Chad Franke: Freed

Summary

Episode Summary: Chad Franke – Freed

In the compelling episode of The Squeeze titled "Chad Franke: Freed," released on May 7, 2025, hosts Taylor Lautner and her husband delve deep into the tumultuous journey of Chad Franke. Chad, the son of Ruby Franke—the once-celebrated parenting YouTuber behind the family channel "8Passengers"—shares his intimate experiences growing up under the relentless spotlight of social media fame and the subsequent fallout that reshaped his life.

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Early Life and Rise to Fame

Chad's introduction to the public eye began at a tender age. He recounts, “I think I was around 8 years old when we started the YouTube channel, 2013 or so” (03:06), highlighting how the channel initially struggled until a viral video showcasing Ruby's challenge of having a child catapulted them into prominence. Ruby’s adeptness at creating engaging content quickly turned "8Passengers" into a lucrative venture within two years, providing substantial income for the family.

Controversy and Public Backlash

The episode takes a pivotal turn as Chad describes the moment that ignited widespread backlash against his family. A video emerged showing him sleeping on a beanbag, a direct result of Ruby’s controlling parenting. Chad recalls, “People started catching on very quickly... 'Free Chad' was a big thing” (14:07). This sparked the "Free Chad" movement on TikTok, leading to a massive unfollowing and heightened scrutiny of his mother’s parenting methods. Chad details the intense reactions, including his mother's outburst: “She was like, 'you bitch, you did that on purpose...'" (14:22), revealing the deep-seated tensions within the household.

Impact on Chad’s Mental Health

As the controversy unfolded, Chad shares the profound impact it had on his mental health and familial relationships. He expresses concern over his family's financial stability, stating, “My main focus was, oh no, we're gonna lose money” (18:36). The relentless online harassment and the dismantling of their YouTube empire forced Chad to confront the fragility of his family's public persona and his own sense of self-worth.

Transition to Adulthood and Healing

Moving into adulthood, Chad discusses his journey towards healing and self-discovery. He credits therapy facilitated by family services, saying, “Therapists never should tell you what to do. They should just give you good questions” (49:17). This therapeutic experience was instrumental in helping him process past traumas and establish healthier boundaries. Chad emphasizes the importance of questioning rather than accepting imposed narratives, a lesson that has been pivotal in his growth.

Relationship with Parents and Forgiveness

A significant portion of the conversation centers around Chad's evolving relationship with his mother. He narrates a heartfelt phone call post his mother's arrest, where she displayed genuine remorse: “I love you back” (28:52). Despite the emotional breakthrough, Chad maintains that forgiveness does not equate to immediate reconciliation. He articulates a delicate balance: “I want to eventually grow up to have relationships again... but I can't just forget about that and then forgive her” (34:24). This nuanced stance underscores his commitment to healing while preserving his mental well-being.

Current Endeavors and Future Plans

Chad has embarked on new ventures to symbolize his liberation from his past. He introduces his upcoming clothing brand, "Freed," which aims to empower others who have experienced similar struggles: “We're saying we're freed. Oh, I am freed now” (42:45). Additionally, Chad discusses his redefined relationship with social media, now leveraging platforms like TikTok for personal expression without the pressures of commercial content creation. He shares, “Social media is fun for me now. It's not really like a job” (44:20).

Mental Health Advocacy and Personal Growth

Throughout the episode, Chad emphasizes the significance of mental health and personal growth. He speaks candidly about his experiences with therapy, highlighting the importance of self-reflection and resilience: “I feel like I'm in a very good mental spot” (50:05). His journey reflects a broader narrative of overcoming adversity through self-awareness and therapeutic support.

Conclusion

Chad Franke’s appearance on The Squeeze offers a profound exploration of resilience, forgiveness, and the quest for personal freedom amidst public scrutiny. His story serves as a testament to the enduring human spirit and the transformative power of self-healing.

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Notable Quotes

• Chad on realizing the impact of the "Free Chad" movement:
  “People started catching on very quickly... 'Free Chad' was a big thing” (14:07).

• Chad discussing the importance of therapy:
  “Therapists never should tell you what to do. They should just give you good questions” (49:17).

• Chad on forgiveness and boundaries:
  “I want to eventually grow up to have relationships again... but I can't just forget about that and then forgive her” (34:24).

• Chad on his current relationship with social media:
  “Social media is fun for me now. It's not really like a job” (44:20).

• Chad reflecting on personal growth:
  “I feel like I'm in a very good mental spot” (50:05).

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The Squeeze continues to offer insightful conversations that shed light on personal struggles and triumphs, providing listeners with both comfort and understanding that they are not alone in their journeys.

Transcript

[Chad]

The following podcast is a Dear Media Production. If I'm going to spend all my.

[Host 1]

Time helping you, you're going to help me too.

[Chad]

Well, tell me about your name. And then, you know, I didn't say it right or I didn't want to say it. And then she just snaps like, if you're going to do this, you know you're going to do this right. So I don't think I've ever shared this before.

[Host 2]

A once popular parenting YouTuber, Ruby Frankie, will spend up to 60 years in prison.

[Chad]

After that video came out and the controversy started hitting, she ran into the living room and she was like, you. You did that on purpose. You knew what you did. You knew what you were saying. And she was just yelling. And I haven't seen this side of her in a long time. And then my dad actually came down and was like, you need to get away from him. I just had a 12 year old boy show up here at my front door. He's emaciated, he's got tape around in place. That's how it was, that's how it felt. People started catching on very quickly, like in the videos, to what she was doing. I remember there was a video with a little clip. She took the door off my bedroom and she took the door off my bathroom as well in the basement. So she didn't want me to have any kind of privacy at all. And people started catching on to that. You know, when someone wants to free a child from their mom's arms, you know, that movement grows pretty fast. Fake being happy.

