Have you heard about the ongoing feud between gospel superstar Kirk Franklin and his son, Kerrion? It has been quite a hot topic among their fans lately.
People are divided on whether parents should make their children’s private matters public for the whole world to see.
It all started when Kirk Franklin unexpectedly became a trending topic on social media on that fateful day in March.
His estranged son, Kerrion, posted a rather incriminating message that hinted at some serious tension between them. And as if that wasn’t enough, a leaked recording of their phone conversation surfaced and went viral. Can you believe it?
Naturally, the whole situation caught the attention of the public, and fans were left debating whether it was appropriate for Kirk Franklin to address their family issues so publicly.
Some argued that it’s a personal matter that should be kept behind closed doors, while others felt that transparency and open discussions can bring awareness to important family dynamics.
The aftermath of the incident led Kirk Franklin to issue an apology to his fans. It’s a complex family drama, and it’s fascinating to uncover the hidden clues behind this seemingly functional relationship.
We’re all eager to dig deeper into the story and understand what truly transpired between this father and son duo.
So What Happened?
Kerrion Franklin is the eldest child of the Grammy winner Gospel artist, Kirk Franklin. Before his marriage with Tammy, Kirk became a teenage father to this child from a previous relationship with a woman named, Shawn Ewing.
Franklin had two children with his wife Tammy and eventually adopted her daughter Carrington after their matrimonial relationship began.
It’s a well-known fact that Kerrion and Franklin have had a strange relationship over the year with Jones (Kerrion) taking his concerns to Instagram in early 2018.
Kerrion took to Instagram (removed post) to share his feelings with the world and accused his father of neglecting him and trying to kill him according to Ebony Magazine.
Following that year, the instigations died down until recent months when he posted a cryptic message on Instagram that read, “I’m not allowed to have any childhood pictures of myself or my family. Some of the sh*t I see yaw complain about is so surface. I’ve been through the fire.”
Kerrion elaborated on the situation in this post, saying that his heart was broken and his Father (Franklin) was the cause.
The most alarming event in this ongoing family drama was when Franklin’s son leaked a recording of his phone conversation with him that couldn’t be reconciled with his public persona of a devoted family man.
On March 13, Franklin could be seen using non-christian words while telling his son off before abruptly hanging up. The video went viral on social media.
The call wasn’t only about Kirk yelling at his 33-year-old son; he also for example expressed disappointment in his son’s college performance.
“You need to get your skinny mother f****** as* back out the goddamn way before I put my foot in your as*. I will break your neck if you ever disrespect me,” The call was cut off right at this moment, after which Kerrion continued, “Did he just hang up the phone? ‘I’ll break your neck.’ Is that a threat?” He captioned the video, with the following statement:
“This is why I’m done. No father should speak to their children like this. If I have any issues it’s because Of this type of treatment that ii deal with behind closed doors. Hanging up in my face, No apology, no compassion, no effort. Stop telling me to go home to my family I don’t even know where they live. I don’t think I’ll ever trust my father to be alone around him ever again.”
Kerrion
Some are outraged by the clip of Franklin speaking in that tone with his own son, while others are praising the artist for his commitment to respecting all people.
Kirk Franklin’s Apology:
To tame the fiery rage of his peers and devotees, Franklin took to Twitter to issue an apology. He bluntly admitted to the fact that he and his son have toxic dynamics that have been affecting their relationship. The video stated the following message:
“Recently, my son and I had an argument that he chose to record. I felt extremely disrespected in that conversation and I lost my temper, and I said words that are not appropriate,” the singer said. “I am sincerely sorry to all of you, I sincerely apologize.”
Miserably trying to clear his name, Franklin reportedly said that a part of the recording that people didn’t get to see was where he called their therapist to intervene in their heated argument.
“I’m not perfect, I’m a human and I’m going to make mistakes, and I’m trying to get it right,” the singer said in closing. “Please keep me and my family in your prayers.”
Response by Kerrion Franklin:
Kerrion was publically unsatisfied with his father’s response, as he posted a video on his Instagram stories instigating more hatred for his father.
He stated that the senior Franklin had never been consistent with counseling and another individual, by the name of pastor T.D. Jakes was also on the phone call too.
Later on, Kerrion also made an extended accusation on Instagram with a photo of the family from 2006 Jet Magazine, claiming that this had been the last time he was able to take a family photo and that he’s suffered years of neglectful treatment. However, he went on to urge people to ‘forgive and forget about this whole scenario and not to go after his father.
“Please do not crucify my father. I’m not here to bash him by any means… I didn’t even swear in the recording. I was just wondering Why do people ‘assume’ I did something to deserve this. I just said what he said back to me. My dad has been manipulating & bullying me for over 15 years now My voice will be heard. I forgive him for the past pain,” he wrote.
Defense by Kerrion’s Mother:
Kerrion’s mother, Shawn Ewing in light of this family feud going public shared her side of the story to justify her former partner’s apology. In this less publicized interview by Ericka Fusilier English on The Heart Beat podcast, Ewing implied the difficulties that she and Franklin faced in raising a child as teen parents.
She strongly opposed her son’s behavior and attitude in this while situation which had led to the exposure of the deep divide between him and his father. One of the notable exclamations from this interview is as follows:
“I’m not saying that my son is not hurting from us being teenage parents. I’m not saying my son doesn’t have a testimony. What I am saying is that ‘you were not abandoned. No one abdicated their responsibility towards you. You are loved, Kerrion Franklin,’” she said.
Kirk Franklin later reappeared in the spotlight in an interview with the Tamron Hall Show to discuss the deep-seated “tension and challenges” that were made public over the course of this feud. During this interview, Franklin starts off exploring his ongoing relationship with his present partner, Tammy, and Kerrion’s mother, Shawn Ewing as supportive and sisterly.
Franklin publically describes her as an “incredible woman,” who had helped Kerrion through thick and thin all through her life. Kirk went on to explain to Tamron Hall the familial issue that took him “in and out of counseling and therapy for over 20 years.”
He claimed that Kerrion became “more aggressive” as he became “a grown man.” However, he explicitly denied Kerrion’s allegations that he had abused him. In his own words, he said;
“As he grows older (his disrespect more aggressive), but I am confident that his mother, myself, Tammy, my family & I there’s never been anything physical to worry about even makes me uncomfortable because I know the truth, he knows the truth, and I love him,” he said. He stressed later, “I’m confident that there hasn’t been any physical abuse.”
This was followed by an alarming allegation that was presented to the mainstream media by MTO News. In this new video, Kerrion made an explosive charge of molestation against his father to a group of friends. You can see in the video that when Kerrion’s friends start playing a Kirk Franklin song, and he explains without fail “…Thank you again for playing my music. I hope you had a blast!”
We can predict a new storm brewing in the upcoming days, as many suggest the video specified that Kerrion may have been suggesting that his father abused him. However, none of these claims have been attested publically by Kerrion or any of his peers.
Conclusion:
After so much time, there is finally peace in the aftermath of this turbulent season, we truly hope Franklin and his son Kerrion are able to reconcile their difference and embrace their relationship so that Kirk can be for his son the father he’ll cherish forever.