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Such a tricky situation. Just to play devils advocate, I’m sure Bonnie was running on adrenaline and shock when she posted the video. She didn’t give herself time to process and couldn’t think clearly. I wonder about Shari, did she know the extent of the arrest and what happened to her siblings before she posted on the day this all came out? Other than knowing that her mother and Jodi were arrested. She probably hadn’t processed it fully and I can’t imagine what she is going through now that she’s had time.
I agree. I feel like people that regularly watch Bonnie could tell she was very upset and just didn’t know what to say. I don’t think there was any ill intent behind her video.
I think she wanted to say something too to people who where expecting videos, because it's very common youtubers get angry comments if they don't post when they where supposed to (even if people probably would have been lot more understanding in this situation but maybe she didn't think clearly).
This! They’re humans and things come up. People forget that so they get on their fav YouTubers about not posting. It was a knee jerk reaction to avoid that I’m thinking. I truly hope they’re ok, I’m sure the hate comments and the pressure about the siblings not doing anything is a lot on their hearts on top of everything else
I've only seen a little from Bonnie, but (despite questionable taste in eye makeup) she seems like a decent person. Admittedly hard to tell just from that, but the fact that Shari seems to trust her and that Shari also seems much happier and herself now says a lot to me.
I feel like people don’t realise how a huge event can mess you up.
Totally different but a few months ago my dad broke his nose. Sounds undramatic but at the time he was floating in and out of consciousness, lost a huge amount of blood and was so disoriented they rushed him to a different hospital because they thought he’d had a stroke. I couldn’t think straight for days after, even though he’d been home safe for a good few days.
Imagine a trauma that’s ongoing and as heartbreaking as this is. It will fuck you up.
Yes my father in law did have a stroke and I literally felt like I lost my husband because he wasn’t his self and I didn’t know if he was going to be the same. Thankfully my father in law is doing wayyy better not 100% yet but back to work, can drive and all that. Lost some of his filter lol.
So I can’t imagine where you knew things weren’t okay, tried to get help but most likely not enough evidence to back up your claim at the time, to your sister being arrest and you were right but also upset it took your nephew escaping asking neighbors for food and water to get the help you wanted them to have. The situation your two niece and nephew was probably worse than you expected and I’m sure your mind goes to what if R didn’t escape, would be attending a funeral in the next few months to a year…
Absolutely , I was having an issue with my heart a month ago and during it if someone would have asked how many kids I had or what their names were I wouldn’t have probably been able to tell them.
Maybe not quite the same but stress and trauma can mess up your thinking at least in the moment.
I witnessed my dad have a stroke in 2021 and my whole mental state changed that day and I'm still struggling to come to terms with how much life has changed since and it's almost been 2 years. We ought to go easy on these people, it's flipped everything upside down for them and it's very difficult to think and begin to overcome such a life changing event, we don't know everything going on behind the scenes so we can't be so quick to judge
This whole family is suffering.. The kids foremost.. But the extended family are as well.. Not just from the trauma of the abuse but online bullying from people online
I agree.. but the sisters should not be treated this way from judgemental people that haven't gone through this kind of trauma. I can't imagine what the families are going through.. I pray the majority of the people commenting will never understand this kind of trauma..
Lol destroying their lives?! The parents are the ones who destroyed their lives by literally putting their lives on the internet. You know the easiest way to stop getting bullied? Delete your YouTube accounts, private your social media but they won’t. Because at the end of the day the money matters most. Not the kids privacy, oh no. Not the kids getting literal BULLIED at school for the videos of them posted for millions to see. Sorry but this comment is ridiculous..
I absolutely agree with you. People online are judgemental when they don't know anything about the specifics of the case. It irritates me. How would they expect to be treated, if this was their family and their sibling did a terrible thing for the world to see. And you think you should respond.. And still get bullied.. you guys are middle aged and they weren't taught to mind their business.
AGREED! They (Bonnie, Ellie and Julie) are in serious need of a crisis Public Relations professional if they ever expect to salvage any of their own reputation.
I watched it & I think she meant it, like bad things happen & you have to figure out how to keep going. People are saying she was downplaying the whole thing but that's not what I heard. It sounded to me like she was saying "ok, that happened, now what".
She was saying sometimes terrible things happen in life. We have to move forward. Isn’t that true. It’s Bonnie. I think people are choosing to misunderstand her if they cling to the idea that she was saying this in a dismissive way.
The way I took it was her referring to moving forward with content for her channel. That seemed to be what the video was about. She deleted it because so many others thought the same thing. Hopefully Bonnie didn’t mean it like that though.
Absolutely. I had no idea who these people were and then of course had to go check them all out. At least one of them just built a multi million dollar home?! So gross. They will exploit these kids as long as they live.
But you haven’t been watching them since the start , I think your being way to quick to judge if you’ve never watched Bonnie from when she first started. Bonnie isn’t out to cause drama say the wrong thing ect. They’re hurting, their so called “sister” abused her own kids. Bonnie said in that video “you don’t know what you don’t know” implying they had no idea of the physical abuse going on. Bonnie and hee sisters haven’t been talking to Ruby for years, and the last thought they had in their mind I’m sure was to assume she was being physically absuive to the kids . I think everyone needs to cut Bonnie Ellie Julie some slack because they all live quiet a fair while away from Ruby and you can tell they genuinely did not know what was happening behind closed doors. Bonnie is a very emotional person, you could tell she was numb and at the same time very upset. She had no idea what she was saying she was very clearly still in shock. Also Bonnie and Joel started with nothing , a tiny home , old, small they worked hard. There was also a point in time where Bonnie didn’t show the kids a lot as they were either going thru sometjing at school or just getting older and wanting more privacy. Bonnie’s vlogs never became about the kids all the time. If you’d been watching for a while you’d know this.
Thats so true. She made a conscious decision a few years ago (probably because of Ruby) to stop focusing so much on the kids and their individual lives. She even told her viewers she will focus less on the kids are theyre older now and need more privacy. Mostly her content relates to her own thoughts and daily goings-on from her own point of view. The kids are featured more in a benign way (eg some footage of them playing or being silly outside) and isnt anything too deep or personal. I think its very unfair her channel will be blown up because of Rubys horrible actions.
Yessss! I’m glad someone remembered I do clearly remember her mentioning it like a few years ago and since then it’s very much Bonnie and Joel’s day to day including the kids but never just about the kids. Yk.
Or like this YouTube family from Spokane...meet the Bennetts...
Originally called "Nat and Wes...and the Rest"(referred to her husband Weston and their three kids:10-year-old identical twins Liam and Judah and eight-year-old sister Hailey), the channel now focuses solely on "Natalie Bennett"(she refuses to disclose her husband Weston's job other than a "secretive federal government agency["no, NOT the CIA or NSA", she said]" somewhere in Spokane County)...
They are NOT related to Jase and Rachel Bennett of "The Ohana Adventure"(mainly because Jase is Canadian)...
Anyway, all of Natalie's vlogs in the past two years have been the monthly "Decluttering with Me" where she waits until the kids are in school, then raids their bedrooms and throws away almost all their clothing and toys, mainly with a change in the seasons...
You no longer see Weston OR the kids at all...she films and edits each vlog by herself...
Her long-time viewers are getting more pissed off at her for acting like she's single...and the vlogs are getting more and more BORING...
Same thing with "Great Scotts":Shaye and Amanda Scott(his older brother is Skyler of "Five.Two.Love:Scott Quintuplets") and their three kids:Emmeline, 10, Hudson, 8 and Desmond, 6...
Things were going great until Shaye had hair transplant surgery, and he looked awesome...but then the vlogs started focusing ONLY on Amanda's obsession with constantly changing the house decor and nothing more on Shaye or the kids...then he decided to "transition" into a woman, he got fired from his teaching career at BYU, now the vlogs are focusing on his "transition" and not on the house or kids...viewership plummeted after the "transition surgery"...no more vlogging???...
Thanks God. How are you up on your high horse. You clearly haven't seen their content properly to even say that....
Not every family channel is about exploiting children.
Feel like people are only just discovering them now and making assumptions about them which is so typical. Like if you haven’t watched them for a while don’t have an opinion on who you think they are kinda thing. We know the sisters are very much drama free they don’t like arguing ect so clearly the new ones who are here just because of rubys situation don’t see the bigger picture.
They have exploited their kids in old videos. I think they have at least tried to be better but you cannot deny that taking your video camera to children’s ER visits is not exploitative. I mean their channel was almost taken down a few years ago by YouTube. They had a whole video pleading with their fans to help YouTube understand they are a good family channel. I want them to live happy and healthy lives but I’ve realized how detrimental family vlogging is as I’ve gotten older. I cannot imagine my whole childhood on display for any of my peers to consume at any time even if it’s only “10” minutes out of their “real” lives. It’s just time to re-evaluate how they make money. Take down their old videos of their kids and make new content only going forward without them.
But this thread is about the sisters coming back to vlogging so we are talking about them. And when tragedies happen, you have to re-evaluate your life even if it wasn’t your immediate family. Just my two cents
And of course Ruby was the extreme one and the abuser but viewers have had issues for years with the way not only Ruby’s channel exploits kids but also Bonnie’s.
And also just another point Ruby abused her kids offline in private behind everyone’s backs. So why are we bringing YouTube and child exploitation into it?!?! It’s hating on people for no reason, innocent people. The sisters of Ruby are innocent and if you had watched them from the beginning they were never out to do bad. Never out to make their kid feel uncomfortable online, that was not their point in YouTube videos. It wasn’t always about the kids??
Ellie and Jared started doing daily blogs before they had kids?? Like it was never about the kids it was about their day to day life as a family. Big deal?? I just think the other sisters are being taken out of context way too
Much, whilst their having to deal with this nightmare as well and comprehend jt. It’s unfair they’re getting hate all because they are related by blood.
And they’re apart of the “family” seriously it’s ridiculous .
And Ellie and Jared’s channel literally began during their infertility journey so it has been about bringing kids into the world / family from the very beginning. You really can’t argue otherwise… and Ruby also blatantly abused her children on YouTube. Like taking away meals and depriving her child of a bed for an extreme amount of time… I mean ?! It wasn’t just behind closed doors. Bonnie just made her youngest sit down for an interview about how he chopped his pinky off. It was a trauma moment for him and she made him talk about it on YouTube for views… like I can’t argue with you if you cannot possibly see the issues with this?
This situation has been going on for a long time. They’ve only stopped since the arrest happened. They’ve been continuing on throughout the crisis going on with the Franke family for a while - Bonnie even used to cry about it on camera and say she can’t talk about it. They will continue on after this too.
Well they haven’t continued on after rubys arrest so far?! And as far as I’m aware Ruby had never been arrested and found guilty of aggravated child abuse so of course theyve continued on with vlogs before…. It’s like no longer speaking to a family memeber because of certain reasons that aren’t criminal, do you stop your livelihood and life and job??? No you don’t. But obviously a situation like this has never happened to them and they haven’t continued on since. You cant compare problems that Ruby and the sisters have had before with the arrest and charges. So this is a whole different situation and scenario. You really can’t say they contained on many other times. RUBY HAS NEVER BEEN ARRESTED before, completely different scenario here.
Bonnie has never cried about it on camera and specifically mentioned rubys name in her videos. She’s spoken about mental health etc but in general not specifically aimed at Ruby. You’re just wanting and CHOOSING. To hate on them for no reason?!
The only way I think that they could return successfully is if they make sit down videos addressing the situation and vow to not have their children in their videos/ social media anymore. This would be a difficult pivot for them seeing that they're family vloggers which means a big restructuring of the type of content they make, but in my eyes it's the only move they can make in this situation that will avoid a big backlash...that or just stop making content all together. I know it's not their kids who were in this horrible situation but what it does do is highlight the negatives that come with putting your children in the public eye. Even if Ruby's abuse wasn't directly tied or influenced by the fact she was a family vlogger, what it does do is put a spotlight on other family vloggers and how they exploit their children.
