Gospel great Kirk Franklin braved the possible public scrutiny he may incur after publicly discussing the estranged relationship with his son, Kerrion Franklin, and his arrest on major felony charges.
Kerrion Franklin spent time in the permanent housing section of the Los Angeles County Jail after he was arrested on April 10. During the traffic stop, Kerrion Franklin was determined to be driving a car that was allegedly linked to a missing woman in Texas who is presumed to be deceased due to a homicide. After two months in confinement, Kirk Franklin bailed his son out in June 2022.
The famous father, 52, told the host of the syndicated radio show “The Breakfast Club” that he still loves and cherishes his son, Kerrion Franklin, 34, despite their very public falling out in recent years. Kirk Franklin was hesitant to delve deeply into his son’s mental health, which Kerrion Franklin has admitted to while also telling fans that he’s bisexual.
“We historically have tried to keep our journey with our son and his [mental] state a private family matter. I love my son and we’ve been here for many, many, many years,” he said.
“I’ve done everything that I could to try and help him for many, many, many years. My son is a very talented, beautiful soul and the way that he was wired is not necessarily his fault. Some of us are born with very unique wiring and a lot of times in our community it is hard for us to acknowledge certain wiring. We want to think it’s something else,” he said.
Franklin then addressed his son’s most recent incarceration, albeit reluctantly.
“My son recently was incarcerated. … This is my boy. I know my son,” Kirk Franklin said. “Right now, I am proud of him because I think he is — we are privately trying to address some of those things. And I have to realize, [DJ] Envy, that he may never be able to understand the gravity of what he did.”
The son did thank his parents for springing him from jail though his legal entanglements are far from over.
Listen to the Franklin interview below:
