Shari Franke, the eldest daughter of convicted child abuser Ruby Franke, has taken on a new role in her family's devastating story: protector.
Since her mother's arrest in August 2023, Shari has been the most vocal advocate for her five younger siblings, using her social media platform to push back against the continued public fascination with her family's trauma.
Now, as a new Lifetime documentary titled Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story looms, Shari has made an emotional daily plea to her 612K Instagram followers, urging them not to support the film.
"This movie is trash, and only hurts my siblings more," she wrote. "None of us were contacted about the movie. None of the proceeds are going to the kids. Please do not support this movie."
Watch: Ruby Franke was the social media star turned convicted felon. Article continues after video.
The film, which stars Emilie Ullerup as Ruby Franke and Heather Locklear as her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, claims to depict the shocking abuse that led to the pair's arrests and their eventual convictions on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse.
But for Shari, the film represents another layer of exploitation, one that reopens old wounds for a family still grappling with the trauma of living under Ruby's oppressive parenting. In one Instagram post, she revealed the moment she saw the trailer for the film: "I saw the trailer suddenly in class and had an anxiety attack," she wrote.