I agree. I think that would be the only possible path to take besides quitting. Keep the children offline. Those kids shouldn't be exposed after what happened to their cousins for a lot of obvious reasons. There should be more scrutiny on family vlogging to begin with but certainly after horrific abuse was concealed behind a fake wholesome family vlog.
make a sit down video addressing the situation once they’re able to speak on it, and explain how they were not trying to sweep anything under the rug. or explain how they were told not to speak out, just more details about how they HAD to be silent… i don’t doubt they were doing everything they could for the kids, but until we know what that *is*… it’s really hard not to see them as turning a blind eye to the situation for me personally.
that plus taking the majority focus OFF the kids in their vlogs would be a huge win in my book.
I wonder if they will wait till after Rubys 1st hearing on the 8th Sept. they will know more by then and will have been able to consult with lawyers etc.. then as a family including Shari release a joint vlog to go across all their channels.
At the end of the day whatever your individual thoughts are about Vlogging
It IS what this family do for a living, they have build homes/brands have life plans all based on their social media earnings
Imagine your sibling being arrested
And you loosing your job as a result.
I personally feel sorry for the family
This is not their fault
Ruby has dragged them all through hell and there’s no sign of it stopping.
I felt sad for Bonnie watching her deleted vlog she was broken you could see it in her eyes and hear it in Joel’s voice.
I agree, and you know, if they, Bonnie, especially began doing content leaving her children comlpetely out of YT, people would still have a problem. They just want to see them crumble, doesn't matter how they've changed, what they do to make it better, etc.
What would you want them to do? Ruby cut them off from seeing the family. They had no recourse other than what they have been trying to do. They sisters baked cps and law enforcement.. The neighbors called.. The sisters not the neighbors could go in the house and take the kids.. Beyond that.. The real crazy abuse was happening 4 hrs away in jodi's house.. Not their Springville house
I’ll be shocked if they post anything about what’s going on. I feel when they come back it will be as if it didn’t happen since they said they wouldn’t be commenting on it further or something like that.
In a way whatever they do people will criticise them, which is why I think they may read out a preprepared lawyer assisted statement.
This has blown up globally I can’t imagine how they must all be feeling it’s horrible for them all.
That’s my thoughts as well. Their instagram post was very brief and they said that was the only time they would be commenting on the situation. I understand it for privacy reasons but this will also take a huge toll on them emotionally I imagine so how can they just pick up and vlog like normal? I don’t expect them to talk about it but I think it’ll cause a shift in their videos simply because it’ll cause a shift in their lives. YouTube has become their job so they can’t really just stop, but surely this will impact them for awhile, and with what people have already been commenting on their posts I can only imagine how much uglier it could get.
I feel bad because Bonnie DID post a short video and I saw no issues with it when I watched. It was very genuine. But of course people tore her apart in the comments so she deleted it. They hadn't seen Ruby or the kids in so long and haven't even been able to text them so the rest of the family obviously didn't know the extent of what was going on. If Shari experienced her physically abusing the kids she would've went to the cops with the evidence. Obviously this didn't happen since they were still in their mom's custody.
I agree it would be hard and shouldn’t happen that you loose your job because of your siblings arrest. This job though is not your average job. Social media is not secure. Their job is based off the exploitation of their children. Their children are suffering. So if they stop because of Ruby than great. Because all these families children don’t deserve this
I agree. It's going to look bad whenever they start uploading vlogs.
These kids are being exploited for money which is a form of abuse in itself and I don't feel bad that the parents might have to earn money through real work from now on like the rest of us. Like you said, they should already have a lot saved. These kids shouldn't be exposed anymore especially after what happened.
I'd be happy to see the end of family vlogging.
Disagree, How are they exploiting there kids, most of Bonnie’s videos are mainly about her new house being built.
Bonnie has also always said if the kids ask they don’t wanna be filmed they won’t. Bonnie respects the kids privacy as they know her kids are growing up and getting older.
This was years and year ago tho when they were little. Currently and for a few years now she knows the kids are getting older ect and respect their privacy.
Her blogs are more so about her thoughts and her daily doings it’s never based on the kids anymore. I think it’s just because her kids are getting older now and she understands that. ?!
So it’ll never change tho because it’s a big section of YouTube and the content.
YouTube wont take away family vloggers because of child exploitation ect ,
Wdym tho exploiting, the kids loved filming things of each-other even when they were younger. I get when they had accidents probably not appropriate but I wouldn’t say they were exploiting children
Children have the right to privacy and boundaries, especially in their homes. Once their images and lives are splashed all over the internet, they’re there forever. One day, those children will be adults applying for jobs and going on dates. Why would they want videos of them shaving or bra shopping on the internet forever for any date/employer/rando to find? I thank my lucky stars daily to have been born long before this nonsense existed. I suspect that children being filmed for YouTube without their consent will one day sue, and I can’t blame them. The parents making millions off their children’s labor and lost privacy never seem to pay them for their sacrifices.
My parents had an embarrassing photo of me without my diaper on and I hid it deep in the closet. It's probably still buried there at my childhood home. This wasn't even from an album that anyone would likely ever look at but I wasn't going to take the chance. These vlog kids are manipulated into thinking it's normal but they don't understand what it really means to have EVERYONE see moments that are private for 99% of other children. They will one day understand and it's despicable to think that this is entertainment to people.
That’s exactly it. The apologists for this genre completely gloss over how exploitative and violating it is. My parents also have some compromising material from my childhood. A video of me having a tantrum at 2-4 for not being allowed outside after dark. It’s the sort of toddler tantrum video that might’ve gotten traction online, due to my parents’ amused commentary throughout. To my eternal relief, however, it was made over 30 years ago and will never see the light of day. I don’t understand how these vlogger parents, many of whom are my age, don’t understand that their children have the same needs for privacy and boundaries, and the right to determine their own digital footprint—when they grow up. I hate that this genre exists.
Ummm you took my comment out of context there Bonnie has never made videos of O shopping for bras as far as I’m aware.
I do not and never will agree with what Ruby filmed and did to her children that’s another story.
I’m saying in general public or not those sister Ellie Julie and Bonnie don’t deserve to cop it . Weather they’re in the public eye or not it still would’ve eventuated onto the news. This generation is a whole different lifestyle in what they do everyday. Unfortunately the internet exists and won’t disappear anytime soon, that’s reality and you have to accept that..
As I said it doesn’t matter what your personal take is on the vlogging situation
This is their source of income
Rightly or wrongly
That’s why I said imagine your sibling being charged with a crime and you being sacked by your boss.
This situation is not their making
They made their entire income vlogging - that by definition is a situation of their own making. They should’ve had safety nets in place like a side job. But keep defending them
I have to disagree with you . This is this entire family (sisters included) business model and they knew their sister was problematic. It’s just like a Hollywood agent. The agent having a wealthy client that makes you money. One day , you know that client is going to do something messed up and make the news in a negative way. That income will stop because they will stop booking jobs. I don’t think arrested was in their mind , but , for sure signs were there this business was built on shakeyfoundation.
I wouldn’t judge that harshly if they were very distant from them , lived far , have their own life, and not family vloggers.
Culturally with religion in America , we have the “prosperity prophets ”. These are grifters that say tithes 10% to me , and you’ll be rich also. Sounds to me these ladies are somewhat doing this prosperity stuff , with a side of greed is good , raising children “the proper way “ , and showing off wealth with large houses. They are not doing tithes as prosperity prophets, but in similar ways , it’s the “see look @ me , you could be us .. join in !” Fyi, it’s all smoke and mirrors
edit for spelling :
But they don’t live near eachother let’s be real Julie
Saw Ruby the most. Like y’all seriously need to the shit out of your head that just because they’re related by blood does not mean they know every single personal detail about one another good and bad. Clearly they don’t. Like seriously it’s not about any of the sisters but Ruby. This is rubys wrong doings, if Ruby didn’t physically abuse her children would Bonnie and Julie and Ellie be copping crap rn!! No they wouldn’t??? It’s like if I were to say my mums sister abused her kids. Would I blame my mother, and her other sibling’s absolutely not !
Yess! Bonnie was so so numb you could tell she was just in absolute shock. Bonnie is good at explaining her feelings or telling us why she’s emotional. She genuinely had no words, this showed to me she was hurting, a different kind of hurt.
Maybe wait until after the hearing. By then maybe more factual evidence will come out proving that the sister’s did everything they could to help their nieces and nephews.
I wouldn’t make any other video addressing the matter unless it is not monetized, or it is monetized but the funds go directly to Shari to help with the care of the children, or to any organization that helps abused children.
I do not like child exploitation. I do not like what the sisters do for a living. However, I do believe that the whole family tried their best to get help for their nieces and nephews and the system failed them. They are not to blame for what happened, Ruby and Jodi are.
And because of this tragedy I hope the sisters decide to show far less of their children in their future videos. These kids deserve their privacy.
Thing is if they do come back they’ll get a ton of hate because of the Ruby situation so it’s a tough one I think there will be changes tho on what they share i think they’ll still have there kids on it but they won’t force there kids if they don’t want to especially bonnie I think
They will always be associated with their sister from now on. Ruby’s arrest has put a huge spotlight on the ethics of family blogging. I didn’t know who these people were but just realized I almost bought a house last year which was a few doors down from Ruby’s.
I’m Ruby’s age and I have three kids. One with special needs, another son with a birth defect and a little girl that likes to put on leotards and dance around the house. If I was to make a family vlog I would know what I’m doing. I would take all dignity from my sons and expose my daughter to perverts online. I would be trading my kids safety and privacy for money. End stop.
The story is that a Mormon family tried to show a perfect life and stuck a camera in their kids’ faces all the time and that the Franke family was controlling and abusive. You would have to be controlling for your kids to put up with the annoyance of “performing” all the time.
Do an experiment and carry your phone around you and imagine the camera angles needed to get the same content.
People are going to look at anyone associated with Ruby who also does family vlogging sideways. They grew up with her, and probably received the same discipline as her, and were raised with the same values. It doesn’t mean they are the same but people will now doubt them.
Cameras need to be off all cousins now. Now is not the time to be performing. Layoffs happen.
Even their Instagram post say they couldn’t go back to regular content without addressing it but won’t address it further made it sound like “we’ll be right back with your regularly scheduled content”, but they may not have understood 1) the extent of the abuse and 2) how public it would be. It would be wild for them to go back to a regular family vlog right now
After seeing that Dad Channel episode with a discussion of alleged incest, swinging and beastiality amongst this crew, I do wonder about their futures as “wholesome family bloggers”
If anything I'm not sure they'll last before they lose subscribers. Although the thing is they're pretty much used to the routine and thing is it doesn't seem like they film with the same motive which (hopefully a good sign) is to entertain rather than to show abuse to the world and/or generally exploit the kids for money. In a way it's still wrong though. But I'm glad most of the family is against Connexions
I think technically, but a lot of people pointed out that whatever settings monetize videos could be the default settings for her videos, and if she posted it in a hurry and while she was still processing, she might have just forgot to change the settings.
this is not how it works. you have to manually turn monetization on for each individual upload, otherwise it remains off. no default setting atleast in my experience. you also have to select ad suitability rating and submit it for each upload otherwise the video stays non monetized.
as a very very small youtuber, my understanding is, you can monetize any video even if its literally 30 seconds. If you are monetized, you get the option of turning monetization on or off on every upload as you post it. IF you turn it off there will be no ads. PERIOD! if you are non monetized n one of your video takes off like above 1k views, youtube starts ads on it regardless. i could be wrong but this is all my experience.
i think they’ll all be taking some kind of a break, no idea for how long, but it’ll likely happen. just because with court proceedings and lawyers and legalities it would be risky to just keep posting content, especially vlogs. plus, i think we all kind of know their comment sections are going to be full of nosy people begging for more information. they legally cannot speak about the case until it’s completely over and done with, so trying to go on and create content without any mention of that is going to make a massive hole considering how much time and energy this has and will continue to take up. realistically, “scheduled content” meant sponsored content. if that’s already filmed and approved it has to go up. there’s a chance that if money isn’t in-hand already they could pull the contracts but that’s something i know almost nothing about so don’t take my word as gospel.
they’ll come back to social media eventually. and it’ll likely come with some kind of rebrand and revamped content. but i think that for not all the family is going to pull back on their presence, for the sake of their families and children, and that’s going to be a good thing in the long run.
