Kirk Franklin Finally Reflects on 2021 Viral Video Cussing Out His Son

It’s not often that gospel legend Kirk Franklin makes the news, but that’s exactly what happened back in 2021 when his son Kerrion posted footage of the “Looking For You” singer cussing him out during a heated argument on Instagram.

The shocking video took many fans and followers by surprise because the artist, known for his career for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in his music, was using not-so-good language in the video. In particular, calling his son a “bitch ass” and threatening to “break his motherfucking neck” among other profane rants caught many off guard, prompting him to apologize for his behavior shortly thereafter. The following year, Kerrion publicly came out as bisexual during an episode of “Bad Boys Club.”

Now, however, in a new interview with football star Cam Newton for his “Funky Friday” podcast, Franklin is reflective about the moment. He shares that he was “ashamed of myself,” and spoke on how he and Kerrion have moved forward from the incident.

“I was very ashamed of myself, the lack of control no matter what the conversation was that I felt was a disrespectful conversation,” he said. “Because I’m the father, I still have the responsibility and because I know my son...I have the responsibility to take into totality the environment that I was in and I didn’t do a good job. Because he’s still my son, the manner in which I talked to him was not the best and so I own that.”

He continued:

There’ve been good days, there’ve been bad days, still. And I am praying that my son will feel and see the support that is there for him to become his best. And the discipline and the work that takes, I know that it can be overwhelming for him. But I hope that he will see through it that he’s worth it. He’s worth it to himself to do the hard work with what God has in his sovereignty placed in your lap as a 36-year-old Black man. That a lot of times we are wired in ways that we didn’t ask for. But that does not limit us from not being our best.

He went on to heap more praise on son, describing him as “gifted, talented, [and] handsome,” and said that there isn’t an accomplishment in the world that would matter as much as his son winning at life. He also went on to say that he wouldn’t speak to his son’s personal traumas and nuances, as they’re “his story to tell.”