[Host 1]

Chad, welcome to the Squeeze.

[Chad]

Thank you for having me.

[Host 1]

So excited to have you. I so backstory here. I DM'd Chad not long ago. He made this happen fairly quickly.

[Chad]

Yep.

[Host 1]

Telling him we would love to have him on the show. And he didn't see my DM immediately, but not too long after he saw it. And I got a response and I was so excited.

[Host 2]

You'll forgive him for not seeing it right away?

[Host 1]

Yeah, I'll forgive him.

[Chad]

You were sad. I know.

[Host 2]

I was excited.

[Chad]

I got lost in all my DMs and I went to Top. You know, they kind of filter through the top and the top one was you. And I was like, what in the world? I was fake at first.

[Host 1]

So that blue check mark helps sometimes.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Too bad you can buy them now. Well, we're just so thankful. Thankful to have you with us. And I'm sure, you know, a lot of people know your backstory and we'll dive into it a little bit today. But we find that so often with, you know, these true crime stories, a lot of the tension is on the offender and less, more so on the victims. And those are the people that really, truly matter in these stories. And so we're just excited to sit down with you and just to hear your story and hear more about you, learn more about you and where you're at today. I think to start off, you grew up very much in the public eye on your mom's YouTube channel, 8Passengers, which had millions of followers. It was large. I remember.

[Host 1]

When did it start?

[Chad]

Yeah, I think I was around 8 years old. So 20. I don't know. It was 2013, 2014, or 2015. One of those years.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Chad]

So pretty early on when I was a kid.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

When. When did it, like, take off? Was it just, like, right off the bat that it was a thing? Or was there, like, a certain point after you guys have been doing it for a while, you're like, oh, this is really picking up.

[Chad]

Yeah, it definitely didn't get big at first. It did get big pretty fast because it wasn't actually my mom's original idea to start a YouTube channel. It was her sister. So her sister was the one who kind of started the YouTube thing because she was younger and she was more familiar with social media, and her sister's channel did really well. And then they had a video that blew up because she finally was able to have a kid because they were, you know, struggling. And so that video blew up, and my mom saw, like, oh, this pays really well. You know, Let me try it out. And, you know, she wasn't very good at it at first. Like, we all are. And there's a lot of bad things that, you know, it didn't look very good. And the YouTube was. All the editing was all weird and everything. But eventually she got it and people started getting interested. And I think within the first, like, two years, it. It got pretty big and the paychecks look started looking good for her.

[Host 1]

Yeah, that's something I'm just so, like, oblivious to is, like, monetizing off of YouTube, like, and it feels like YouTube channels are so hard to. To, like, actually build to, like, massive numbers.

[Chad]

So many, so much competition. And.

[Host 2]

Yeah, yeah, we have some friends that do YouTube. And Taylor recently, like, learned what they make, and he was like, how. Like, that doesn't even, like, why haven't I been doing YouTube? Where's my YouTube channel?

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

But at the time, like, were you able to, like, comprehend that your life was being shared with, like, People all around the world.

[Chad]

Yeah, I think I. I think I liked it because I realized that, you know, looking through the comments, that people liked me and liked what we were doing and they liked the videos. And I think I attached onto it pretty fast. It wasn't like fame. It wasn't like, oh, I'm famous or I'm super popular, but, you know, getting the attention. I liked it.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

As a kid, and so I'd say I. I knew what I was doing in the videos and I knew how to grab people's attention. Yeah, I enjoyed it.

[Host 1]

Yeah, makes sense.

[Host 2]

Yeah. How often did you guys film? Like, was it, I guess, like daily thing? Yeah.

[Host 1]

Like, how. In, like, how did school work?

[Chad]

Were you able.

[Host 1]

Were you homeschooled? Were you able to go to school? And how did that work?

[Chad]

Yeah, yeah. With YouTube, lifestyle vlogging, there's no scheduled. No scheduled time for filming. It is. That's your life. I mean, if you say something and you don't catch it on camera, you know, the camera comes out, they press record and then you say it again. So, like, everything you say is going to be recorded, even if you have to say it again and again. And so, yeah, school, just regular school, you know, when you come home, you share your day, share your stories of.

[Host 1]

What happened, but you went to a public school.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

So do you feel like you still had a bit of a normal childhood since you did go to school and you were still doing things, or did it feel like you had to come home and, like, you know, you were filming this, this bit today or whatever it was?

[Chad]

Yeah, yeah, I, I think as a, As a child, I had a very normal childhood. Like from the age 8 to 14, I. I think I had a very good, you know, still hang out with friends and you can have your private life and. Yeah, it was a lot of fun and. But yeah, that's a really good point. Like I said, when you come have to resay everything you do or, you know, you. You go and have fun with friends, then you have to kind of repeat everything over again.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

When. When you talk about it, it makes me realize how much I was living life on repeat. Just talking to the camera. It's like the people behind the camera was also my mom. You know, I was talking to my mom, telling her about my day, but, you know, I was looking at the camera the whole time and.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Yeah. Do you like, do you feel like your moments of, like, looking back now, moments of, you know, joy or your struggles as a kid? Like, do you Just feel like that was kind of viewed as content rather than, like, maybe addressing, like, actually congratulating you or, like, addressing the problem that may have been going on.

[Chad]

Yeah, no, that's a great point. I. I think when it comes to entertainment, if I was just to, like, live my everyday. No drama, no pain, nothing, you know, that's not very good content. So I think my mom knew very quickly that if I. I mean, even if someone, like, fell and hit their head, or if I had a bad day at school or the principal called me into his office, you know, that's drama. That's. You know, that's pain. That's content. And I think she really knew that and fed off of it. So the camera would mostly come out when something entertaining was happening, or even if I was in pain or if I fell or, you know, got in trouble. That was good content for her.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

I think, in a way, it was also very, very bad parenting not to set the camera aside and just focus on me.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

So did you ever.