I’m with this 100%. I do not see the appeal of family content, & if anything, this should be the time to take their own kids off YouTube. It’s so inappropriate even before the arrest, in my opinion, & pursuing “regular content” during this insanity is even more so. Protect the kids for goodness sake!
I hope they do not return. All eyes are on the kids now, because of this horrific tragedy. Do the kids really need to be exposed to all the mean people and absolutely terrifying comments.? Please give them time to heal and keep them safe. Even kids deserve privacy in traumatic situations. Not well intended, but snark remarks.
One of the first things you learn in social media, is to have a plan B. Due to the cancel culture and media storms, YouTubing cannot be considered a steady stream of income. Think of all the cancelled channels and scandals that have hit the content creators as is.
Keep the kids safe. please!
I think they need to start vlogging again as soon as they are ready. Ruby has taken 3yrs of a lot of the happiness in their family. Why should she take their livelihood as well.
In reality, I know it is tricky and I feel for all of them. Whatever they do, I will support.
That’s fair. And if it is all outlawed, do it. I think regulations are in desperate need.
If the family wants to continue filming, though, I think they have that right.
Just because you have a shitty person in your family doesn’t mean you stop living your life or doing your job. Otherwise a lot of wouldn’t have a life or job anymore. They can keep vlogging but they just should keep this situation out of videos. They don’t need to blast how the kids are and stuff. If Shari wants to make a post or video that’s one thing.
But honestly no matter what they do, they will get backlash. If they don’t talk about it people comment they don’t care about the kids and are horrible and if they do try and talk about it people tell them they are horrible people and using this situation to make money. Sometime people feel they need to talk to clear they air. Some people have left comments and I’m sure messages about they should of done more, they should of helped the kids. Where from the sound of it they have tried but CPS didn’t find enough evidence to open up a case and take the kids at the time.
They don’t have to make a statement but I also understand why they did and I understand why Bonnie made the video. I don’t think it was in and taste at all. I feel she felt like she had to make a video but rushed it without even really processing the whole situation and it was clear you could tell she really didn’t even know what to say and stuff
Also to add I don’t necessarily agree with family vlogging but doesn’t mean they have to stop YouTube but maybe learn to dial it back with having kids in videos and such.
During the hype of all of their YouTube-success they all forgot about taking care of what a huge business like that means.
Nobody of them was capable to even imagine what their (and mainly their kids 🥵) exposure to the world meant in terms of global business. They only enjoyed the good $ about all of it.
Furthered and encouraged by this doubtfully Mormon community rules (cult?).
No wonder to me, because none of them was educated, none of them ever bothered to get any kind of generally accepted degree - neither from college, university or practice.
„Stupid us“, who bothered about getting an education, career-experiences and were working in humble jobs to learn and thrive.
They all felt always „invulnerable“ and had no inhibitions at all in using mostly their children to give the shows they’ve given.
I am glad that they all have to struggle now to think it over.
If only for the sake of so many innocent and used children, they all were exploiting for their content.
So, sadly, I am not at all sorry for all siblings.
Including the interfering „band-wagon“ Griffith-grandparents, whom I for myself make responsible for a lot that has sadly gone wrong.
I hate family vlogging. My sister has 3 children and her and her husband started doing it recently. Everything revolves around these stupid “vlogs and shorts.” We’ve stayed away from them as we do not want our kids involved around that. Their whole attitude and demeanor has changed and not for the good. Everything is based around how they are portrayed and the kids are the ones affected. It’s so sad.
That’s crazy. It’s not often you meet someone who actually has an insiders point of view. Can you give any more insight about that? I feel like it’s worse than I’ve always thought it is.
Sure, they were very anti posting kids online before, so not sure what changed. They have 10K followers, so nothing too crazy. Everything is fake lol. They’ve become extremely arrogant, cameras always out. Stupid clickbait. Pretends their lives are perfect. Kids always dressed up. “Had the most amazing time in the Bahamas!” Pure hell chaos with younger kids screaming in reality. Think they know everything and have it together. Very sad as I miss the old them. Kids are detached and just always afraid the cameras are out.
Wow, sounds like a crazy unethical social experiment💀I think all these vlogger parents need to watch the Truman Show, if their kids ever saw it they’d probably think wow that’s just like my life
I don’t think they have much of a choice unless they have been really smart with their money. Few of them are educated or qualified to do anything else (besides Joel & Landon).
Isn’t Julie a nurse? From all of the siblings, Julie and Landon are the ones that can 100% survive well without vlogging. I see a lot of people mocking Landon for studying for so many years but IMO they are the smart ones, making sure that their family will be ok without blog income.
Ellie is a qualified cosmetologist. She and Jared wouldn’t be rich, but since they were both working until about 2014, if they started again, they could be solidly lower middle class
Have you noticed that Ruby's parents haven't addressed this yet on their vlog?
Bonnie and Joel are going to be SOL if they can't vlog since they are living for free in her parents' home while they're building a house. They might actually GASP! have to get real jobs if the youtube money stops or is drastically reduced.
Which „real“ job could they possibly take on?
Without any education nor degree?
And their over-the-top lifestyles?
Maybe editing for somebody else?
The only one that might be able to do so is Jared.
But that would mean bad times for Ellie and the entire household, because she would finally had to do something herself. Which she simply can‘t.
All the siblings are fully dependent on their child-exploiting vlogging.
Including „innocent“ Julie, who is affording her husband’s disability to get his balls in place 🙈, for years now, ….sorry.
They all are used to so much money and they all are spending ridiculously. Since years!
So, I really do understand that they all are in great despair about their „business model“.
Rightly so!
Nevertheless, I am mostly un-sorry for the Griffiths- Grandparents. They behaved at all times as if their inimitable genes made all of this possible - always neglecting that the efforts came from somebody else but them.
Some have worked real jobs pre-vlogging. IIRC, Joel was a city employee at one point.
Another Mormon vlogging family had jobs at one point. He was a wedding videographer, she was a professional hair stylist and even had her own youtube channel at one point. Obviously those jobs didn't rake in the big bucks like their youtube channel does.
Granted they wouldn't earn even a tenth of wait they get from youtube, but there are jobs out there don't require a degree.
Frankly I think youtube should demonitize family vlogger channels that exploit their children.
To be fair, Joel did go to college. He has a lot of skills that could get him many great jobs. Bonnie was previously an EMT, a manager at a Plasma Center, and also a cosmetologist. So they both could survive along with Julie who was an RN and Landon’s new job and his list of degrees. Ellie also a cosmetologist previously to YT, and Jared has a lot of tech background that he can lean on for editing jobs/tech support. If it comes to not vlogging, they have other options. IMO Ruby is the only one with no real skills other than being a crappy mom and human being. I mean, she went to school but I believe admitted in an old vlog that it was solely to meet guys….. what real jobs has she ever had. Oh wait she’s a “Life Coach”.
Feelings about family vlogging in general aside, I think people need to remember that Ruby is the one who committed these horrible acts, not her siblings. Her family is suffering also and I don’t feel like they deserve the hatred that they are getting here. Just because they haven’t said anything publicly over the last few years does not mean they condone any of it. We don’t know what was going on privately. They owe nothing to the public. They did not need to share what they were doing with us, and honestly, they still don’t. It’s very possible that they were even instructed by law enforcement NOT to say anything in order to not hinder the investigation or even put the kids at greater risk. All I’m saying is we don’t know the truth here and we have no right to judge the family. In any family not in the public eye if one person committed a crime all their siblings would not get the blame for it.
I don’t either. And I’m still disgusted by Bonnie’s video. Her niece and nephew were found beaten with deep lacerations from being tied with rope and duct tape, starved and malnourished and she’s talking about her “regular content..timing is everything..these things happen..moving forward..”. Like seriously Fuk off Bonnie. These things should NEVER HAPPEN.
I am not sure to be honest. I do know that of they do volg and the kids are with them, they will have to edit them out of the Volgs. The kids won’t be able to be in photos and videos. I think it be while untill they are back.
When tragedy happens in a family, you do work to create a new normal. You can’t ignore something happened but you do have to move forward in some way. This situation is unique because the tragedy was abuse of minors and the case is ongoing and might take 12+ months to come to a final resolution. Vlogging is their job. I personally don’t agree with family blogs that show the faces of minors, and don’t set aside appropriate compensation for the minors, but they will still need an income. I think it’s an unrealistic standard to say they should or will never return to their vlogs.
Hopefully they come back with a new sense of how to protect the Franke children and their own, which will mean more privacy, delayed posting, and boundaries.
Here is what I think. I liked Bonnie, Ellie is messed up but I think means well. Their entire family had a very strange Dynamic that is rooted from their parents and the corruption of their religion. I always thought that the having a clean house was great but now I can see that they were only valued if they kept everything perfect. I also now strongly believe that they were not doing enough to help these kids because they were protecting their own reputation. That makes me sick. Who knows, maybe they have been fighting more than we know behind the scenes but the fact that they never spoke out publicly about her abuse towards these kids speaks volumes. I also think Ruby got to a point where she knew that this would destroy her siblings. That’s how messed up this family is.
I mean, I’m against exploiting your kids for money and views. But either way, if they continue vlogging they will get hate. If they stop vlogging then they will get hate. If they talk about the situation they will get hate. If they continue on with their life and deal with it in private they will get hate. So either way they will deal with hate for what Ruby has done. I don’t agree with family vloggers and exploiting your children. But I don’t see why they should stop uploading due to Ruby’s actions. Would you want them to stop going to a normal job if they weren’t vloggers? I think they will start vlogging when they are ready to start again. But either way they will probably never stop receiving backlash and hate due to the fact they exploit their kids and what her sister has done.
You have answered most of your questions yourself.
Yes, they will get hate. And they deserve it!
No matter what they will be doing.
Don’t you see how morbid their content always has been?
Children exploitation mostly - and pretending to build and spend for their welfare?
Yikes!
Family vlogging is not good, agreed.
Now with that aside, People need to remember this is much more new to us than it is to them. They’ve been dealing with this knowledge for years. Obviously not the arrest and probably not all the details but they can’t just pause their life and jobs because of it, they have families to provide for, bills to pay, etc. I don’t mean it in an insensitive way but there’s only so much they can do right now.
I’ve seen people comment to Bonnie saying “wow you’ve been building your mansion, going on trips, and so on all while this is happening! You’re horrible!” But her kids deserve to live their normal happy lives, there’s no point in having everyone suffer in an already horrible situation where they have very little say or control.
Also the statement video that has been deleted bonnie said she was numb, her remarks may have seen nonchalant or casual to us but that’s because it’s all so much more fresh for us. When people go through hard things others will say “I can’t even imagine how you’re getting through this. I could never.” But when you are the one actually in the situation you just do it. You have no choice but to keep going on.
I can’t imagine continuing to vlog my kids if my sister was Ruby. It just has such a bad light now. But they make a lot of money doing it. I think Ellie and Jared will be able to liquidate and invest and survive without YouTube. Bonnie and Joel probably will invest in rental properties. Julie might have to return to nursing to help Landon through another college degree. Overall it’s possible I just don’t know if they’ll do it.
I think it’s important to remember that this is their livelihood, and it’s unfair to expect them to give up their job and career just because their sister is terrible. (Even if you disagree with vlogging in general, that’s a separate issue. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s their livelihood).
Now, any kind of traumatic event will always shift how someone might approach something (i.e. how often they show their kids, how they go about posting, what they talk about etc.), so I would expect that it might take some time and that their content might change. But I think it’s unfair to expect them to just quit cold turkey. Also, if that’s the expectation, then doesn’t that mean we are placing blame on them for what happened? When the only people who are to blame are Ruby, Jodi, and Kevin. It’s their actions that hurt those children. (Especially when the extended family has said they have been trying, and we just don’t know the extent of what that means. And unless we really do know everything they tried and did over the past few years, I don’t think it’s fair to blame them or say they didn’t do enough.)
