On yesterday’s episode of SHERRI, talk show host Sherri Shepherd welcomed gospel singer Kirk Franklin to the show. See more inside and video clip…
Kirk: As some people know, I was adopted legallly when I was four by a 64-year-old widow. And we were on government aid and she recycled newspapers and cans to pay for my piano lessons. And so I knew of my biological mother because she would come around once or twice a year and that was even painful for me because … it’s like you don’t know if you are good enough to go with her. So you live with acceptance issues, rejection issues and I’ve carried that in my marriage, fathering, and relationships. I’ve never felt good enough … Then I met the man who I thought was my father. Imet him when I was 6 and then I didn’t see him again until I was at 13 and then not until my first album came out. He started coming backstage … and wanted backstage passes.
Sherri: Right …
Kirk: So, I lived my life of hating him … even though I love God, I lived hating him. To not have a mother and a father is something that sets the trajectory of how you love and how you receive love. One of my mentors told me almost 30 years ago, “It’s hard to know God’s love as a father when you’ve never had one.”
Sherri: Now you met your biological father, Rick, and then you had to tell your son, Kerrion, about his grandfather.
We know you’ve had a strained relationship with Kerrion. How is it now?
Kirk: I love Kerrion and I’ve always loved Kerrion. Kerrion is my first born child … Kerrion had a passport when he was six … My first album came out in 1995. I’ll never forget I was at a high school signing autographs and he got a pencil and he was signing autoogrpahs. So that was my road dog. And Kerrion has to win. Because if Kerrion doesn’t win, everything in my life is a failure.
Sherri: So are you together? Are you all working it out together?
Kirk: We are taking it one day at a time … and he will have a story when the time is right… I’m looking forward to him reaching a lot of young men his age with his story.
All photos and video credited to SHERRI/Debmar-Mercury