[Chad]

That goes for all of us.

[Host 2]

Yeah. Did you ever ask, like, do you remember a time you ever, like, I don't want this filmed. Or, like, can we not, like.

[Host 1]

Well, I mean, one moment. Did it happen more often than that?

[Chad]

I guess, yeah. I. She was very persuasive in a way where it was like, hey, I. I don't want this to be filmed. And, you know, she would put it aside for a second. She's like, okay, okay, we don't. We won't film it. And then once she kind of had a conversation and I started softening up a little bit, that's when she, you know, pull it back out. She's like, okay, he's calmed down a little bit. So, yeah, she's very good in a sense of, like, not being. I mean, very early on, it was very easy because she didn't. The paychecks weren't that big. And, you know, it was fun at first, and then, you know, know, then she realized, you know, this is a set, our home is a set, and we have to say certain things to catch the audience's eye. And. And, yeah, I, you know, start saying things just to make the camera happy and make the viewers happy and.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

Yeah, so you're very much right on that.

[Host 2]

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[Host 1]

At what point did you become aware of. Of the online controversy surrounding your family?

[Chad]

Yeah. Did you guys watch the Hulu series? I don't know if you did. Okay, sure. You guys know the video with, you know, me sitting on the ground with her and, you know, I finally revealed that I wasn't sleeping on a bed for a certain amount of months. And then when that video was posted, no joke. Like that day was when the cancellation started, like immediate backlash on her huge unfollowing new. I don't know much about news outlets, but basically TikTok was the big push to kind of cancel her.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

And that's when I started seeing her panic a little bit and I remember sitting in the living room just doing my homework. And I don't think I've ever shared this before, but she ran in from her room and do you guys swear on this? I don't know. And she, you know, this is when she was peak in therapy with Jody. And you know, she was very clean mouthed and, you know, she was very peaceful and quiet. But after that video came out and the controversy started hitting, she ran into the living room and she was like, you bitch, you did that on purpose. You knew what you did. You knew what you were saying. And she was just yelling. And I haven't seen this side of her in a long time. Like, a very, very long time. And I was like, I don't know what you're talking about. Like, I know people are upset with you. And then my dad actually came down and was like, ruby, you need to, like, leave. Like, you need to get away from him. He obviously didn't plan this. He didn't plan for you to get canceled. And how old were you at that point? I was 15. 15 or 16.

[Host 1]

And you had been sleeping on a beanbag?

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

For how long?

[Chad]

Seven months. So.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Chad]

Yeah, almost. Yeah, a little over a year.

[Host 1]

That's what this incident is over.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Chad]

Yeah, People were really upset about that. And just because she said it so casually, like, yeah, he's been sleeping on the floor. Yeah, he doesn't have a bedroom or a bed.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

And people started catching on very quickly, like in the videos to what she was doing. I remember there was a video with a little clip and it was the. She took the door off my bedroom that I had, and I wasn't sleeping in there, but she still took the door off. And then she took the door off my bathroom as well, in the basement. So she didn't want me to have any kind of privacy at all. And people started catching on to that. And yeah, the hate started growing and growing and growing. And then, yeah, she kind of just left it. Left YouTube completely.

[Host 1]

When you start seeing the, the online hate or, you know, people questioning your parents because, like, these are your parents, start questioning things that they're doing at that age, like, whose side are you on?

[Chad]

Or.

[Host 1]

Because I could imagine that there's maybe a bit of, like, at first, like, defensiveness where you're like, you know, I mean, you're still a kid. Yeah. And people are questioning your life, they're questioning your parents, how you're being raised, or were you already at a breaking point where you were, you know, seeing those comments and you're like, yeah, I'm, I'm living that right now.

[Chad]

Yeah, yeah, I, I wasn't active on social media, me personally, during that. So I saw, I saw what they were saying, but I didn't really take it. I wouldn't really reply to it or post it. That day when the video was posted and the cancellation started, from that moment, people on social media started saying Free Chad. And that was a large hashtag people started using. It was like in the year 2020, so it would be free Chad 2020. And my mom, she saw that and I think she got, she got pretty nervous, pretty upset. She started hiring high end lawyers to kind of shut all that down, take those videos away. Because, you know, when someone wants to free a child from their mom's arms. Yeah, you know, that movement grows pretty fast. And so, you know, Free Chad was, was a big thing, at least in my eyes, and I started seeing that. And during that time I was working with Jody very tightly, very closely. She was my therapist and I had like a love for her in a sense where I trusted everything she told me to do for sure. And same with my mom.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

And so when I saw everything go down, I didn't really think much of it. In fact, I actually knew how much money they were making. And I was nervous about the money and to know that the views were going to go down and that the sponsorships were going to go down, that was kind of my main focus was, oh, no, we're gonna, we're gonna lose money.

[Host 1]

Did you feel a little guilty for, for affecting that?

[Chad]

I wouldn't say guilty because I knew that wasn't my purpose or my motive in saying the beanbag thing. I knew I wasn't trying to make them lose money, but yeah, I was just, I was nervous for my parents to lose all their income. That was my big concern.

[Host 1]

Who started this Free Chad movement or just. Yeah, the Internet.