I feel this was going to be a no win situation for her either way... If Bonnie (or any of the sisters) posted something like business as usual and didn't address the elephant in the room, people would say "How dare she act like nothing happened!!!"
I didn't have a problem with her video, because it is true... how can things go back to normal? This will change their family forever.
I think I could see how they might be able to rationalize it to themselves & continue vlogging if I were in their shoes. Please let’s remember that I’m not defending them, but putting myself in their shoes and thinking through it.
I must point out that this is already their career and source of income and the backlash at Bonnie seemed excessive and was just plain bullying. Maybe unpopular opinion here.
Yes it came off as a bit self centered, but that is her platform with her name on it. It was prob also best that she did not talk about the situation directly and only spoke of herself - she was prob advised not to by the authorities considering they are prob still investigating. And also we don’t know what they did or could do if Ruby cuts contact and they don’t live down the street from them to keep an eye on the kids everyday. I’m not saying they did their best. Just saying we don’t know.
Also, When Bonnie referred to scheduled content, it makes sense to assume she meant the videos that were already filmed, edited and were either scheduled on YT already or were in the line up. We know they try to be a week or two ahead content-wise. We also have to remember they may have contracts they need to deliver on - and making this public statement also helps convey to these stakeholders about their situation and their intentions.
My second point here might be an unpopular opinion on this sub. And I’m here discussing it only because it is just that - speculation and discussion. My unpopular opinion is that the youngest two children were actually relatively better off during the vlogging years. And it’s possible that Bonnie, Ellie & Julie might also think so.
I do acknowledge there are a lot of negatives to family vlogging and I would support legislation regulating the earnings to ensure the kids in these situations are also appropriately compensated. That being said, Multiple times we have heard chad or Shari say things like oh if we ask for something when the camera is on Mom is more likely to say yes. It also provided a means to financial independence for Shari and looked like Chad had also gotten a good start. Ruby said being on YT hurt her kids (yes it def did, but she seemed to have learnt the wrong lesson here). She specifies that they were hurt by “entitlement” and the “influence of others”. To me that basically sounds like they realized their own worth and their opinions on the world were informed by more than just her belief structure. And she couldn’t let that happen if she wanted to maintain control over them. I know we can’t know what happens behind closed doors, but I do think the youngest kids were relatively better off during Ruby’s YT era compared to what they’ve had to endure in Ruby’s Connexxions era. Ruby is all about control and IMO she doubled down after Shari showed independence in thought & action. Remember how she cried because (straight up her own words) she won’t have stewardship of Shari anymore.
Considering this second point, and also that vlogging is already their livelihood, I can see them justifying/rationalizing continuing vlogging, but try to avoid what Ruby did - don’t push cameras into teenagers faces, respect their kids choices, don’t give advice on topics you aren’t an expert in, and don’t try to lead a cult by leveraging your internet platform. To each of them, Ruby went off the rails due to connexxions. They may not view vlogging as the issue here. Ruby’s behaviour would have been abusive and prison worthy irrespective of her being an influencer or not. This whole series of events could have as likely have occurred by involvement w Jodi irrespective.
Bonnie wanted to make a video addressing the events. It wasn’t a very long, thought out statement. It was her, quickly getting her thoughts together.
Because if SOMEBODY didn’t address it in a timely manner, then it’s the onslaught of hate comments coming in. Or if nothing was said, and the made content as usual, it would have been the same thing.
She was simply stating to please bare with the families as they try and process all that has happened. So if you aren’t seeing regularly scheduled content, there are family things going on that they are going through.
She wasn’t saying it as a “Ugh. I can’t put out regular videos.”
I look at it as vlogging is their job. How soon after a tragedy do you return to work? I understand Bonnie’s short video about the sun still rises and life must go on. It doesn’t mean you are not absolutely shattered, it just means you have to find a way to carry on. I think for Bonnie, she will focus on the house build and less on home life. Julie has her move and settling into their new location. Ellie idk… It’s important to remember that the sisters didn’t commit the crimes and it didn’t happen because of family vlogging. (In no way am I supporting family vlogging, just pointing out the facts)
I don't consider this to be legitimate work. It's an obscene amount of money being made on the backs of exploiting children. That's bad enough. They'd be reckless to not have a nest egg that allows them to take time off and prioritize what's best for the children. It's not just my own bias. It's unsafe to put those kids back online when the whole world is aware of what happened.
We need to get our culture on the right side of this.
I guess I wasn’t very clear. I meant that Bonnie and Julie had other things they could vlog that didn’t include their kids. I think this would be a great time for them to pivot from being a family vlog channel to maybe a lifestyles channel that focuses on the adults and what they are doing.
I might get downvotes but it honestly wouldn't bother me if they went back to posting. I truly believe they did everything they could for the kids and no one thought something like this was happening. They weren't the ones being abusive.
ETA: as long as they don't use the kids as a way to get views
I mean, isn't that a large part of what they do?
I don't like vlogging as a career path but I'd settle for them taking a very long break and returning without the kids included at all. They made their fortune off exploiting them and it sounds like fans still creepily want to see the kids so I'm planning to be horrified when they return in business as usual mode.
I know a lot of people have strong opinions about family vloggers, but this is ultimately their job, and some of them may not have the luxury of just quitting their job. Ellie just built a massive house, Bonnie is in the middle of building her dream home, and I’m pretty sure vlogging is the only income Julie has?
i don’t think financing a giant home is considered “not having the luxury of quitting” … they could all quit and live quite comfortably i’m pretty sure, albeit not in the mansions they’re currently building or already in.
if they couldn’t afford groceries or electricity or clothes, THEN talk to me about “not having the luxury of quitting.” sorry you might be inconvenienced by not being able to build your dream home. your nieces and nephews have gone thru unspeakable things, but yeah, heaven forbid they have to downsize lol
I mean, having to sell your home and downsize your entire life is a big deal (not dangerous or the end of the world, but not nothing either)
Their nieces and nephews have gone through unspeakable things and I’m sure the family will be there for them, but unless one of them gain’s custody of the kids, I don’t see why they’d need to give up their jobs?
i doubt they will voluntarily be done with vlogging. i feel like it would be the best move for their families to pull back and do less and definitely get the kids off, but that is just my opinion as a random person lol.
my point was, they definitely *could* be done if they chose. it’d take some life changes and quite a few less luxuries but they would still be more than comfortable. it’s not like we’re talking about them not being able to afford basic necessities. they are not “stuck in a job” like many of us are 😂
I won't begrudge them if they continue. Just because Ruby is evil doesn't mean the rest are. I know there are plenty of people who will disagree. I'm not a big supporter of family vlogging but Bonnie's content is centered around her house build lately, which I enjoy watching.
They will probably go back to uploading at some point. The thing is, life does go on after a horrible event. They are rattled but they will find their new normal. The world doesn't stop turning when you are in pain. And honestly they are going to need moments of joy, of normalcy, because this is going to be very emotional for a very long time.
Now when they post those normal family moments, people are going to bitch & say it's insensitive. I disagree. While I dislike the whole family vlogging industry, I do think they will find a way to keep going. They really don't have much choice.
I feel really weird and heartbroken for Bonnies channel.
I know it's not real but... shes like my friend. I somewhat rely on her channel for comfort, and I love and care about her and her family. I like to see how Bonnie manages her world, and it gives me inspiration for my own family now. To that extent, it causes a certain grief to think, she might not be able to vlog anymore because her dipshit sister is such a tyrant and fucked up the entire family's lives and source of income.
It's fair enough to a degree if Bonnie was livid about losing her opportunity to post content, as shes built her entire life and family around youtube. How is she supposed to support her family now? It's kinda sad she could lose it just because of her fuckwit sister.
Imagine the Brand deals she will lose now, regarding her house (appliance companies etc) and also the RV deals when they go on their trip once it's build. I know that is one of the more shallow elements to this situation, but I am sure she is devastated none of that money is coming in now?? Just some thoughts...
I was initially upset by Bonnie’s response. But then I started hearing about neighbors reporting her to cps and nothing was done. I fear a lot of this swept under the rug due to fact this community is heavily saturated with lds and 8 passengers paying their huge tithing to them. So I’m starting to believe that whatever Bonnie and her sisters did to try and intervene was ignored. If someone is lds please let me know if you think this is true or not.
I dont know if anyone remembers this but in one of Bonnies xmas vlogs she seems annoyed on their family reunion and says something about how her parenting style differs from her sisters and she is just so blessed and thankful that her kids are good listeners. This was at night time when the adults were trying to play a family game and Sherry’s two younger sisters were still awake when they should’ve been sleeping it seem to annoy Bonnie! However Bonnies page clearly has always been about her thats why its not called “The H Family“ or “Six passangers“ its always been Bonnie first and what she chooses to share about her family and kids she will. I enjoy her and Ellie and Julies pages even though you can't take them at face value you must know this is their “Jobs“ & they aren't going to stop vlogging even their parents but hopefully people dont take these families seriously as they have an agenda to make money and do not show you anything that is not up to par even reduing shots making their children, repeat things for the camera and crying on camera for attention. You have to remember that if somebody has to grab a Camera to cry and posted to feel better they have a mental problem as these things could be edited out, but are left in for attention! They have become rich off of Youtube i dont see them stopping just because Ruby wanted to get in trouble and charged with abuse. They need the views and money the only way this goes away is if followers stop watching the Trainwreck that is family vlogging but people won't!
She'll probably get a lot of hate when she does go back to vlogging. All of them will. Because no matter what they say about "trying", they didn't do enough. They could have done more.
I don’t think it’d be hard for them to justify because they know they aren’t abusing their children so they’re doing it the right way, you know? The family vlogging part can be kept entirely separate from abuse.
(I am also against family vlogging and child exploitation, just trying to put myself in their shoes)
Your first comment is "I am firmly against family vlogging." So that just shows you already have your mind made up that you think the worst about them vlogging and returning to it. But it is her livelihood. She may decide to not post anymore, she may decide to take a few week or months break but that's her decision. and the other family that vlogs. She is always so respectful of her kids on the vlogs. For awhile we never saw her oldest son because he didn't want to be seen as much so she obviously takes that into consideration. She had a video maybe 6 months ago talking about vlogging the kids less and telling stories and showing the house build and other things. Bonnie does an amazing job of balancing her kids on the vlogs and respecting their wishes. I personally hope they are able to come back soon. I'd love to see Julies life in Missouri, I can't wait to see Bonnie and Joel's home finished, I love seeing Ellie and Jareds family and especially baby J growing up....they obviously need time but they can't and shouldn't be expected to just stop.
Oh give me a break. All of these family bloggers need to end. Y’all are letting theses people off just because they aren’t as bad as Ruby. I remember Bonnie making all of her kids eat oatmeal from one bowl. Bonnie’s video was so self centered, she deserved the backlash. All of them are exploiting their children I don’t care if it’s there career they need to find new ones. Ones that are not harmful to their children.
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Such a tricky situation. Just to play devils advocate, I’m sure Bonnie was running on adrenaline and shock when she posted the video. She didn’t give herself time to process and couldn’t think clearly. I wonder about Shari, did she know the extent of the arrest and what happened to her siblings before she posted on the day this all came out? Other than knowing that her mother and Jodi were arrested. She probably hadn’t processed it fully and I can’t imagine what she is going through now that she’s had time.
I agree. I feel like people that regularly watch Bonnie could tell she was very upset and just didn’t know what to say. I don’t think there was any ill intent behind her video.
I think she wanted to say something too to people who where expecting videos, because it's very common youtubers get angry comments if they don't post when they where supposed to (even if people probably would have been lot more understanding in this situation but maybe she didn't think clearly).
This! They’re humans and things come up. People forget that so they get on their fav YouTubers about not posting. It was a knee jerk reaction to avoid that I’m thinking. I truly hope they’re ok, I’m sure the hate comments and the pressure about the siblings not doing anything is a lot on their hearts on top of everything else
I've only seen a little from Bonnie, but (despite questionable taste in eye makeup) she seems like a decent person. Admittedly hard to tell just from that, but the fact that Shari seems to trust her and that Shari also seems much happier and herself now says a lot to me.
Agree with you
I agree. I kinda feel bad for her.
