when Ruby Franke is scheduled for her first parole hearing. Kevin has made it clear through his lawyers and his actions that he wants no contact between Ruby and the minor children.
Whether you think Kevin Franke is a man seeking redemption or someone who failed to protect his kids, the facts show he’s shifted from being a silent participant to an active litigant. He's rebuilt a new family unit, but the shadow of 8 Passengers is going to follow him—and those children—for the rest of their lives.
The best thing anyone can do now is support the push for stricter vlogging laws and child protection regulations, so this kind of "hidden" abuse doesn't happen behind a ring light ever again.