[Chad]

I mainly just tick tock videos. Yeah, I think there was, I, I don't know whose name it was or who it was specifically, but there was this girl who posted like a big video that went viral and she actually went on news stations and my mom tried to shut that down and everything. And yeah, she basically just posted a video starting the whole Free Chad thing.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

So you said something that I remembered when we were watching the doc and comments and stuff I was seeing online. And I'm curious your take now, but like, as you were just saying, like, you know, you loved your mom, it's your mom, of course, like you're Gonna trust this person. You're gonna trust Jody, someone that your mom, you know, loves and trust and is your therapist and you're confiding and, like, obviously you're a child and, like, you don't understand that maybe, like, their intentions or how they're doing things.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Isn't necessarily the best. And did you feel. Because I know I saw some stuff online and I felt like I got defensive over you not knowing you. Just people being like, well, why. Like, how did he, like, not see that? Like, this therapist isn't an actual therapist. Like, why is she, like, how people just basically saying that. Why didn't. Like, how did you not see that? But I think people forget that, like, you were a child and as we grow up, were raised to trust our parents and, like, what they're going to do. And of course you loved your mom and you trusted her and you trusted that she would put you with someone, you know, that was actually going to help you and make you a better version of yourself. And I'm curious if you've felt any of that he. Or looked back on that time and been like, I should have seen that. Or just what your take is on that.

[Chad]

Yeah. Looking back at the whole entire picture, I feel like I'm. At least me personally, I'm very grateful for hard life experiences. When I. When I look back at the hard life experiences, I'm kind of grateful for them in a sense of. Sometimes I'm glad my mom was a bad mom, or sometimes I'm glad that Jody was in my life because I feel stronger because of it.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

So, yeah, I. I wouldn't say I look back and regret any of the things that, you know, I didn't do or did do.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

I just. Some grateful that everything is, you know, everyone's safe now.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

I'm grateful that I'm in a good spot now. And I mean, the biggest thing. The biggest thing that Jody kept teaching me was stay out of distortion. Distortion was the huge word that she just threw at me over and over and over again. Truth and distortion, those were like heaven and hell.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

Good, bad. That's. Those are the words she threw at me. And I mean, when. If. If I just fed into the social media, if I started listening to the things they were saying bad about my mom, I would be in distortion. That would be who I was. I would be a bad person. I'd be satanic. Like, she'd use these huge words. And so I couldn't even if I wanted to, if I fed into that kind of social media stuff and started taking sides with them instead of my mom, I'd be in that distortion. And yeah, in Jody's eyes, I'd be a bad person and that's not what I wanted.

[Host 1]

So is distortion essentially anybody that is questioning you or your families, like what you guys are beliefs. Yeah, that's what distortion is.

[Chad]

Yeah, distortion is. She would never use the word bad, but that's what it was.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

Anything bad in her eyes or evil in her eyes was distortion.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

And that was a huge word in, in my life. That was huge.

[Host 2]

So it's a huge word in general.

[Chad]

I know.

[Host 2]

I don't even think I've ever. Like, what does that even actually like.

[Chad]

I think she just took a random word that no one uses and just branded it as her own word.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

So.

[Host 2]

Yeah, I mean. Yeah. What, you're not going to question the word that she's using, I guess too.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

So in the doc, I feel like there's a lot of like, like we were talking about earlier, we see these like the B roll that didn't air, the behind the scenes stuff that didn't make the cut and it like, it was really sad to watch it, especially just like the moments that you were like, I really don't like want to be doing this. And you can tell, like you really did not want to be filming. Like you didn't want to be doing it at some points. And when you watched that footage back. Well, I guess. Had you seen it before? You know, this whole documentary and do you remember those feelings or what do you think about when you see that footage?

[Chad]

Yeah, I don't. I didn't see them before. So when the trailer was released, I was like, oh, wow, that brings back a lot of memories.

[Host 2]

Oh, wow.

[Chad]

So. But don't they. Before they like made everything, they, they showed it to me and you know, I pre watched the documentary before it was released, but with, with the trailer, you know, that kind of was like a. Whoa. Those are some crazy memories to look back on. And I do remember those feelings because in my mind, the whole thing when they wanted me to say something and I didn't even feel like it, My mindset was like, okay, this is a job. This is how I play football in the summer. This is how we get to go on vacations. You know, I can tell she's upset with me, so I'm just going to say it because this is how we make money. So yeah, that was my mindset. I was like an employee, you know. So yeah, that's What I felt like, go ahead.

[Host 1]

No, your first time watching the doc. What, was that tough?

[Chad]

Not for me, it wasn't. No, it wasn't. Yeah, that's a good question. I actually, I was. I was pretty hooked on how. How they were going to portray my mom. And it was so interesting how they did it because they did some edits after I watched it. But when I first watched it, the opening scene before everything was her just, like, sitting in silence on her bed. And you know, the scene with, like, the markers, and she was, like, putting up against the camera and smiling and stuff. That. That was the first scene that I saw. And it was just quiet. All you could just see was her just. You can see in her head she was thinking, how am I gonna make this look good for the camera? And then for like 30 to 45 seconds, she's just thinking, thinking, thinking. And then she just snaps because she hears me in the basement and I'm interrupting her. Her video, and she. You just hear snap. And I think they portrayed that so well because that's how it was as a kid was like, the camera's rolling and everything's going great and we're having a good time, and then you say something wrong or you stutter or you don't say something she wants, and she just. She snaps just like that. That's what it was like. And you saw it in the B roll footage, which was just like, well, tell me about your name. And then, you know, I didn't say it right or I didn't want to say it. And then she just snaps like, if you're going to do this, you know you're going to do this right? So that's how. That's how it was. It's how it felt.

[Host 2]

So do you struggle with, like, performance pressure or, like, neat, like, perfectionism at all?

