Kirk Franklin and his son, Kerrion, let the world into one of the most heartbreaking father-son fallouts in gospel music history. From leaked phone calls to years of estrangement, their relationship gave the public a front seat to the drama. But in a new episode of “Reality With The King,” Franklin opens up about where things stand today.
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Beyond his musical fame, Kirk Franklin has never shied away from his personal struggles as a family man. From bad record deals to the heartbreaking fallout with his mother, the gospel legend has bared it all to the public, but has always remained true to protecting his family.
Back in March 2021, an ugly family exchange went public when Kerrion leaked audio of a verbal exchange between him and his father, Kirk. In the recording, you can hear the gospel legend berating his son and using some…ungodly words. Before ending the call, he screamed, “I will break your neck. Don’t you ever disrespect me.” Following the leaked audio, Kerrion accused his father of battery during a counseling session, even threatening to reveal more recordings.
In a candid interview with Carlos King, Franklin finally pulled back the curtain on their relationship. The conversation opens up about Kerrion’s sexual orientation when he came out as bisexual on the Zeus Network show, “Bad Boys: Los Angeles” in 2022.
“For the record, there are people who say, ‘due to your son’s openness about his bisexuality,’ that was an issue,” King said.
“Let me say something to you,” Franklin replied. “I’ve said to my children when they were younger, my son and I had some beautiful conversation when he was a young boy. Beautiful conversations.”
Franklin continued, “I told my son, ‘There will never be any situation in your life that I will ever stop loving you. I will love who you love and I will stand where you stand.’”
He went on to acknowledge that family disagreements are inevitable, but the love that is shared is unwavering. “At the end of the day, that’s my son. And ain’t nobody gonna take my son away from me.”
The conversation deepened when Franklin admitted that his own sexuality had been questioned throughout his life.
“Carlos, for most of my life, I’ve had my sexuality questioned,” Franklin shared. “You know I’m little. I think I like clothes a little bit.”
He shared that many of his close friends in gospel music were “feminine men,” and that much of the speculation about his sexuality stemmed from his youth. Growing up as an only child, raised by his adopted mother, Franklin said his life was often lonely — and he found community and comfort in the church.
“Most of the men in the church were feminine,” he recalled, adding that he never saw anything wrong with that. “They were just good people.”
The interview offered a refreshing look at Franklin’s emotional journey, and social media seemed to agree.
“This was a beautiful conversation. It’s my first time hearing Kirk talk like this, and it truly touched my soul truly,” one YouTube user posted.
Another added, “Kirk reminds me of the guys I grew up with. That’s why he touches so many people’s lives. And Kerrion has a lot of growing up to do. I’m praying for his healing, body, mind, and spirit.
And a third commented, “Loved this interview! Kirk deserved all the flowers. I appreciated his thoughts on his son and the gay community.”
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