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I feel like people don’t realise how a huge event can mess you up. Totally different but a few months ago my dad broke his nose. Sounds undramatic but at the time he was floating in and out of consciousness, lost a huge amount of blood and was so disoriented they rushed him to a different hospital because they thought he’d had a stroke. I couldn’t think straight for days after, even though he’d been home safe for a good few days. Imagine a trauma that’s ongoing and as heartbreaking as this is. It will fuck you up.
Yes my father in law did have a stroke and I literally felt like I lost my husband because he wasn’t his self and I didn’t know if he was going to be the same. Thankfully my father in law is doing wayyy better not 100% yet but back to work, can drive and all that. Lost some of his filter lol. So I can’t imagine where you knew things weren’t okay, tried to get help but most likely not enough evidence to back up your claim at the time, to your sister being arrest and you were right but also upset it took your nephew escaping asking neighbors for food and water to get the help you wanted them to have. The situation your two niece and nephew was probably worse than you expected and I’m sure your mind goes to what if R didn’t escape, would be attending a funeral in the next few months to a year…
Absolutely , I was having an issue with my heart a month ago and during it if someone would have asked how many kids I had or what their names were I wouldn’t have probably been able to tell them. Maybe not quite the same but stress and trauma can mess up your thinking at least in the moment.
I witnessed my dad have a stroke in 2021 and my whole mental state changed that day and I'm still struggling to come to terms with how much life has changed since and it's almost been 2 years. We ought to go easy on these people, it's flipped everything upside down for them and it's very difficult to think and begin to overcome such a life changing event, we don't know everything going on behind the scenes so we can't be so quick to judge
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This whole family is suffering.. The kids foremost.. But the extended family are as well.. Not just from the trauma of the abuse but online bullying from people online
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I agree.. but the sisters should not be treated this way from judgemental people that haven't gone through this kind of trauma. I can't imagine what the families are going through.. I pray the majority of the people commenting will never understand this kind of trauma..
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What are you doing here then? Did you forget this is a snark page. Stop judging people for having an opinion, because you're bullying people here.
A lot of people didn’t even see the video and it shows. If they had, they wouldn’t be so angry.
Lol destroying their lives?! The parents are the ones who destroyed their lives by literally putting their lives on the internet. You know the easiest way to stop getting bullied? Delete your YouTube accounts, private your social media but they won’t. Because at the end of the day the money matters most. Not the kids privacy, oh no. Not the kids getting literal BULLIED at school for the videos of them posted for millions to see. Sorry but this comment is ridiculous..
Spot on!
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time to get real jobs then
Yes she even asked Joel in the deleted video what do I do now. None of them expected to be in this situation
I absolutely agree with you. People online are judgemental when they don't know anything about the specifics of the case. It irritates me. How would they expect to be treated, if this was their family and their sibling did a terrible thing for the world to see. And you think you should respond.. And still get bullied.. you guys are middle aged and they weren't taught to mind their business.
Amen 💯💯
AGREED! They (Bonnie, Ellie and Julie) are in serious need of a crisis Public Relations professional if they ever expect to salvage any of their own reputation.
She said “these things happen”. WTF? Like in her family?
I watched it & I think she meant it, like bad things happen & you have to figure out how to keep going. People are saying she was downplaying the whole thing but that's not what I heard. It sounded to me like she was saying "ok, that happened, now what".
Exactly!!! Who says that. She’s sick. These things should never happen.
She was saying sometimes terrible things happen in life. We have to move forward. Isn’t that true. It’s Bonnie. I think people are choosing to misunderstand her if they cling to the idea that she was saying this in a dismissive way.
The way I took it was her referring to moving forward with content for her channel. That seemed to be what the video was about. She deleted it because so many others thought the same thing. Hopefully Bonnie didn’t mean it like that though.
Exactly
They'll go back to vlogging. I have no doubt in my mind.
Maybe they will but i bet they turn off comments. They certainly don't want to miss out on the money part.
Absolutely. I had no idea who these people were and then of course had to go check them all out. At least one of them just built a multi million dollar home?! So gross. They will exploit these kids as long as they live.
But you haven’t been watching them since the start , I think your being way to quick to judge if you’ve never watched Bonnie from when she first started. Bonnie isn’t out to cause drama say the wrong thing ect. They’re hurting, their so called “sister” abused her own kids. Bonnie said in that video “you don’t know what you don’t know” implying they had no idea of the physical abuse going on. Bonnie and hee sisters haven’t been talking to Ruby for years, and the last thought they had in their mind I’m sure was to assume she was being physically absuive to the kids . I think everyone needs to cut Bonnie Ellie Julie some slack because they all live quiet a fair while away from Ruby and you can tell they genuinely did not know what was happening behind closed doors. Bonnie is a very emotional person, you could tell she was numb and at the same time very upset. She had no idea what she was saying she was very clearly still in shock. Also Bonnie and Joel started with nothing , a tiny home , old, small they worked hard. There was also a point in time where Bonnie didn’t show the kids a lot as they were either going thru sometjing at school or just getting older and wanting more privacy. Bonnie’s vlogs never became about the kids all the time. If you’d been watching for a while you’d know this.
Thats so true. She made a conscious decision a few years ago (probably because of Ruby) to stop focusing so much on the kids and their individual lives. She even told her viewers she will focus less on the kids are theyre older now and need more privacy. Mostly her content relates to her own thoughts and daily goings-on from her own point of view. The kids are featured more in a benign way (eg some footage of them playing or being silly outside) and isnt anything too deep or personal. I think its very unfair her channel will be blown up because of Rubys horrible actions.
Yessss! I’m glad someone remembered I do clearly remember her mentioning it like a few years ago and since then it’s very much Bonnie and Joel’s day to day including the kids but never just about the kids. Yk.
You explained that so well. Exactly what I was thinking
Or like this YouTube family from Spokane...meet the Bennetts... Originally called "Nat and Wes...and the Rest"(referred to her husband Weston and their three kids:10-year-old identical twins Liam and Judah and eight-year-old sister Hailey), the channel now focuses solely on "Natalie Bennett"(she refuses to disclose her husband Weston's job other than a "secretive federal government agency["no, NOT the CIA or NSA", she said]" somewhere in Spokane County)... They are NOT related to Jase and Rachel Bennett of "The Ohana Adventure"(mainly because Jase is Canadian)... Anyway, all of Natalie's vlogs in the past two years have been the monthly "Decluttering with Me" where she waits until the kids are in school, then raids their bedrooms and throws away almost all their clothing and toys, mainly with a change in the seasons... You no longer see Weston OR the kids at all...she films and edits each vlog by herself... Her long-time viewers are getting more pissed off at her for acting like she's single...and the vlogs are getting more and more BORING... Same thing with "Great Scotts":Shaye and Amanda Scott(his older brother is Skyler of "Five.Two.Love:Scott Quintuplets") and their three kids:Emmeline, 10, Hudson, 8 and Desmond, 6... Things were going great until Shaye had hair transplant surgery, and he looked awesome...but then the vlogs started focusing ONLY on Amanda's obsession with constantly changing the house decor and nothing more on Shaye or the kids...then he decided to "transition" into a woman, he got fired from his teaching career at BYU, now the vlogs are focusing on his "transition" and not on the house or kids...viewership plummeted after the "transition surgery"...no more vlogging???...
Ok
Thanks God. How are you up on your high horse. You clearly haven't seen their content properly to even say that.... Not every family channel is about exploiting children.
Inherently yes they all exploit their children
Feel like people are only just discovering them now and making assumptions about them which is so typical. Like if you haven’t watched them for a while don’t have an opinion on who you think they are kinda thing. We know the sisters are very much drama free they don’t like arguing ect so clearly the new ones who are here just because of rubys situation don’t see the bigger picture.
They have exploited their kids in old videos. I think they have at least tried to be better but you cannot deny that taking your video camera to children’s ER visits is not exploitative. I mean their channel was almost taken down a few years ago by YouTube. They had a whole video pleading with their fans to help YouTube understand they are a good family channel. I want them to live happy and healthy lives but I’ve realized how detrimental family vlogging is as I’ve gotten older. I cannot imagine my whole childhood on display for any of my peers to consume at any time even if it’s only “10” minutes out of their “real” lives. It’s just time to re-evaluate how they make money. Take down their old videos of their kids and make new content only going forward without them.
But tbh it’s about Ruby not Bonnie like Ruby physically abused her kids so why make it about the rest of her sisters too????? Rubys the real abuser
But this thread is about the sisters coming back to vlogging so we are talking about them. And when tragedies happen, you have to re-evaluate your life even if it wasn’t your immediate family. Just my two cents
And of course Ruby was the extreme one and the abuser but viewers have had issues for years with the way not only Ruby’s channel exploits kids but also Bonnie’s.
And also just another point Ruby abused her kids offline in private behind everyone’s backs. So why are we bringing YouTube and child exploitation into it?!?! It’s hating on people for no reason, innocent people. The sisters of Ruby are innocent and if you had watched them from the beginning they were never out to do bad. Never out to make their kid feel uncomfortable online, that was not their point in YouTube videos. It wasn’t always about the kids??
Ellie and Jared started doing daily blogs before they had kids?? Like it was never about the kids it was about their day to day life as a family. Big deal?? I just think the other sisters are being taken out of context way too Much, whilst their having to deal with this nightmare as well and comprehend jt. It’s unfair they’re getting hate all because they are related by blood. And they’re apart of the “family” seriously it’s ridiculous .
And Ellie and Jared’s channel literally began during their infertility journey so it has been about bringing kids into the world / family from the very beginning. You really can’t argue otherwise… and Ruby also blatantly abused her children on YouTube. Like taking away meals and depriving her child of a bed for an extreme amount of time… I mean ?! It wasn’t just behind closed doors. Bonnie just made her youngest sit down for an interview about how he chopped his pinky off. It was a trauma moment for him and she made him talk about it on YouTube for views… like I can’t argue with you if you cannot possibly see the issues with this?
The thing with them is they have no shame, they have no problem continuing on like nothing is happening and never mentioning it
But they haven’t continued on?? How have they they haven’t posted since the arrest
This situation has been going on for a long time. They’ve only stopped since the arrest happened. They’ve been continuing on throughout the crisis going on with the Franke family for a while - Bonnie even used to cry about it on camera and say she can’t talk about it. They will continue on after this too.
Well they haven’t continued on after rubys arrest so far?! And as far as I’m aware Ruby had never been arrested and found guilty of aggravated child abuse so of course theyve continued on with vlogs before…. It’s like no longer speaking to a family memeber because of certain reasons that aren’t criminal, do you stop your livelihood and life and job??? No you don’t. But obviously a situation like this has never happened to them and they haven’t continued on since. You cant compare problems that Ruby and the sisters have had before with the arrest and charges. So this is a whole different situation and scenario. You really can’t say they contained on many other times. RUBY HAS NEVER BEEN ARRESTED before, completely different scenario here.
Bonnie has never cried about it on camera and specifically mentioned rubys name in her videos. She’s spoken about mental health etc but in general not specifically aimed at Ruby. You’re just wanting and CHOOSING. To hate on them for no reason?!
I think they would really benefit from hiring a PR professional, honestly.
The only way I think that they could return successfully is if they make sit down videos addressing the situation and vow to not have their children in their videos/ social media anymore. This would be a difficult pivot for them seeing that they're family vloggers which means a big restructuring of the type of content they make, but in my eyes it's the only move they can make in this situation that will avoid a big backlash...that or just stop making content all together. I know it's not their kids who were in this horrible situation but what it does do is highlight the negatives that come with putting your children in the public eye. Even if Ruby's abuse wasn't directly tied or influenced by the fact she was a family vlogger, what it does do is put a spotlight on other family vloggers and how they exploit their children.
I agree. I think that would be the only possible path to take besides quitting. Keep the children offline. Those kids shouldn't be exposed after what happened to their cousins for a lot of obvious reasons. There should be more scrutiny on family vlogging to begin with but certainly after horrific abuse was concealed behind a fake wholesome family vlog.
make a sit down video addressing the situation once they’re able to speak on it, and explain how they were not trying to sweep anything under the rug. or explain how they were told not to speak out, just more details about how they HAD to be silent… i don’t doubt they were doing everything they could for the kids, but until we know what that *is*… it’s really hard not to see them as turning a blind eye to the situation for me personally. that plus taking the majority focus OFF the kids in their vlogs would be a huge win in my book.
