by Sherri Kolade
Recently, critically-acclaimed gospel artist Kirk Franklin and his wife Tammy Collins were interviewed by Tamron Hall on her ‘Tamron Hall Show’ and publicly spoke about the controversial conversation he had with his oldest son that went viral over the weekend, ESSENCE Magazine reported.
Kerrion Franklin, his son, shared the audio in which his dad could be heard calling him out of his name, using expletives on his social media platforms, which caught the eye of people nationally and made headlines. Even though the “Stomp” artist gave an apology on his Instagram, this interview was the first time he publicly spoke out about his relationship with his 33-year-old son and his son’s accusation of parental abuse.
Franklin opened up about the problems of his and his son’s tumultuous relationship and how there were early signs of a need for “deeper help.” He shared his son has been in and out of therapy for more than 20 years, but noted that as he got older “his disrespect became more aggressive.”
“Now that he’s about to be 33 as a grown man the relationship at times can become very agitated and very frustrated…but I’m not going to stop trying to help,” Franklin said as reported by ESSENCE. “He’s my son, he’s my firstborn, and I never want him to feel what I felt not having a father…It’s important for me because what if that call is the call that things change.”
Franklin continued to show his love for his son and let viewers know that there has been no physical or parental abuse. When he was asked about his respect for his son, he explained that while he does respect Kerrion as a grown man, he’s still his father.
“I respect Kerrion. I’m not Kerrion’s equal though. I’m not his equal, I’m his dad,” Franklin said steadfastly. “And when you talk to me, especially about things that you say that you want from me, I can’t hear you when you are extremely aggressive when we’re communicating, and that’s why a lot of times, Kerrion and I haven’t talked sometimes for a year or two.”
Regarding the comments that Kerrion posted on his socials, Franklin understood that fans had “every right to be disappointed” in his use of violent and explicit language, the article reported. He also showed disappointment in himself, but he acknowledged that he’s a human with “a history of a toxic, challenging, turbulent relationship” between himself and his son, ESSENCE reported.
“In that fight, it can become so difficult that my humanity, unfortunately, that day, won,” he said in the article. “And I’m going to keep trying, while still continuing to admit that I am an imperfect man fighting to serve a perfect God.”
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