[Chad]

No, I want to say perfectionism or performance issues. Since I do, like, a lot of my own social media stuff now. I don't feel like I'm doing it for anyone or, you know, but, yeah, if I was, like, in a movie or a TV show, I feel like I'd want to get it pretty spot on and down.

[Host 2]

But, yeah, because I feel like kids, like, when they feel that pressure, like, to perform well from their parents, like, it can definitely, like, bleed into adulthood.

[Host 1]

Yeah, it seems like you were able to, like, do a pretty. Pretty remarkable job at, like, separating it somehow. Like, you were able, even when you were in it, in the thick of it, you were able to, like, be like, this is a business this isn't. This isn't real. This is a business. And, you know, now looking back on it, you're like, I don't know, it just feels like you're. It's really amazing how you're able to, like, separate yourself from that. Like, you know who you are and that's, like, all you really care about.

[Chad]

Yeah, man, I feel like we had a moment there. You just, like, described who I was.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Host 2]

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[Host 1]

When was the last time you spoke to your mom?

[Chad]

Yeah, let me think. So she was arrested and I didn't hear from anyone at all. No one ever called me, talked to Me. And then a week later, I get a call from her. And I was with my sister in the kitchen, my older sister. And. Yeah, so she started the tape recorder and. And I just got on. And, you know, she was very still in the mindset of what I did was right, and I was now in the mindset of what she did was wrong. So it was kind of like an argument back and forth. And I was trying to help her see. Trying to help her see what she did was wrong. And we were talking in very spiritual ways because that's the way she talks and relating it to scriptural stories. And that's. That's basically how we talk. Like, mom, Jesus wouldn't do this. Mom, Jesus wouldn't do that. Jesus wouldn't hurt her kids like this. And it was the first. And I'm serious, this is the first time anyone has ever fought back on her, at least someone who's close to her. This is the first time someone has fought back on her in a long, long time. And she. She told me, she said, you know, I hope God tells you who I really am. And, you know, I immediately my, you know, red flag started clicking, and I was like, okay, she's still. She's still in this bad mindset. And then about like, three, three or five days later, she called me again, and I couldn't even get a word off that whole call. She had five minutes to talk, and I didn't say a word. She just was bawling. She was just crying, crying and crying. And she's like, I thought about everything you said, and. And I realized, like, you are completely right. And, you know, no one has ever talked to me that way, the way you talk to me. And, you know, I realized what I've done is wrong. And. And then she started talking about money because a week before she was arrested, my savings account, everything I earned from the YouTube channel wiped. Zero. No money. And to this day, I still haven't gotten that back. So everything I earned from that eight passengers channel, I have nothing now from it. So it's just crazy. And she finally, in that call where she was crying, she says, I promise I'll get every penny back to you. I'll talk to my lawyer, and, you know, we're gonna work through things. And, you know, I. I love you. I love my parents. Because she had no relationship with her parents for so long, and she finally is like, I want to have a relationship back with everyone. And. And I'm super sorry. And, you know, I. At the very end of the Call, you know, she said, I love you. I gotta go. And then I. I did say I love you back. Because hearing her vulnerable like that, I hadn't heard that from her ever.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

In years. And if I know people's. A lot of people say, you know, she's got crocodile tears. She fakes it. But that phone call for five minutes, I. I couldn't. Unless she's the greatest actress in the world. To me, it felt so, like, so real. And you felt it was genuine, that phone call. Knowing my mom was a genuine phone call. So that was the last time I spoken to her. Just because, you know, I said I love you, and just because she was extremely apologetic doesn't mean I should have a relationship with her right now. And perhaps down the road. And when I say down the road, I mean, like, down the road, I'll open that back up again. But, yeah, that was the last time. So, you know, like a week after she was arrested was the last time I talked to her.

[Host 2]

Has she tried reaching out to you after.

[Chad]

Through letters?

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Chad]

Yeah, she would send them to our home address, and then eventually the prison stopped allowing her to do that because it was like a. It was like invading our personal space or sending them directly to us. So, yeah, she. She's written like four or five letters to me throughout the year. Even though she's still in the mindset of being apologetic and, you know, knowing that she was guilty of everything, the letters are still very spiritual. And to me, it's like you kind of broke that trust talking about God so much with me.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

That I don't really want to talk about God with you again because you just weaponized God. Yeah. You just weaponized it, and that's the perfect word for it. Weaponized it and just spoiled and rotten. My whole view on that because of you. And I'm trying to redirect it in a different way from what you did. So every time I read her letter, it just feels like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. And so she hasn't written one in probably a year.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Chad]

It's been a while.

[Host 1]

This may be a complicated question or not, but do you forgive her?

[Chad]

That is a complicated question. Yeah. Everything is in the past. Like, it's over. Everyone's safe. The story's kind of. Story is kind of done. It felt like a movie for a long time, and now I feel like the movie's at an end. I. That, yeah, it is a complicated question because I. I do forgive her in a sense of. I want her to now, from now on, live the best life she possibly can. I want her to be a better person. I want her to, you know, eventually grow up to have relationships again and. And be safe with people and trust people so people can trust her, too. And, yeah, you know, I wish her the complete best, but, you know, seeing the action she did, it's like I can't just forget about that and then forgive her and have a full relationship with her again.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

But the word forgiveness, I. I love that word. And I love the thought of forgiving someone and still loving someone. So I feel like I'm on the fence of, you know, loving them and forgiving them but not having a relationship with them.

[Host 1]

So I love that.

[Host 2]

That's a healthy boundary right there. Yeah, it was a very healthy boundary. When you were just talking. I was thinking of a couple things, but what. What is your relationship with religion? Is that something that you still want to partake in, or do you just feel like it's kind of. You're kind of over it?