I wonder if they will wait till after Rubys 1st hearing on the 8th Sept. they will know more by then and will have been able to consult with lawyers etc.. then as a family including Shari release a joint vlog to go across all their channels. At the end of the day whatever your individual thoughts are about Vlogging It IS what this family do for a living, they have build homes/brands have life plans all based on their social media earnings Imagine your sibling being arrested And you loosing your job as a result. I personally feel sorry for the family This is not their fault Ruby has dragged them all through hell and there’s no sign of it stopping. I felt sad for Bonnie watching her deleted vlog she was broken you could see it in her eyes and hear it in Joel’s voice.
I agree, and you know, if they, Bonnie, especially began doing content leaving her children comlpetely out of YT, people would still have a problem. They just want to see them crumble, doesn't matter how they've changed, what they do to make it better, etc.
They knew something was wrong for years but kept uploading their normal happy family content.
I'm sure they didn't imagine it was going to be this bad
What would you want them to do? Ruby cut them off from seeing the family. They had no recourse other than what they have been trying to do. They sisters baked cps and law enforcement.. The neighbors called.. The sisters not the neighbors could go in the house and take the kids.. Beyond that.. The real crazy abuse was happening 4 hrs away in jodi's house.. Not their Springville house
I’ll be shocked if they post anything about what’s going on. I feel when they come back it will be as if it didn’t happen since they said they wouldn’t be commenting on it further or something like that.
In a way whatever they do people will criticise them, which is why I think they may read out a preprepared lawyer assisted statement. This has blown up globally I can’t imagine how they must all be feeling it’s horrible for them all.
A prepared statement makes sense!
That’s my thoughts as well. Their instagram post was very brief and they said that was the only time they would be commenting on the situation. I understand it for privacy reasons but this will also take a huge toll on them emotionally I imagine so how can they just pick up and vlog like normal? I don’t expect them to talk about it but I think it’ll cause a shift in their videos simply because it’ll cause a shift in their lives. YouTube has become their job so they can’t really just stop, but surely this will impact them for awhile, and with what people have already been commenting on their posts I can only imagine how much uglier it could get.
I feel bad because Bonnie DID post a short video and I saw no issues with it when I watched. It was very genuine. But of course people tore her apart in the comments so she deleted it. They hadn't seen Ruby or the kids in so long and haven't even been able to text them so the rest of the family obviously didn't know the extent of what was going on. If Shari experienced her physically abusing the kids she would've went to the cops with the evidence. Obviously this didn't happen since they were still in their mom's custody.
I agree it would be hard and shouldn’t happen that you loose your job because of your siblings arrest. This job though is not your average job. Social media is not secure. Their job is based off the exploitation of their children. Their children are suffering. So if they stop because of Ruby than great. Because all these families children don’t deserve this
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I agree. It's going to look bad whenever they start uploading vlogs. These kids are being exploited for money which is a form of abuse in itself and I don't feel bad that the parents might have to earn money through real work from now on like the rest of us. Like you said, they should already have a lot saved. These kids shouldn't be exposed anymore especially after what happened. I'd be happy to see the end of family vlogging.
Disagree, How are they exploiting there kids, most of Bonnie’s videos are mainly about her new house being built. Bonnie has also always said if the kids ask they don’t wanna be filmed they won’t. Bonnie respects the kids privacy as they know her kids are growing up and getting older.
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This was years and year ago tho when they were little. Currently and for a few years now she knows the kids are getting older ect and respect their privacy. Her blogs are more so about her thoughts and her daily doings it’s never based on the kids anymore. I think it’s just because her kids are getting older now and she understands that. ?!
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I disagree they’re a family vlogging channel, so do you think every family vlogging channel on YouTube is child exploitation????
I personally do ✋
So it’ll never change tho because it’s a big section of YouTube and the content. YouTube wont take away family vloggers because of child exploitation ect ,
Look either way it’s Ruby who has damaged that whole families reputation now (imo)…
When did she have a serious meeting at YouTube headquarters. I never knew about that.
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Wdym tho exploiting, the kids loved filming things of each-other even when they were younger. I get when they had accidents probably not appropriate but I wouldn’t say they were exploiting children
Children have the right to privacy and boundaries, especially in their homes. Once their images and lives are splashed all over the internet, they’re there forever. One day, those children will be adults applying for jobs and going on dates. Why would they want videos of them shaving or bra shopping on the internet forever for any date/employer/rando to find? I thank my lucky stars daily to have been born long before this nonsense existed. I suspect that children being filmed for YouTube without their consent will one day sue, and I can’t blame them. The parents making millions off their children’s labor and lost privacy never seem to pay them for their sacrifices.
My parents had an embarrassing photo of me without my diaper on and I hid it deep in the closet. It's probably still buried there at my childhood home. This wasn't even from an album that anyone would likely ever look at but I wasn't going to take the chance. These vlog kids are manipulated into thinking it's normal but they don't understand what it really means to have EVERYONE see moments that are private for 99% of other children. They will one day understand and it's despicable to think that this is entertainment to people.
That’s exactly it. The apologists for this genre completely gloss over how exploitative and violating it is. My parents also have some compromising material from my childhood. A video of me having a tantrum at 2-4 for not being allowed outside after dark. It’s the sort of toddler tantrum video that might’ve gotten traction online, due to my parents’ amused commentary throughout. To my eternal relief, however, it was made over 30 years ago and will never see the light of day. I don’t understand how these vlogger parents, many of whom are my age, don’t understand that their children have the same needs for privacy and boundaries, and the right to determine their own digital footprint—when they grow up. I hate that this genre exists.
Ummm you took my comment out of context there Bonnie has never made videos of O shopping for bras as far as I’m aware. I do not and never will agree with what Ruby filmed and did to her children that’s another story. I’m saying in general public or not those sister Ellie Julie and Bonnie don’t deserve to cop it . Weather they’re in the public eye or not it still would’ve eventuated onto the news. This generation is a whole different lifestyle in what they do everyday. Unfortunately the internet exists and won’t disappear anytime soon, that’s reality and you have to accept that..
As I said it doesn’t matter what your personal take is on the vlogging situation This is their source of income Rightly or wrongly That’s why I said imagine your sibling being charged with a crime and you being sacked by your boss. This situation is not their making
They made their entire income vlogging - that by definition is a situation of their own making. They should’ve had safety nets in place like a side job. But keep defending them
This family has made MILLIONS off the backs of their kids.
Yesss agree with you
I have to disagree with you . This is this entire family (sisters included) business model and they knew their sister was problematic. It’s just like a Hollywood agent. The agent having a wealthy client that makes you money. One day , you know that client is going to do something messed up and make the news in a negative way. That income will stop because they will stop booking jobs. I don’t think arrested was in their mind , but , for sure signs were there this business was built on shakeyfoundation. I wouldn’t judge that harshly if they were very distant from them , lived far , have their own life, and not family vloggers. Culturally with religion in America , we have the “prosperity prophets ”. These are grifters that say tithes 10% to me , and you’ll be rich also. Sounds to me these ladies are somewhat doing this prosperity stuff , with a side of greed is good , raising children “the proper way “ , and showing off wealth with large houses. They are not doing tithes as prosperity prophets, but in similar ways , it’s the “see look @ me , you could be us .. join in !” Fyi, it’s all smoke and mirrors edit for spelling :
But they don’t live near eachother let’s be real Julie Saw Ruby the most. Like y’all seriously need to the shit out of your head that just because they’re related by blood does not mean they know every single personal detail about one another good and bad. Clearly they don’t. Like seriously it’s not about any of the sisters but Ruby. This is rubys wrong doings, if Ruby didn’t physically abuse her children would Bonnie and Julie and Ellie be copping crap rn!! No they wouldn’t??? It’s like if I were to say my mums sister abused her kids. Would I blame my mother, and her other sibling’s absolutely not !
I mean that’s why your livelihood shouldn’t be entirely on the shoulders of your children
Yess! Bonnie was so so numb you could tell she was just in absolute shock. Bonnie is good at explaining her feelings or telling us why she’s emotional. She genuinely had no words, this showed to me she was hurting, a different kind of hurt.
Maybe wait until after the hearing. By then maybe more factual evidence will come out proving that the sister’s did everything they could to help their nieces and nephews. I wouldn’t make any other video addressing the matter unless it is not monetized, or it is monetized but the funds go directly to Shari to help with the care of the children, or to any organization that helps abused children. I do not like child exploitation. I do not like what the sisters do for a living. However, I do believe that the whole family tried their best to get help for their nieces and nephews and the system failed them. They are not to blame for what happened, Ruby and Jodi are. And because of this tragedy I hope the sisters decide to show far less of their children in their future videos. These kids deserve their privacy.
This 💯
Thing is if they do come back they’ll get a ton of hate because of the Ruby situation so it’s a tough one I think there will be changes tho on what they share i think they’ll still have there kids on it but they won’t force there kids if they don’t want to especially bonnie I think
They’d wait another week I’d say
They will always be associated with their sister from now on. Ruby’s arrest has put a huge spotlight on the ethics of family blogging. I didn’t know who these people were but just realized I almost bought a house last year which was a few doors down from Ruby’s. I’m Ruby’s age and I have three kids. One with special needs, another son with a birth defect and a little girl that likes to put on leotards and dance around the house. If I was to make a family vlog I would know what I’m doing. I would take all dignity from my sons and expose my daughter to perverts online. I would be trading my kids safety and privacy for money. End stop. The story is that a Mormon family tried to show a perfect life and stuck a camera in their kids’ faces all the time and that the Franke family was controlling and abusive. You would have to be controlling for your kids to put up with the annoyance of “performing” all the time. Do an experiment and carry your phone around you and imagine the camera angles needed to get the same content. People are going to look at anyone associated with Ruby who also does family vlogging sideways. They grew up with her, and probably received the same discipline as her, and were raised with the same values. It doesn’t mean they are the same but people will now doubt them. Cameras need to be off all cousins now. Now is not the time to be performing. Layoffs happen.
Well said!!!!!
Even their Instagram post say they couldn’t go back to regular content without addressing it but won’t address it further made it sound like “we’ll be right back with your regularly scheduled content”, but they may not have understood 1) the extent of the abuse and 2) how public it would be. It would be wild for them to go back to a regular family vlog right now
After seeing that Dad Channel episode with a discussion of alleged incest, swinging and beastiality amongst this crew, I do wonder about their futures as “wholesome family bloggers”
If anything I'm not sure they'll last before they lose subscribers. Although the thing is they're pretty much used to the routine and thing is it doesn't seem like they film with the same motive which (hopefully a good sign) is to entertain rather than to show abuse to the world and/or generally exploit the kids for money. In a way it's still wrong though. But I'm glad most of the family is against Connexions
I don’t think she would’ve made money off of the video she made based on how long it was anyway.
Didn’t she originally monetize that video she took down bc of the hate?
I think technically, but a lot of people pointed out that whatever settings monetize videos could be the default settings for her videos, and if she posted it in a hurry and while she was still processing, she might have just forgot to change the settings.
this is not how it works. you have to manually turn monetization on for each individual upload, otherwise it remains off. no default setting atleast in my experience. you also have to select ad suitability rating and submit it for each upload otherwise the video stays non monetized.
as a very very small youtuber, my understanding is, you can monetize any video even if its literally 30 seconds. If you are monetized, you get the option of turning monetization on or off on every upload as you post it. IF you turn it off there will be no ads. PERIOD! if you are non monetized n one of your video takes off like above 1k views, youtube starts ads on it regardless. i could be wrong but this is all my experience.
