Earlier this year, Kirk Franklin set out on a quest to locate his long-lost biological father. However, after 53 years, the reunion seemed to be even more profound than he had anticipated.
The cameras captured when Franklin received an unexpected revelation about his biological father. The gospel icon made the heartfelt decision to transform this emotional footage into a short documentary. The 35-minute “Father’s Day: A Kirk Franklin Story” production coincides with the release of his upcoming album of the same title on October 6th.
The moment also provided an opportunity for him to reestablish a connection with his estranged eldest son, Kerrion, who he had not seen in over a decade. In addition, Franklin will reflect on the journey leading up to this point, along with an exclusive clip revealing the pivotal moment when his doctor disclosed the news about his biological father’s paternity.
Nevertheless, Franklin candidly shared PEOPLE the “horrific” memories of his life before his career. He was adopted at the age of 4, as his teenage birth mother was considered unfit to raise him. Although Franklin was aware of his mother’s identity, they did not maintain a relationship, which left Franklin feeling abandoned.
At the age of 6, Franklin was introduced to a man whom his biological mother claimed was his birth father. Initially, he had assumed that his biological father had passed away, as the man he believed to be his dad had also died. However, Franklin’s perspective began to shift when a singer he had hired mentioned meeting a man who had dated Franklin’s mother. Remarkably, this man, Richard Hubbard, lived in the same neighborhood where Franklin had grown up. Speculation regarding Franklin’s paternity started to circulate and eventually led to Hubbard taking a DNA test, which confirmed a 99.9% match.
Watch the documentary below:
