‘What About Kerrion?’: Kirk Franklin’s Instagram Post Showing Him Visiting His Children Derails When Fans Bring Up His Estranged Relationship with His Older Son

Grammy award-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin let fans know distance does not matter when it comes to his children. 

The “Melodies from Heaven” artist posted two photos to his Instagram account, showing that he traveled to Atlanta in order to see his daughter, Kennedy Franklin, and then traveled to Nashville to visit his son, Caziah Franklin, and shared that he would do it every day if he could. 

Over 22,000 fans liked Franklin’s Instagram post and his comments were filled with fans noting how great of a father he is. However, some fans couldn’t help but recognize and mention that his older son, Kerrion Franklin, seemed to have missed his father’s visitation tour. 

“That’s nice, did you visit your oldest son too?”

“What about @kerriondivine?”

“Can’t wait to see a picture with you and Kerrion!”

Franklin and his son have had a toxic relationship as the years have gone by. In 2021, the 34-year-filmmaker leaked an explicit phone call conversation between him and his father on his Instagram page, where viewers were able to hear Franklin curse him out then threatened him before ending the phone call by hanging up. 

(L-R): Kirk Franklin and Kerrion Franklin Photo: @kirkfranklin/Instagram and @kerrionrashad/Instagram

The “Smile” creator since has publicly spoken out about the incident on various talk shows and even released a video of him apologizing to his son. Both Franklin men publicly have addressed their strained relationship, and none of that stopped the elder Franklin from coming to his son’s side following his run-in with the law in May 2022. 

The “Bad Boys: Los Angeles” cast member was stopped by police officers for “a routine traffic sop regarding his tailgate,” which quickly turned into an arrest of Kerrion for driving a vehicle that belonged to a missing woman “who is believed to be dead.” 

He was held in prison for nearly two months without bond, until his father, along with Pastor John P. Kee, came to his rescue. 

In his first tweet post being released from jail, Kerrion thanked both men for “the prayers and the wind the most High is moving me in.”

Franklin has yet to directly respond to news regarding his son’s arrest. 

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top