[Chad]

Yeah, I'm still very much a Christian. I know a lot of people think that the Mormon religion is not Christian, but, you know, I pray to Jesus and I. I have a very profound love for him. And everything that my mom and Jody taught me, it was. It was just. They took, like, the Christian religion and just exploded it into some extreme beliefs.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

And so I think in the last year and a half, two years, I've been just trying to shave down. It's like. It's like if someone gave me ice cream, it's really good, and they added, like, pickles to it. I feel like I'm slowly just, like, getting the pickles out because I think the religion itself is beautiful and amazing and really simple. Relationship with Jesus. Yeah, my relationship with Jesus and God, and I think it was just spoiled so much. I'm slowly starting to pick out the sour parts and that they taught me. So I don't, like, look at someone who smokes and vapes now. And because I used to just be like, oh, they're distorted, you know, I don't want to be around anyone who lives in distortion at all. And so. But now I feel like, okay, now I'm starting to allow some distortion into my life and it starts to feel good because I know I can feel like I. I love anyone I'm around. And, yeah, that. That's my basis is no matter who I'm around, I just want to love them for the person they are.

[Host 1]

Yeah. So I love that.

[Host 2]

I love that. Yeah, it's so special. Last thing before we move on to our next part. But I'm curious. You talked about your first call with your mom, like.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Really talking about how you knew that what she did was wrong. Was there a point when you started to realize that, like, everything that she had put you through was not right? Or was it just a gradual thing? Over time, people started telling you that that wasn't good.

[Chad]

It was very gradual.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

In fact, within the. Within in the first, like, week or two, I was totally on her side for everything.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

And. And I said this in the documentary, as sad as it is to say, like, I. Even when she described the abuse as saving the kids from demons, you know, I believe that I truly did because I was fed all the spiritual.

[Host 2]

You knew nothing else.

[Chad]

Yeah, that's all I knew for a long time. And, you know, I believe that. And it was really hard for me to detox from that. And it definitely was a gradual thing. It was a big gradual thing. And social media is not the best place for. For answers or truth. But I will say some of the videos they posted about, like, my past in a passengers. They posted some a passengers videos. Watching those videos, they started to make me realize, like, okay, yeah, that was definitely bad, you know, okay, yeah, she was definitely in the wrong right there. And so watching those videos, I slowly realize, okay, eight Passengers wasn't a very healthy.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

Film style.

[Host 2]

Yeah. When you think back on your childhood, do you have fond memories? Is it something you don't really like to think about?

[Chad]

Yeah, of course I have fond memories, but I think everything before Jody I have just blocked out of my mind completely. It's probably the worst way I should be going about it. But I just. I don't know. People will. People come up to me in public and be like, oh, do you remember this video? And I'm like, no, I don't. Like, they tell me things about myself that I don't even remember because I just try to block it all out. But memories with my siblings and. And my dad and even my mom when she wasn't really focused on the money. Incredible memories as a kid. We had such a fun childhood before all the teenage years. And, yeah, it was. It was a lot of fun. I loved it.

[Host 1]

That's.

[Chad]

So I.

[Host 1]

And I have to preface this. I am not comparing my trauma to yours in any way, but that is such a trauma thing. And it made me realize when you were saying that the same thing happens to me with acting.

[Chad]

Is that.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Well, just things. There's Like a certain point in my life where I just don't really remember things before and people will do the same thing. Like, I mean, friends, they'll. They'll be like, hey, remember that time we did this and that? And I just. There's so many things I don't have any recollection of.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

And it has to be some sort of trauma response.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Association.

[Host 1]

Yeah. It's so weird. It freaks me out sometimes. Like friends or family will be like, you remember when you did this? I'm like, no.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

And I'm like, what the heck is wrong with my brain?

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

So true.

[Host 2]

I think it's a normal. I think it's a normal response.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

What was the word you described it as? Disassociation.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Wow. Why is that? Dissociation.

[Host 2]

Dissociation, we said distorted way too much of this and I'm like mixing my words up now. Yeah. Dissociate. You're dissociating from, from things.

[Chad]

Yeah, gotcha.

[Host 1]

From the distortion.

[Host 2]

From the dissociating from the distortion. I'd love to know what your relationship is like with your dad, with your sister, with your siblings. Because I feel like when. When people go through traumatic events together, I feel like it can either go two ways. It can either be like you're trauma bonded, you need this person, you need them by your side for everything, or it's. You see the person and you're reminded of that trauma so you don't really want a relationship with them.

[Chad]

Yeah, that's a good point.

[Host 2]

Where do you stand with that?

[Chad]

Yeah, I know a lot of people were like, oh, they did the, you know, Chad, Sherry and Kevin did interviews separately in the, in the documentary. And a lot of people think that because we did the interview separately that we don't have a relationship together. The producers actually did that on purpose because they didn't want our stories to be intertwined.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

They didn't want the story to be all messed up if we agree with one person. But we don't actually view it that way. But yeah, so just because we did the interview separately does not mean that we don't like see each other. We still have weekly Sunday dinners and everyone is a very. We're all in a very tight knit group and everyone is safe and happy and we all love each other. No trauma when we look at each other. So yeah, we, I think all of us collectively have just simply moved on and just kind of left it in the past. So that's great.

[Host 2]

Very happy. That makes me so happy. Like just Even hearing how you've just been speaking about this is.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

It's makes my heart, like, just so happy for you, because I feel like I look at that kid that's, you know, in this footage, and it breaks my heart. And it could have either gone, like, one or two ways, and the way you went, it's just astonishing, honestly.

[Host 1]

It is astonishing.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

So, moving on, I'm curious what the transition for you being in such a, like, controlled and public environment has been to now. You're. You're Chad. You're. You're on your own. You're an adult. You get to do whatever you want to do. You get to live the life that.

