Gospel artist Kirk Franklin, following a recently recorded argument with his oldest son, told a talk show host their relationship has not involved physical abuse.
“I’m confident that there hasn’t been any physical abuse,” Franklin told Tamron Hall in an exclusive interview on her syndicated program on Wednesday, March 17.
Hall interviewed Franklin and his wife, Tammy Collins, on her show that was already scheduled to feature gospel music, including a prerecorded performance by the gospel artist.
The entertainer posted a 59-second video apology on Saturday after one of his sons released an obscenity-laced and physically threatening argument he claimed was with Franklin. The gospel performer said in the video his family has had “a toxic relationship” with his oldest child for many years.
In the 45-second audio recording on the Instagram of @kerrionrashad, two voices can be heard having an argument and yelling at each other.
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The older voice can be heard in the audio speaking of not wanting to be disrespected and saying he’d “break your neck” or “put my foot in your a—” if he is.
The younger voice says at the end of the recording, “He just hung up the phone. ‘I’ll break your neck.’ Is that a threat?”
Hall asked Franklin how he responds to accusations of Kerrion Franklin, 32, about parental abuse.
“I’m confident that his mother, myself, Tammy, my family, there’s never been anything physical that concerns me or even makes me uncomfortable because I know the truth, he knows the truth, and I love him,” the elder Franklin told Hall. “And as a grown man, I am still his dad and when it becomes aggressive, I still have to have a level of respect.”
He later added: “I mean, we’ve had therapy and counseling sessions and documentation long enough to know that the deeper issue is, we’ve been just trying to help our son.”
Collins, who has a blended family with Kirk Franklin and four children, added she was not on the recent call that was posted on Instagram.
“I can tell you that it has been a very hard and difficult situation with our family for years,” she told Hall.
The show attempted to reach Kerrion Franklin for comment but he did not respond before the taping occurred.
Shawn Ewing, Kerrion Franklin’s mother, spoke about the situation Tuesday in an interview on the online program “The Heart Beat.” She told host Ericka English that Kirk Franklin informed her of the latest developments with their son.
“Sometimes it’s very difficult; sometimes we lose our cool,” Ewing said. “We don’t condone violence or threatening but discipline is important.”
In her TV interview, Hall asked Kirk Franklin if he respects his oldest son. The father said he does but said sometimes they haven’t spoken for one or two years.
“I respect Kerrion,” he said. “I’m not Kerrion’s equal, though. I’m not his equal. I’m his dad.”
Kirk Franklin ended the interview by saying his fans had a right to be disappointed in his use of language.
“I have a history of a toxic, challenging, turbulent relationship with a grown man now that I’m still trying to fight for,” he told Hall. “And in that fight it can become so difficult that my humanity, unfortunately that day, won. And I’m going to keep trying, while still continuing to admit that I am an imperfect man fighting to serve a perfect God.”
Adelle Banks is production editor and a national correspondent at Religion News Service.
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11 Responses
Dear Cancel Culture. Kirk messed up (like so many of us) in a closed door rant that his son secretly recorded and publicized.My grandson reminded me of a profanity laced tirade I went on when he ( at the age of 9) totally went out of his way to upset me. He is now 12. He reminded me of it just last week ( he has NOT forgotten) and we both laughed uncontrollably. BUT IT WAS NOT FUNNY THEN.
I owned it, apologized to my Lord and my then 9 year old grandson and have moved on.
Being in the public eye makes you a moving target. Bottom line, I’m praying for healing and reconciliation for Kirk and his son. God did it for me and my grandson…and He can do it for Kirk and his son.
Kirk Franklin is the person (I almost said “man”) his language revealed him to be. Kirk needs to take up truck driving for a couple years before singing more about a God who never spoke this crazily to his own son. Maybe Kirk has as much to hide as Ravi. My question to you , Kirk, is this: What do you plan to do to make this right? Is just using the word “apology” in a sentence going to put it to be for you? If so, “Ha!” To the fiftieth power.
James
As much as I am disappointed about hearing the language that Kirk used. I believe that when you put yourself out there as a Christian, you deserve to be held at a higher standard. However having said that, I strongly believe this is the very reason why Jesus says in John 8:7 (paraphrasing) “let those who are without sin, cast the first stone…” As long as he is willing to confess what be said, hone up to it, apologize, and try never to do it again who are we to judge him? Last I checked, that’s God’s job?
Clearly you have never had a toxic relationship with a son, James. It’s maddening and can bring out the absolute worst that you didn’t even know was there. Emotions run hot when you love so much and it’s been so long and they continue to rebel. Christian artists are no more perfect than you or I and I certainly appreciate the sincerity with which he apologized. It’s a good thing that you don’t ever mess up and say things you wish you could take back.
Do we, should we, hold musicians to the standards of recognized elders, pastors, and/or “teachers” in the NT sense? Does remarriage after divorce no longer cross our minds as a problem? Do our churches have anything more helpful to offer than ‘apologize and try not to do it again?’ Will a public humiliation motivated by poor intentions actually be used by God for deep repentance and true cleansing and healing? Just a few of the questions this article brings to mind.