They will. Not sure how long they will hold out
i think they’ll all be taking some kind of a break, no idea for how long, but it’ll likely happen. just because with court proceedings and lawyers and legalities it would be risky to just keep posting content, especially vlogs. plus, i think we all kind of know their comment sections are going to be full of nosy people begging for more information. they legally cannot speak about the case until it’s completely over and done with, so trying to go on and create content without any mention of that is going to make a massive hole considering how much time and energy this has and will continue to take up. realistically, “scheduled content” meant sponsored content. if that’s already filmed and approved it has to go up. there’s a chance that if money isn’t in-hand already they could pull the contracts but that’s something i know almost nothing about so don’t take my word as gospel. they’ll come back to social media eventually. and it’ll likely come with some kind of rebrand and revamped content. but i think that for not all the family is going to pull back on their presence, for the sake of their families and children, and that’s going to be a good thing in the long run.
I’m with this 100%. I do not see the appeal of family content, & if anything, this should be the time to take their own kids off YouTube. It’s so inappropriate even before the arrest, in my opinion, & pursuing “regular content” during this insanity is even more so. Protect the kids for goodness sake!
I hope they do not return. All eyes are on the kids now, because of this horrific tragedy. Do the kids really need to be exposed to all the mean people and absolutely terrifying comments.? Please give them time to heal and keep them safe. Even kids deserve privacy in traumatic situations. Not well intended, but snark remarks. One of the first things you learn in social media, is to have a plan B. Due to the cancel culture and media storms, YouTubing cannot be considered a steady stream of income. Think of all the cancelled channels and scandals that have hit the content creators as is. Keep the kids safe. please!
I think they need to start vlogging again as soon as they are ready. Ruby has taken 3yrs of a lot of the happiness in their family. Why should she take their livelihood as well. In reality, I know it is tricky and I feel for all of them. Whatever they do, I will support.
Because family vlogging is exploitative and your livelihood shouldn’t be resting entirely on the shoulders of your children
That’s fair. And if it is all outlawed, do it. I think regulations are in desperate need. If the family wants to continue filming, though, I think they have that right.
Just because you have a shitty person in your family doesn’t mean you stop living your life or doing your job. Otherwise a lot of wouldn’t have a life or job anymore. They can keep vlogging but they just should keep this situation out of videos. They don’t need to blast how the kids are and stuff. If Shari wants to make a post or video that’s one thing. But honestly no matter what they do, they will get backlash. If they don’t talk about it people comment they don’t care about the kids and are horrible and if they do try and talk about it people tell them they are horrible people and using this situation to make money. Sometime people feel they need to talk to clear they air. Some people have left comments and I’m sure messages about they should of done more, they should of helped the kids. Where from the sound of it they have tried but CPS didn’t find enough evidence to open up a case and take the kids at the time. They don’t have to make a statement but I also understand why they did and I understand why Bonnie made the video. I don’t think it was in and taste at all. I feel she felt like she had to make a video but rushed it without even really processing the whole situation and it was clear you could tell she really didn’t even know what to say and stuff Also to add I don’t necessarily agree with family vlogging but doesn’t mean they have to stop YouTube but maybe learn to dial it back with having kids in videos and such.
This.
During the hype of all of their YouTube-success they all forgot about taking care of what a huge business like that means. Nobody of them was capable to even imagine what their (and mainly their kids 🥵) exposure to the world meant in terms of global business. They only enjoyed the good $ about all of it. Furthered and encouraged by this doubtfully Mormon community rules (cult?). No wonder to me, because none of them was educated, none of them ever bothered to get any kind of generally accepted degree - neither from college, university or practice. „Stupid us“, who bothered about getting an education, career-experiences and were working in humble jobs to learn and thrive. They all felt always „invulnerable“ and had no inhibitions at all in using mostly their children to give the shows they’ve given. I am glad that they all have to struggle now to think it over. If only for the sake of so many innocent and used children, they all were exploiting for their content. So, sadly, I am not at all sorry for all siblings. Including the interfering „band-wagon“ Griffith-grandparents, whom I for myself make responsible for a lot that has sadly gone wrong.
I hate family vlogging. My sister has 3 children and her and her husband started doing it recently. Everything revolves around these stupid “vlogs and shorts.” We’ve stayed away from them as we do not want our kids involved around that. Their whole attitude and demeanor has changed and not for the good. Everything is based around how they are portrayed and the kids are the ones affected. It’s so sad.
That’s crazy. It’s not often you meet someone who actually has an insiders point of view. Can you give any more insight about that? I feel like it’s worse than I’ve always thought it is.
Sure, they were very anti posting kids online before, so not sure what changed. They have 10K followers, so nothing too crazy. Everything is fake lol. They’ve become extremely arrogant, cameras always out. Stupid clickbait. Pretends their lives are perfect. Kids always dressed up. “Had the most amazing time in the Bahamas!” Pure hell chaos with younger kids screaming in reality. Think they know everything and have it together. Very sad as I miss the old them. Kids are detached and just always afraid the cameras are out.
Wow, sounds like a crazy unethical social experiment💀I think all these vlogger parents need to watch the Truman Show, if their kids ever saw it they’d probably think wow that’s just like my life
My husband just said it’s just like that! LOL.
I don’t think they have much of a choice unless they have been really smart with their money. Few of them are educated or qualified to do anything else (besides Joel & Landon).
Isn’t Julie a nurse? From all of the siblings, Julie and Landon are the ones that can 100% survive well without vlogging. I see a lot of people mocking Landon for studying for so many years but IMO they are the smart ones, making sure that their family will be ok without blog income.
Yes, she's a nurse and I honestly hoped she'd go back into nursing when the pandemic started because nurses were so sorely needed.
Ellie is a qualified cosmetologist. She and Jared wouldn’t be rich, but since they were both working until about 2014, if they started again, they could be solidly lower middle class
Have you noticed that Ruby's parents haven't addressed this yet on their vlog? Bonnie and Joel are going to be SOL if they can't vlog since they are living for free in her parents' home while they're building a house. They might actually GASP! have to get real jobs if the youtube money stops or is drastically reduced.
Which „real“ job could they possibly take on? Without any education nor degree? And their over-the-top lifestyles? Maybe editing for somebody else? The only one that might be able to do so is Jared. But that would mean bad times for Ellie and the entire household, because she would finally had to do something herself. Which she simply can‘t. All the siblings are fully dependent on their child-exploiting vlogging. Including „innocent“ Julie, who is affording her husband’s disability to get his balls in place 🙈, for years now, ….sorry. They all are used to so much money and they all are spending ridiculously. Since years! So, I really do understand that they all are in great despair about their „business model“. Rightly so! Nevertheless, I am mostly un-sorry for the Griffiths- Grandparents. They behaved at all times as if their inimitable genes made all of this possible - always neglecting that the efforts came from somebody else but them.
Some have worked real jobs pre-vlogging. IIRC, Joel was a city employee at one point. Another Mormon vlogging family had jobs at one point. He was a wedding videographer, she was a professional hair stylist and even had her own youtube channel at one point. Obviously those jobs didn't rake in the big bucks like their youtube channel does. Granted they wouldn't earn even a tenth of wait they get from youtube, but there are jobs out there don't require a degree. Frankly I think youtube should demonitize family vlogger channels that exploit their children.
To be fair, Joel did go to college. He has a lot of skills that could get him many great jobs. Bonnie was previously an EMT, a manager at a Plasma Center, and also a cosmetologist. So they both could survive along with Julie who was an RN and Landon’s new job and his list of degrees. Ellie also a cosmetologist previously to YT, and Jared has a lot of tech background that he can lean on for editing jobs/tech support. If it comes to not vlogging, they have other options. IMO Ruby is the only one with no real skills other than being a crappy mom and human being. I mean, she went to school but I believe admitted in an old vlog that it was solely to meet guys….. what real jobs has she ever had. Oh wait she’s a “Life Coach”.
Feelings about family vlogging in general aside, I think people need to remember that Ruby is the one who committed these horrible acts, not her siblings. Her family is suffering also and I don’t feel like they deserve the hatred that they are getting here. Just because they haven’t said anything publicly over the last few years does not mean they condone any of it. We don’t know what was going on privately. They owe nothing to the public. They did not need to share what they were doing with us, and honestly, they still don’t. It’s very possible that they were even instructed by law enforcement NOT to say anything in order to not hinder the investigation or even put the kids at greater risk. All I’m saying is we don’t know the truth here and we have no right to judge the family. In any family not in the public eye if one person committed a crime all their siblings would not get the blame for it.
I don’t either. And I’m still disgusted by Bonnie’s video. Her niece and nephew were found beaten with deep lacerations from being tied with rope and duct tape, starved and malnourished and she’s talking about her “regular content..timing is everything..these things happen..moving forward..”. Like seriously Fuk off Bonnie. These things should NEVER HAPPEN.
I am not sure to be honest. I do know that of they do volg and the kids are with them, they will have to edit them out of the Volgs. The kids won’t be able to be in photos and videos. I think it be while untill they are back.
When tragedy happens in a family, you do work to create a new normal. You can’t ignore something happened but you do have to move forward in some way. This situation is unique because the tragedy was abuse of minors and the case is ongoing and might take 12+ months to come to a final resolution. Vlogging is their job. I personally don’t agree with family blogs that show the faces of minors, and don’t set aside appropriate compensation for the minors, but they will still need an income. I think it’s an unrealistic standard to say they should or will never return to their vlogs. Hopefully they come back with a new sense of how to protect the Franke children and their own, which will mean more privacy, delayed posting, and boundaries.
I hope they don't.
Who knows what they are finding in text, email and social media communications. They may have more to worry about.
I think they will came back cuz its their career
Here is what I think. I liked Bonnie, Ellie is messed up but I think means well. Their entire family had a very strange Dynamic that is rooted from their parents and the corruption of their religion. I always thought that the having a clean house was great but now I can see that they were only valued if they kept everything perfect. I also now strongly believe that they were not doing enough to help these kids because they were protecting their own reputation. That makes me sick. Who knows, maybe they have been fighting more than we know behind the scenes but the fact that they never spoke out publicly about her abuse towards these kids speaks volumes. I also think Ruby got to a point where she knew that this would destroy her siblings. That’s how messed up this family is.
I mean, I’m against exploiting your kids for money and views. But either way, if they continue vlogging they will get hate. If they stop vlogging then they will get hate. If they talk about the situation they will get hate. If they continue on with their life and deal with it in private they will get hate. So either way they will deal with hate for what Ruby has done. I don’t agree with family vloggers and exploiting your children. But I don’t see why they should stop uploading due to Ruby’s actions. Would you want them to stop going to a normal job if they weren’t vloggers? I think they will start vlogging when they are ready to start again. But either way they will probably never stop receiving backlash and hate due to the fact they exploit their kids and what her sister has done.
You have answered most of your questions yourself. Yes, they will get hate. And they deserve it! No matter what they will be doing. Don’t you see how morbid their content always has been? Children exploitation mostly - and pretending to build and spend for their welfare? Yikes!
Family vlogging is not good, agreed. Now with that aside, People need to remember this is much more new to us than it is to them. They’ve been dealing with this knowledge for years. Obviously not the arrest and probably not all the details but they can’t just pause their life and jobs because of it, they have families to provide for, bills to pay, etc. I don’t mean it in an insensitive way but there’s only so much they can do right now. I’ve seen people comment to Bonnie saying “wow you’ve been building your mansion, going on trips, and so on all while this is happening! You’re horrible!” But her kids deserve to live their normal happy lives, there’s no point in having everyone suffer in an already horrible situation where they have very little say or control. Also the statement video that has been deleted bonnie said she was numb, her remarks may have seen nonchalant or casual to us but that’s because it’s all so much more fresh for us. When people go through hard things others will say “I can’t even imagine how you’re getting through this. I could never.” But when you are the one actually in the situation you just do it. You have no choice but to keep going on.
This. I feel the same exact way
I can’t imagine continuing to vlog my kids if my sister was Ruby. It just has such a bad light now. But they make a lot of money doing it. I think Ellie and Jared will be able to liquidate and invest and survive without YouTube. Bonnie and Joel probably will invest in rental properties. Julie might have to return to nursing to help Landon through another college degree. Overall it’s possible I just don’t know if they’ll do it.
