Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is grateful for his four kids: Kerrion, Carrington, Kennedy and Caziah.
Kirk became a dad for the first time at age 17 when he welcomed son Kerrion. Kirk later married his wife, Tammy Franklin, and legally adopted her daughter, Carrington. The couple went on to have two more children together: daughter Kennedy and son Caziah.
Throughout his career, the “I Smile” vocalist has opened up about being adopted and raised by a woman named Gertrude Franklin, after his parents left him on his own. The experience led Kirk to “father out of fear” when it came to his own sons and daughters.
“I was like ‘I’ll be damned if I let my kids feel that type of pain,’ ” he told PEOPLE in September 2023. “So a lot of times I over-parented and over-performed, bought too many bicycles, ran off too many boyfriends, just wanting to protect.”
Today, Kirk is thankful for all the opportunities he’s had to learn parenthood’s intricacies.
“There are no perfect families, so… take that pressure off of yourself and love the flaws, failures and blemishes of your human family,” he wrote on Instagram beside a family photo in December 2022. “I love mine, and I thank God that they love me through my process… perfectly.”
Here’s everything to know about Kirk Franklin’s kids: Kerrion, Carrington, Kennedy and Caziah.
Kerrion Franklin
Kirk welcomed his son, Kerrion, in the late 1980s.
“I failed out of high school. I got a young lady pregnant when I was 17,” Kirk told PEOPLE of the experience in September 2023.
When he married Tammy several years later, she helped raise Kerrion, coparenting with his mom. “Tammy was a master, she was a surgeon at how she loved Kerrion and Carrington and how she made that thing work,” Kirk shared in an August 2024 interview with Cam Newton.
Kerrion had a unique upbringing, especially once his dad found fame. Speaking on The Deep Dive Dialogue podcast in February 2025, he recalled his life changing in the third grade. Kerrion switched from public school to homeschooling in order to travel with Kirk and the rest of the family.
Unfortunately, Kirk and Kerrion have had some difficulties in their relationship, including in 2021 when Kerrion released a private voicemail from his dad, which Kirk later publicly apologized for, per Billboard. The duo reunited for a 2023 documentary.
“My son is a beautiful soul,” Kirk told PEOPLE after the reunion. “There are parts of his life that are his to share. I am just very proud that I’m seeing him in his own way.”
During The Deep Dive Dialogues podcast interview, Kerrion revealed he is working on his relationship with his dad and would love to make music together.
“The more I fall in love with myself, the more I love my father,” Kerrion said. “I’m his shadow, and that makes me appreciate his light more. I don’t want to ruin the Franklin name. … I am a part of his legacy, I’m trying not to look stupid doing it.”
Now, Kerrion is an artist and reality star who lives in Los Angeles and was featured on Zeus Network’s Bad Boys: Los Angeles show in 2022, and Bad Boys: Texas in 2023.
Though he and his dad may not always see eye to eye, Kirk wants the best for Kerrion. “I just continue to pray that he will fulfill all that God has him to be and get the healing and all the things that he deserves,” Kirk told PEOPLE. “I love him to death.”
Carrington Franklin, 36
Tammy welcomed her first child, Carrington, on May 13, 1989. She was 5 years old when her mom started dating Kirk, and they bonded immediately. Kirk went on to legally adopt Carrington.
“Carrington fell in love with me as much as I fell in love with her. Carrington is my baby!” Kirk told Newton in August 2024. “I don’t even know what a ‘bonus child’ even means.”
Carrington attended Dallas Baptist University, according to her Instagram bio, and hosts a Sirius XM radio show on her dad’s channel with her mom called In Real Life: with Tammy & Carrington.
Her sweet bond with Kirk has continued into adulthood.
“All of my children are gifts from heaven, but let me tell you…. This one right here, has become one of my best friends,” Kirk shared about Carrington in May 2022. “We can talk about ANYTHING, finish each other’s jokes, our love for sneaks, and match each other’s love for God.”
She feels just as strongly about her dad. “Through every stage of my life: present, involved, consistent, never wavering, ever-supporting, and now one of my very best friends,” she wrote on Instagram in June 2024. “Always a man of your word. Always a fighter and lover of your family. Happy Father’s Day to the best daddy there is 🤍.”
Now, Carrington lives in Dallas with her husband, Maxx Nakwaasah, and their two kids, son Shiloh and daughter Levi. Kirk loves being a grandpa, often posting photos of the grandkids on his social media pages.
“Seeing my kids with their grandparents AND great Gammy is everything to me 🥹,” Carrington wrote on Instagram in December 2024. “So incredibly grateful for family ❤️ God is so kind to me.”
Kennedy Franklin, 28
Kirk and Tammy welcomed their first child together, Kennedy Franklin, on May 4, 1997.
Her upbringing was unique as a result of Kirk’s success. “We homeschooled so [the kids] could be with me,” Kirk told Newton. “They did homeschooling in Africa, Amsterdam, Norway. … We had a full-time teacher [on the road with us] for the kids.”
Kennedy went on to graduate from Baylor University in 2019, according to her Instagram bio, where she did coed cheerleading. She also went to the Savannah College of Art and Design for her master’s degree, and now she lives in Dallas helping “clients execute cool campaigns.”
“Watching your babies finish a race you never had the chance to run. So proud of my twin @kennedyefranklin graduating today with her MASTERS from SCAD,” Kirk wrote after Kennedy completed her latest degree. “Gertrude would be so proud. CONGRATULATIONS to my babygirl.”
Kirk is proud of everything his daughter does, often calling her his “twin.”
“Whatever you see in her, you see in me. I love you my little mirror!” he penned for her 27th birthday in May 2024. “To ALL of my children, you’re not a better version of me, you’re a perfect version of you💜.”
These days, Kennedy lives in Atlanta, and Kirk enjoys posting photos of their time together when he visits her.
Caziah Rashad Franklin, 24
Kirk and Tammy’s youngest child, son Caziah, was born in September 2000.
Caziah has always had a close relationship with his dad, and gushed about him on Father’s Day in June 2024.
“You’ve lived the majority of your life without a blueprint or model, and despite that, you still managed to become a blueprint and model for me,” Caziah wrote in the touching tribute. “You have always been a man who prioritizes selflessness over selfishness, and you love everyone the way you wished you could have been loved.”
He continued, “And despite your successes and accolades, this is the deepest trait of yours that has inspired me the most. Thank you for being my example.”
Kirk was thrilled when Caziah got engaged to Alena Pitts in April 2024.
“My young king has found his queen,” Kirk wrote. “I’m going to miss my little boy….. But I know he needs to grow so his future bride and the entire world can benefit from the man he’s become. I promise y’all…. HE’S READY!❤️🙏🏾.”
The performer was also there to support the couple when they got married in August 2024 in a ceremony in Tennessee.
“Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Caziah Rashad Franklin!” Kirk wrote. “I wish Alena his beautiful bride had the privilege to meet Gertrude, the woman who gifted us with our last name….She would have LOVED Alena and Zi…. I am proud to call her daughter, and unworthy to call him son. THE FRANKLINS🩷.”
Caziah describes himself as a “vagabond” and “storyteller,” as he and his wife document their travels and camping experiences around the country on Instagram and YouTube.