Shari Franke Gets Engaged! Why she’s choosing to keep her life private
- Shari Franke is off the market.
- She recently announced her engagement through an Instagram post.
- Shari also declared that her engagement post would be her final post about her personal life.
Shari Franke is engaged!
‘Happy Engagement!’ Shari Franke, the eldest daughter of controversial “mommy vlogger” Ruby Franke, announced her engagement on December 28, 2024, through an Instagram post.
She shared a photo of her pear-shaped diamond engagement ring against a snowy backdrop in her post. She then captioned,
“I’m excited to share that I’m engaged!”
However, she also declared that this would be her final post about her personal life, as she mentioned that she would no longer share details about her personal life online.
She stated,
“For me, this is the end of me sharing my private life. I’ve had my voice and agency taken for so long, and now, I’m putting my foot down. I’m not going to talk about my wedding, future husband or future kids.”
She continued,
“I’ll continue to advocate for kids who didn’t have a voice (so you’ll still be seeing me, don’t worry) but this is closure for me. I’m moving on with my life, and that’s true freedom and joy. Please respect my privacy and the privacy of my future family, and don’t speculate or pry, This is my wish, and my gift to my family.”
Shari Franke opens up about the dark side of family vlogging
In October 2024, Shari Franke spoke about her harrowing experiences as a “victim of family vlogging” to Utah’s Business and Labor Interim Committee.
Her mother, Ruby Franke, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for child abuse, previously ran the YouTube channel “8 Passengers,” which featured Shari and her five siblings.
During her testimony, Shari stated,
“I don’t come today as the daughter of a felon, nor as a victim of an abnormally abusive mother. I come today as a victim of family vlogging,”
Shari explained that children featured in family content become child influencers, which involves significant pressures and responsibilities. She further described,
“It is a full-time job with employees, business credit cards, managers and marketing strategies.”
Shari, who was only nine years old when she appeared on her mother Ruby Franke’s YouTube channel “8 Passengers,” shared how filming impacted her childhood innocence.
She stated,
“Family vlogging ruined my innocence long before Ruby committed a crime,”
She raised concerns about the cost of sacrificing childhood, particularly when children endure “the 24/7 labor” that affects them emotionally and physically.
Shari explained that the family’s vlogging success often relied on her emotional moments, whether she was happy or struggling.
She recalled that some of their most viewed videos showcased her in distressing situations, such as when someone accidentally waxed off her eyebrow or when she was sick but still had to appear on camera.
Franke expressed frustration, saying,
“The camera never stops and there is no such thing as a break from filming,”
She noted that recording social gatherings made her friends uncomfortable, which caused her friendships to suffer.
Additionally, she discussed the painful impact of her online presence, revealing how her social media became filled with harmful rumors, including false allegations about her personal life.
She shared,
“My social media became flooded with rumors of having sexual relations with my own brother to being called a baby birthing machine at the age of 13, All these things have stuck with me, and I will forever live between the ages of 13 to 17 in many of my viewers’ minds.”
Shari acknowledged that she underestimated the effects of being filmed as a child. She said,
“I did not realize the impact that filming as a child would have on me now.”
Currently, Shari is preparing to publish a memoir titled The House of My Mother, which details her experiences growing up under public scrutiny and the unique challenges that children face in the vlogging industry.
Also read, Ruby Franke pleaded guilty and is charged with 6 Counts of Felony Child Abuse