[Host 2]

Share what you want, keep private what you want.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Like, how has that transition been?

[Chad]

That's a great question. I think I'm really. Everyone's moved on but me specifically, because I don't know what everyone else wants to do. But me personally, I feel like I'm on my own journey from. I just remember the whole Free Chad thing was. It just rang in my head so much because people. People wanted me to be freed from my family and my mom specifically. And I feel like now is just a next chapter in my life because that was such a huge chapter in my life. I'll never forget it. And so me moving on is, like, kind of being freedom in a sense, where, you know, I'm people that watch me and watch me grow up. I'm in, like, a whole different side of life now.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

Where, you know, I'm an adult. I'm not a teenager. I'm not making content from my mom anymore. And, I don't know, I feel like I'm very freed in a sense. And as an adult, I can kind of do whatever I want. So, yeah, I want people to kind of, especially people who knew me as a kid, to be able to wear a part of me and my journey and what, you know, I do and did. And so me and my team, we. We created a clothing brand and based off of the Free Chad thing, we, you know, are saying we're freed. Oh, I. Me, personally, I'm freed now. And it's a way for anyone to be able to wear that part of me and say they. I don't know, kids just feel like they're really being controlled and. And really tighten it from their parents. And, you know, I want them to be able to have a chance to have their own voice and to be able to wear a shirt. People wear a sweatshirt, just to be able to say freed. To me, that Just sends a great message. And so that's something I'm working on right now. Hasn't launched yet, but it will soon and it's. It's going to be really good. I'm really excited about it.

[Host 1]

We looking at like, this year?

[Chad]

Yeah. Yeah. Within probably the next three to six months.

[Host 2]

Okay, well, stay tuned.

[Chad]

Yeah. Send you guys a package.

[Host 2]

I love it. I'm curious what your relationship is like with social media now.

[Chad]

Yeah. Great.

[Host 1]

You're so good on. So, like, I. Yeah, I've seen some of your videos and like the way that you're able to have like the.

[Host 2]

Humor, like the freaking beanbag video.

[Host 1]

Was that on Tick Tock?

[Chad]

Yeah, I think so.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

So funny. But yeah, I, I was thinking that too. I'm like, was that scary? Like, jumping back into it was.

[Chad]

No, that. You had a great point. It was because I was doing different kind of content than from what my mom was doing. The whole lifestyle vlogging kind of stuff, especially on YouTube, that's kind of died down, you know, that's not content. People really watch anymore. And, you know, some people do. But to me, it was a whole different side of things where it's like, okay, I now control my social media. I can do what I want. And with TikTok, I mean, TikTok trends are so fun because you can just be funny with it. You can just be stupid with it. And that's kind of where my personality shines the most is on like TikTok, where I can just make a stupid video for some reason, millions of people want to watch it.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

And it's just interesting. So, yeah, social media is fun for me now. It's not really like a job.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

So, yeah, I don't take it too seriously, but it's just a lot of fun.

[Host 1]

Love that.

[Host 2]

Do you think when you have kids, will you share them on social media?

[Chad]

Yeah. I am in a. I'm in a spot now where I'm trying to move on from social media. I will never. My girlfriend has made it very clear, like, when we have kids, you're done with social media. Like, you're not, you're not doing that. I'm trying to move on with a clothing brand and trying to do my own real estate deals and moving away from social media completely. What my sister has done, I mean, I don't know if you're up to date with my older sister Sherry, but she actually wrote a bill, like into law in Utah that is, you know, it requires any kind of social media that involves children. They Must be paid a certain amount. I mean, she basically like put that whole thing together. I mean, she's, she's doing fantastic. She. And she's trying to get that in every single state where it's just like children that are on social media need to be paid actors, they need to actually be monetize and watched under like a trust. So.

[Host 2]

Yeah, right.

[Chad]

Yeah, she's doing incredible with that. And I am 100 on her side with that. I know a lot of like youtubers are scared of her and YouTube moms are scared of her because you know that money going to like, it's like a large portion of the money going to the kids. The parents can't even touch it. So, you know, I, I think what she's doing is, is great.

[Host 2]

I'm curious, what, what do you want people to know or understand about you, who you truly are, besides aside from this chad that's been portrayed on social media and what the Internet may think.

[Host 1]

About you or what you think the biggest misconception about you is?

[Chad]

Yeah, I'd say people are really nice to me on social media. I don't think anyone has misconceptions. The biggest misconception I think is peop. I mean, I'm actually shocked with how many people actually believe this, that like I'm still brainwashed in a sense where me saying that I love my mom just for being my mom, you know, people really think that I'm still in a brainwashed state and I, I'm like shocked by that. It's like she's, to me, she's still my mom and like what she did is terrible. And I probably, I won't have a relationship with her and I don't have a relationship with her, but I can still say I love someone. And I think a lot of people, they're shocked by that and they think I'm still in a brainwashed.

[Host 1]

Right.

[Chad]

Yeah, that's one thing I, I know I can't like just clear by saying it that I'm not brainwashed, but yeah, that's one thing that kind of bugs me. But that's fine. But moving on, I'm, I'm like excited to be a dad. I'm excited to be able to eventually just be able to raise my kids and. Taylor, are you gonna be a dad at some point?

[Host 1]

I've told her I'm ready whenever she.

[Host 2]

She is, yeah, I'm the hold up. I'm the hold up.

[Chad]

Okay. But yeah, I'm excited to be a dad eventually. And I'm just Gonna. I mean, this might be the. I feel like Gen X parent or not Gen X millennial parents were kind of helicopter parents, but I feel like Gen Z parents are going to be bad parents because they just let their kids do whatever they want. At least that's what I'm gonna do is just like these. I just want my kids to have like a fun time. I want them to enjoy their life. And yeah, that's something I'm excited to do, is just love my kids.