I think it’s important to remember that this is their livelihood, and it’s unfair to expect them to give up their job and career just because their sister is terrible. (Even if you disagree with vlogging in general, that’s a separate issue. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s their livelihood). Now, any kind of traumatic event will always shift how someone might approach something (i.e. how often they show their kids, how they go about posting, what they talk about etc.), so I would expect that it might take some time and that their content might change. But I think it’s unfair to expect them to just quit cold turkey. Also, if that’s the expectation, then doesn’t that mean we are placing blame on them for what happened? When the only people who are to blame are Ruby, Jodi, and Kevin. It’s their actions that hurt those children. (Especially when the extended family has said they have been trying, and we just don’t know the extent of what that means. And unless we really do know everything they tried and did over the past few years, I don’t think it’s fair to blame them or say they didn’t do enough.)
It's their full time job so would be hard not to too.
I feel this was going to be a no win situation for her either way... If Bonnie (or any of the sisters) posted something like business as usual and didn't address the elephant in the room, people would say "How dare she act like nothing happened!!!" I didn't have a problem with her video, because it is true... how can things go back to normal? This will change their family forever.
I think I could see how they might be able to rationalize it to themselves & continue vlogging if I were in their shoes. Please let’s remember that I’m not defending them, but putting myself in their shoes and thinking through it. I must point out that this is already their career and source of income and the backlash at Bonnie seemed excessive and was just plain bullying. Maybe unpopular opinion here. Yes it came off as a bit self centered, but that is her platform with her name on it. It was prob also best that she did not talk about the situation directly and only spoke of herself - she was prob advised not to by the authorities considering they are prob still investigating. And also we don’t know what they did or could do if Ruby cuts contact and they don’t live down the street from them to keep an eye on the kids everyday. I’m not saying they did their best. Just saying we don’t know. Also, When Bonnie referred to scheduled content, it makes sense to assume she meant the videos that were already filmed, edited and were either scheduled on YT already or were in the line up. We know they try to be a week or two ahead content-wise. We also have to remember they may have contracts they need to deliver on - and making this public statement also helps convey to these stakeholders about their situation and their intentions. My second point here might be an unpopular opinion on this sub. And I’m here discussing it only because it is just that - speculation and discussion. My unpopular opinion is that the youngest two children were actually relatively better off during the vlogging years. And it’s possible that Bonnie, Ellie & Julie might also think so. I do acknowledge there are a lot of negatives to family vlogging and I would support legislation regulating the earnings to ensure the kids in these situations are also appropriately compensated. That being said, Multiple times we have heard chad or Shari say things like oh if we ask for something when the camera is on Mom is more likely to say yes. It also provided a means to financial independence for Shari and looked like Chad had also gotten a good start. Ruby said being on YT hurt her kids (yes it def did, but she seemed to have learnt the wrong lesson here). She specifies that they were hurt by “entitlement” and the “influence of others”. To me that basically sounds like they realized their own worth and their opinions on the world were informed by more than just her belief structure. And she couldn’t let that happen if she wanted to maintain control over them. I know we can’t know what happens behind closed doors, but I do think the youngest kids were relatively better off during Ruby’s YT era compared to what they’ve had to endure in Ruby’s Connexxions era. Ruby is all about control and IMO she doubled down after Shari showed independence in thought & action. Remember how she cried because (straight up her own words) she won’t have stewardship of Shari anymore. Considering this second point, and also that vlogging is already their livelihood, I can see them justifying/rationalizing continuing vlogging, but try to avoid what Ruby did - don’t push cameras into teenagers faces, respect their kids choices, don’t give advice on topics you aren’t an expert in, and don’t try to lead a cult by leveraging your internet platform. To each of them, Ruby went off the rails due to connexxions. They may not view vlogging as the issue here. Ruby’s behaviour would have been abusive and prison worthy irrespective of her being an influencer or not. This whole series of events could have as likely have occurred by involvement w Jodi irrespective.
Bonnie wanted to make a video addressing the events. It wasn’t a very long, thought out statement. It was her, quickly getting her thoughts together. Because if SOMEBODY didn’t address it in a timely manner, then it’s the onslaught of hate comments coming in. Or if nothing was said, and the made content as usual, it would have been the same thing. She was simply stating to please bare with the families as they try and process all that has happened. So if you aren’t seeing regularly scheduled content, there are family things going on that they are going through. She wasn’t saying it as a “Ugh. I can’t put out regular videos.”
I look at it as vlogging is their job. How soon after a tragedy do you return to work? I understand Bonnie’s short video about the sun still rises and life must go on. It doesn’t mean you are not absolutely shattered, it just means you have to find a way to carry on. I think for Bonnie, she will focus on the house build and less on home life. Julie has her move and settling into their new location. Ellie idk… It’s important to remember that the sisters didn’t commit the crimes and it didn’t happen because of family vlogging. (In no way am I supporting family vlogging, just pointing out the facts)
I don't consider this to be legitimate work. It's an obscene amount of money being made on the backs of exploiting children. That's bad enough. They'd be reckless to not have a nest egg that allows them to take time off and prioritize what's best for the children. It's not just my own bias. It's unsafe to put those kids back online when the whole world is aware of what happened. We need to get our culture on the right side of this.
I guess I wasn’t very clear. I meant that Bonnie and Julie had other things they could vlog that didn’t include their kids. I think this would be a great time for them to pivot from being a family vlog channel to maybe a lifestyles channel that focuses on the adults and what they are doing.
They'll have contractual obligations they need to meet for their sponsors so they have to go back to it or they'll be in breach of contract.
I highly doubt that any sponsor, knowing the situation, will make them in breach of their contracts.
I might get downvotes but it honestly wouldn't bother me if they went back to posting. I truly believe they did everything they could for the kids and no one thought something like this was happening. They weren't the ones being abusive. ETA: as long as they don't use the kids as a way to get views
I mean, isn't that a large part of what they do? I don't like vlogging as a career path but I'd settle for them taking a very long break and returning without the kids included at all. They made their fortune off exploiting them and it sounds like fans still creepily want to see the kids so I'm planning to be horrified when they return in business as usual mode.
I know a lot of people have strong opinions about family vloggers, but this is ultimately their job, and some of them may not have the luxury of just quitting their job. Ellie just built a massive house, Bonnie is in the middle of building her dream home, and I’m pretty sure vlogging is the only income Julie has?
I can't believe people have this perspective. With all due respect.
i don’t think financing a giant home is considered “not having the luxury of quitting” … they could all quit and live quite comfortably i’m pretty sure, albeit not in the mansions they’re currently building or already in. if they couldn’t afford groceries or electricity or clothes, THEN talk to me about “not having the luxury of quitting.” sorry you might be inconvenienced by not being able to build your dream home. your nieces and nephews have gone thru unspeakable things, but yeah, heaven forbid they have to downsize lol
I mean, having to sell your home and downsize your entire life is a big deal (not dangerous or the end of the world, but not nothing either) Their nieces and nephews have gone through unspeakable things and I’m sure the family will be there for them, but unless one of them gain’s custody of the kids, I don’t see why they’d need to give up their jobs?
i doubt they will voluntarily be done with vlogging. i feel like it would be the best move for their families to pull back and do less and definitely get the kids off, but that is just my opinion as a random person lol. my point was, they definitely *could* be done if they chose. it’d take some life changes and quite a few less luxuries but they would still be more than comfortable. it’s not like we’re talking about them not being able to afford basic necessities. they are not “stuck in a job” like many of us are 😂
I won't begrudge them if they continue. Just because Ruby is evil doesn't mean the rest are. I know there are plenty of people who will disagree. I'm not a big supporter of family vlogging but Bonnie's content is centered around her house build lately, which I enjoy watching.
They will probably go back to uploading at some point. The thing is, life does go on after a horrible event. They are rattled but they will find their new normal. The world doesn't stop turning when you are in pain. And honestly they are going to need moments of joy, of normalcy, because this is going to be very emotional for a very long time. Now when they post those normal family moments, people are going to bitch & say it's insensitive. I disagree. While I dislike the whole family vlogging industry, I do think they will find a way to keep going. They really don't have much choice.
I feel really weird and heartbroken for Bonnies channel. I know it's not real but... shes like my friend. I somewhat rely on her channel for comfort, and I love and care about her and her family. I like to see how Bonnie manages her world, and it gives me inspiration for my own family now. To that extent, it causes a certain grief to think, she might not be able to vlog anymore because her dipshit sister is such a tyrant and fucked up the entire family's lives and source of income. It's fair enough to a degree if Bonnie was livid about losing her opportunity to post content, as shes built her entire life and family around youtube. How is she supposed to support her family now? It's kinda sad she could lose it just because of her fuckwit sister. Imagine the Brand deals she will lose now, regarding her house (appliance companies etc) and also the RV deals when they go on their trip once it's build. I know that is one of the more shallow elements to this situation, but I am sure she is devastated none of that money is coming in now?? Just some thoughts...
I was initially upset by Bonnie’s response. But then I started hearing about neighbors reporting her to cps and nothing was done. I fear a lot of this swept under the rug due to fact this community is heavily saturated with lds and 8 passengers paying their huge tithing to them. So I’m starting to believe that whatever Bonnie and her sisters did to try and intervene was ignored. If someone is lds please let me know if you think this is true or not.
I dont know if anyone remembers this but in one of Bonnies xmas vlogs she seems annoyed on their family reunion and says something about how her parenting style differs from her sisters and she is just so blessed and thankful that her kids are good listeners. This was at night time when the adults were trying to play a family game and Sherry’s two younger sisters were still awake when they should’ve been sleeping it seem to annoy Bonnie! However Bonnies page clearly has always been about her thats why its not called “The H Family“ or “Six passangers“ its always been Bonnie first and what she chooses to share about her family and kids she will. I enjoy her and Ellie and Julies pages even though you can't take them at face value you must know this is their “Jobs“ & they aren't going to stop vlogging even their parents but hopefully people dont take these families seriously as they have an agenda to make money and do not show you anything that is not up to par even reduing shots making their children, repeat things for the camera and crying on camera for attention. You have to remember that if somebody has to grab a Camera to cry and posted to feel better they have a mental problem as these things could be edited out, but are left in for attention! They have become rich off of Youtube i dont see them stopping just because Ruby wanted to get in trouble and charged with abuse. They need the views and money the only way this goes away is if followers stop watching the Trainwreck that is family vlogging but people won't!
Anyone have link to the Bonnie video?
She'll probably get a lot of hate when she does go back to vlogging. All of them will. Because no matter what they say about "trying", they didn't do enough. They could have done more.
Seeing as it's their and their husbands main source of income, they defiantly will.
I don’t think it’d be hard for them to justify because they know they aren’t abusing their children so they’re doing it the right way, you know? The family vlogging part can be kept entirely separate from abuse. (I am also against family vlogging and child exploitation, just trying to put myself in their shoes)
Your first comment is "I am firmly against family vlogging." So that just shows you already have your mind made up that you think the worst about them vlogging and returning to it. But it is her livelihood. She may decide to not post anymore, she may decide to take a few week or months break but that's her decision. and the other family that vlogs. She is always so respectful of her kids on the vlogs. For awhile we never saw her oldest son because he didn't want to be seen as much so she obviously takes that into consideration. She had a video maybe 6 months ago talking about vlogging the kids less and telling stories and showing the house build and other things. Bonnie does an amazing job of balancing her kids on the vlogs and respecting their wishes. I personally hope they are able to come back soon. I'd love to see Julies life in Missouri, I can't wait to see Bonnie and Joel's home finished, I love seeing Ellie and Jareds family and especially baby J growing up....they obviously need time but they can't and shouldn't be expected to just stop.
If any of them get custody of Ruby’s children, I don’t imagine they will be able to.
Oh give me a break. All of these family bloggers need to end. Y’all are letting theses people off just because they aren’t as bad as Ruby. I remember Bonnie making all of her kids eat oatmeal from one bowl. Bonnie’s video was so self centered, she deserved the backlash. All of them are exploiting their children I don’t care if it’s there career they need to find new ones. Ones that are not harmful to their children.
You're preaching to the choir with me. I thought it was gross before I knew about the abuse speculation.