Chad Franke: Freed episode artwork

EPISODE · May 7, 2025 · 55 MIN

Chad Franke: Freed

from The Squeeze

In this week’s episode, the Lautners are joined by Chad Franke for a conversation about growing up on YouTube as part of the massively followed family channel 8 Passengers, created by his mom, Ruby Franke. Chad opens up about the early days of vlogging, when the channel began to take off, and what it was like having his childhood shared with millions. He reflects on how personal struggles were often turned into content, and how the shift from casually being on camera to having moments staged for engagement began to affect him. Chad talks about the #FreeChad movement, sparked by concerns over his living situation, and what it was like watching the Hulu docuseries Devil in the Family for the first time. He also shares about the last time he spoke to his mom, the letters she’s sent, his relationship with religion and God, and the gradual realization that what was happening wasn’t okay. Chad discusses his close bond with his siblings and dad, his current relationship with social media, and why he’s committed to keeping his future children offline. He also emphasizes the need for stricter regulations around monetizing minors and gives a look at what’s next for him.Be sure to follow Chad https://www.instagram.com/chadwfranke/!To email us your questions or share your story, you can reach out to [email protected] sure to rate, review, and follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode! Plus, follow us on all of our socials:The SqueezeInstagram: https://instagram.com/thesqueeze/TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@thesqueezepodcastTay LautnerInstagram: https://instagram.com/taylautner/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrstaylautnerAmazon Storefront https://urlgeni.us/amazon/FDXj7 Taylor LautnerInstagram: https://instagram.com/taylorlautner/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlautnerTo learn more from The Lemons Foundation, follow https://instagram.com/lemonsbytay/ and visit lemonsbytay.comEpisode Sponsors:Meet Caudalie's Iconic Vinoperfect Serum. Available at Sephora and Caudalie.com I’m obsessed with the BelliWelli powders. Like I said they tend to sell out and never give discounts so go to belliwelli.com and use code our exclusive code SQUEEZE20 at checkout for 20% off our order.Go to cokeurl.com/simplyPOP to find out where you can try Simply Pop!It pays to Discover. Learn more at Discover.com/creditcard.Visit https://masachips.com/squeeze and use promo code SQUEEZE to get 25% off your first order today.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week’s episode, the Lautners are joined by Chad Franke for a conversation about growing up on YouTube as part of the massively followed family channel 8 Passengers, created by his mom, Ruby Franke. Chad opens up about the early days of vlogging, when the channel began to take off, and what it was like having his childhood shared with millions. He reflects on how personal struggles were often turned into content, and how the shift from casually being on camera to having moments staged for engagement began to affect him. Chad talks about the #FreeChad movement, sparked by concerns over his living situation, and what it was like watching the Hulu docuseries Devil in the Family for the first time. He also shares about the last time he spoke to his mom, the letters she’s sent, his relationship with religion and God, and the gradual realization that what was happening wasn’t okay. Chad discusses his close bond with his siblings and dad, his current relationship with social media, and why he’s committed to keeping his future children offline. He also emphasizes the need for stricter regulations around monetizing minors and gives a look at what’s next for him.Be sure to follow Chad https://www.instagram.com/chadwfranke/!To email us your questions or share your story, you can reach out to [email protected] sure to rate, review, and follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode! Plus, follow us on all of our socials:The SqueezeInstagram: https://instagram.com/thesqueeze/TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@thesqueezepodcastTay LautnerInstagram: https://instagram.com/taylautner/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrstaylautnerAmazon Storefront https://urlgeni.us/amazon/FDXj7 Taylor LautnerInstagram: https://instagram.com/taylorlautner/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlautnerTo learn more from The Lemons Foundation, follow https://instagram.com/lemonsbytay/ and visit lemonsbytay.comEpisode Sponsors:Meet Caudalie's Iconic Vinoperfect Serum. Available at Sephora and Caudalie.com I’m obsessed with the BelliWelli powders. Like I said they tend to sell out and never give discounts so go to belliwelli.com and use code our exclusive code SQUEEZE20 at checkout for 20% off our order.Go to cokeurl.com/simplyPOP to find out where you can try Simply Pop!It pays to Discover. Learn more at Discover.com/creditcard.Visit https://masachips.com/squeeze and use promo code SQUEEZE to get 25% off your first order today.Produced by Dear Media See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Chad Franke: Freed

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This episode is 55 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 7, 2025.

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In this week’s episode, the Lautners are joined by Chad Franke for a conversation about growing up on YouTube as part of the massively followed family channel 8 Passengers, created by his mom, Ruby Franke. Chad opens up about the early days of...

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