Why I stopped talking to my mother at 32 – Kirk Franklin

Grammy-winning gospel singer Kirk Franklin has opened up about the reason he stopped speaking to his biological mother at the age of 32.

In a candid appearance on the ‘Funky Friday’ podcast, Franklin, now 54, shared that the estrangement followed a deeply painful incident involving his sister, who had recently been released from prison. Franklin was the only family member actively supporting her, providing accommodation and attempting to help her recover from drug addiction.

“I’ve never shared this before,” Franklin began. “When I was 32, my sister had just gotten out of prison, and I was the only one trying to help her. We needed to hold an intervention, but things took a turn when my biological mother arrived with her new husband.”

He continued, “During the intervention, my mother’s new husband made a comment that really hurt me. After the meeting, I expressed that this situation was about helping my sister, not about us. His response was, ‘What you need to do is call your mama sometimes.’ I was taken aback, and when I challenged him, he accused me of not acting like a Christian.”

Franklin recounted how the situation escalated, with his mother’s new husband urging her to leave. “My mother took his hand and walked out with him, leaving her own children behind. I was devastated. It felt like a betrayal.”

Franklin explained that this incident marked a turning point for him. “I vowed never to let myself be treated like that again. As a child, I couldn’t protect myself, but as an adult, I refused to accept that kind of treatment from my own mother.”