One of the issues we fail to address in the body of Christ is assessing a potential leader’s emotional maturity when considering their readiness to wisely steward the enormous responsibility and power/influence such roles carry. Relationships by definition are very complex and anyone outside that relationship cannot possibly know the details or make unbiased judgments. At the same time, Christians historically are predisposed to defer to those holding power within the fold simply because of their position, therefore giving the leader the benefit of the doubt even when their behavior demonstrates a lack of emotional maturity. Kirk is widely recognized as a leader in the larger Christian community because of his long association with gospel music, not because he was vetted in advance for his emotional self-management skills. His comment that “there was never any physical abuse” is revealing, in that this is his plumb line for determining what constitutes abuse. My understanding of his son’s position is that Kirk’s long-time misuse of authority over his son through verbally, emotionally, and spiritually abusive means is the core issue he has sought to address. My heart aches for this family, that such a painful strain in their relationship has become fodder for public speculation. And, it is a tragically common example of the damage done to one another from lack of self-awareness and self-management that are the frameworks of emotional maturity.
But Lynspiration, he never says “there was never any physical abuse”.
What he says makes it sound like rhere was.
If there was never any physical abuse, he would have said so in a clear and UNambiguous fashion.
In any case, we are CHRISTIAN and the whole point of the Sermon on the Mount is that the heart is the issue. Yes, constantly being angry at someone DOES equate to murder from Christ’s (and therefore our, if we’re His) perspective because all that’s lacking is circumstance.
Jesus makes clear in other passages eg Matthew 12:35 and Luke 6:44-45 that He is concerned with the HEART and not just outward actions (see also Matthew 23).
Regeneration i.e becoming a “NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST” (2 Corinthians 5:17) is prophesied in Ezekiel 35:25-27 and elsewhere in the OT. Paul said his conversion was an example, a model.
Paul did not remain Saul the raging murderer. That’s the Gospel (an integral part that’s tragically left out in Calvinist churches).
Paul was confident to tell people to “imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1) because he knew, as he often said, that his behavior thanks to the Holy Spirit now indwelling (John 14:16-17) was exemplary.
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
People who say they’ve been abused are usually telling the truth.
Kirk did abuse his son verbally and emotionally. We all heard it on the tape. I believe he most likely did physically abused his son as a minor and maybe even as an adult. What is in your heart comes out of your mouth. Parents don’t begin threatening adult children with physical abuse out of the blue like that.
Whatever has transpired between father and son is most likely a lot worse than we know. The best thing his son can do is cut ties with him and find healing and peace. Maybe that’s what he’s trying to do by leaking these recordings.
“I respect Kerrion,” he said. “I’m not Kerrion’s equal, though. I’m not his equal. I’m his dad.”
When are Christians going to learn that our children are our equals. Our children are our siblings in Christ. Even as young children they are equal. Yes we train them to maturity as humans but in the family of God we are equal. We have much to learn from them. Even Jesus saw the wisdom of children and as adults we are to become like them. There is no line of authority in Christ we are equal.
You’re on point, Carla. Also due to the fact that Kirk goes out of his way NOT to say “I never physically abused my son”. What he says is a swerving.
If you never physically abused someone, it’s easy to say “I never physically abused him” but he doesn’t say that.
In any case, as Jesus tells us in Luke 6:44-45, Matthew 12:33 etc, it’s a heart issue and yep, words can be as damaging as actions. Verbal abuse can be as bad as physical abuse.
Deep-down, our children (even as adults) expect – and are right to expect – exemplary behavior from us. The standardis even higher for those who claim to be Christian i.e to have the Holy Spirit indwelling!
It’s often hurt that causes their rebellion and (I’m not saying it’s the case here but it could be) there’s nobody more hurt on this earth than a kid who feels abandoned by a parent, either through that parent leaving and/or finding a partner who isn’t the kid’s other parent.
The words he used in this exchange are shocking and the fact that some “Christians” aren’t shocked shows how low the standard has become.
It’s not surprising because so many churches produce false converts in effectively denying the transforming POWER of the Holy Spirit in true conversion. That’s what the contrast between the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit is meant to tell us in Galatians 5:19-23 (and I wish people would read the verses that follow i.e 24 thru 26 because that is one instance where the New Testament makes clear the stark difference between a lost person and a regenerate Christian (the only kind: John 1:12-13)
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
“Malignant narcissism is a psychological syndrome comprising an extreme mix of narcissism, antisocial behavior, aggression, and sadism.[1] Grandiose, and always ready to raise hostility levels, the malignant narcissist undermines families and organizations in which they are involved, and dehumanizes the people with whom they associate.”
The grandiosity means that they pursue fortune and fame with an unrivaled dedication to those things. In Christianity the arrogance and deep sense of entitlement to the best of everything is thinly veiled over by a false humility. They put on a show in the spotlight but out of it they are some very vile sounding and acting hypocrites. They will hire lawyers to write an “apology” for them because they do not know what repentance is. Oh and they never do what John the Baptist told them to which is “to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”