[Host 1]

That's awesome.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

I think. I think people forget that you can, like forgive someone and like set a boundary, but that doesn't mean you're brainwashed. And yeah, I think that's very easily forgotten. And I think the amount of forgiveness you have in your heart and that you've been able to give your mom is amazing. And I think I always say you can't really heal from a place of anger or hatred like you. You really can only heal from a place of forgiveness. Like, that's when true healing, I feel, starts. And I feel like you've really somehow like, captured that better than like most 50, 60 year old adults. So it's really astonishing.

[Chad]

That's great.

[Host 1]

It's a beautiful thing and it just speaks towards your heart. It's. Yeah, it's remarkable.

[Chad]

Thanks. Thank you.

[Host 2]

I was thinking about this earlier, but have you, have you done therapy in later life?

[Chad]

Like after Jody?

[Host 2]

Yeah, after Jody, yeah. Like actual therapy?

[Chad]

Yeah. No one's asked me that. I actually appreciate you asking. I did, yeah. It kind of was a requirement because, you know, our whole family. Our whole family, like, went through this whole thing and, you know, for us to kind of be back together, we needed to heal. And so I was asked by dcfs, the family services to take therapy for a certain amount of time. And it was great. Like, I loved it. I did it for a couple weeks and it wasn't him telling me what to do. It was like if I had an issue or a problem, he just asked me questions and then I start questioning myself and then I figure out an answer after questioning myself. It's like, that's. That's how therapy is supposed to be.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Chad]

Therapists never should tell you what to do.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

They should just give you good questions to kind of question yourself. And it was. It was great. It was great. It was awesome. And then after a couple of weeks, I realized, you know, I feel like I'm in a very good mental spot. I've got friends, I've got Call of Duty, I've got all Kinds of just fun things that I. Enjoying life with. And. Yeah, so I. I went away from it and I don't do it anymore. But if I ever feel like I need it, it's. It's a safe thing for me now. And.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

You're not afraid of it?

[Chad]

I'm not afraid of it anymore.

[Host 2]

Yeah. Yeah. Don't have a distorted view of it. Sorry, I'm literally just gonna use that word as much as I can now. Last question I have for you is if you could go back to one moment in your life, happy, sad, whatever, what moment would that be and what would you say to yourself?

[Chad]

That's a good question. I like that. Ah, yeah. I think one moment really just is in there. Dang. I was a really athletic kid. Like, really, really athletic. And my sophomore year of high school, I ran track, and that was the best thing I was good at because I was a sprinter and I ran really fast. And my sophomore year high school, I was like top five sprinter in Utah, and I went to state and made it in the top five. And I was like, you know, by senior year, I was hoping, getting ready to like, break the state records and then go to college and do that. And that was like my big exciting thing. That was what I was best at was sprinting, and I loved it so much. And I remember that year, after my sophomore year, Jody told me, you know, I couldn't do football anymore because I was living in distortion and football was a distraction. So she didn't want me to do football anymore. And that was really sad for me, but I'm like, okay, that's fine. As long as I have sprinting, you know, I cannot play football, and that's fine.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

And then I remember, like, as she started taking away more and more things, I could see it coming that she's going to take away track as well. And this is actually when she was living in our home and we would have our meetings upstairs. And I remember, you know, we had our weekly therapy session and she brought me in and. And she said, hey, Chad, I know you've been expecting this, but me, your mom and dad were gonna not have you run track this next season. And I was never emotional with her. We were very straightforward business, you know, working on our spiritual self. But when she said that, I. I cried like a baby. And I would never, ever, ever question her. But in that moment, I was like, begging her, like, can you please, you know, take everything away from me, but please don't take this away from me?

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

And that was Just because those were my best friends were. That's where my relationships were, was in track. And I know it's such a small thing, just running a high school track team, but to me, that was, like, everything. Yeah. And her taking away from. Taking that away from me, I think that was just the final thing that just. I became numb and cold after that because nothing else could be taken away from me after that. Even when my mom was arrested and I found out about my siblings, I think from her taking away track, I became so cold and numb to, like, bad news. I didn't even flinch when I heard my mom was arrested. I didn't even have any emotion just because my favorite thing in the world was taken from me. And if I could go back, that's the one thing that I would have snuck in out of the house just to go to track practice or snucking out of the house to go run at track meets. Like, that, to me, was everything. And, I mean, I don't have, like, the legs I did as a teen, like a high schooler anymore, so, you know, that's not something I'm gonna do, and that's fine. But at the moment, that was just everything. And if I could go back, I'd. I'd just rebel for that one thing.

[Host 2]

Yeah. So it was your love and passion, so it makes complete sense. But, I mean, I think I could speak for both of us here that we've have enjoyed sitting and talking with you so much. It's been just so cool to see, like, where you're at in this healing process and the love that you have for life, honestly, and the love that you have for people. And I think people can learn a lot from you and the forgiveness that you've shown your mom, because a lot of people don't forgive people, and the people that they aren't forgiving have done a lot less worse things than your mom did. And so I think it's a good reminder, like, to have forgiveness for people, and that's where you can find true love and healing and.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Beautiful.

[Chad]

Well, thank you, guys.

[Host 1]

Thank you.

[Chad]

Appreciate it.

[Host 1]

We're excited for some freed clothing in the portrait.

[Host 2]

Get us on the pr. Yeah, of course.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Chad]

Thanks, Chad. Of course. Foreign.

[Host 2]

Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services.

[Chad]

Individuals on the show may have a.

[Host 2]

Direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.