Who Is Kirk Franklin’s Wife? All About Tammy Franklin

Kirk Franklin and Tammy Franklin have been married since 1996, when the gospel icon was in the early stages of her career.

Now, Kirk is a 19-time Grammy winner, one of the inaugural members of the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame, and as Diversity he called him “the reigning king of urban gospel.”

But through it all, his wife Tammy was by his side. The couple first met almost a decade before they married, when they were both 18. Then they crossed paths again four years later and started dating, although it didn’t work out because Tammy had to move away from Texas with a group of girls he sang with in.

Three years later, in 1995, they started dating again and then got married a year later. They both have a child from previous relationships and would love to welcome two children together.

Faith is important to both Kirk and Tammy and plays an important role in their marriage. Kirk said Today’s Christian about their marriage, “God wants us to be, in our married lives, blueprints for people, especially young people… You can’t take a blueprint and just throw it on the ground. You have to make sure you keep it in a place that’s clean and covered because that’s the only thing you have to build a house on.”

So who is Kirk Franklin’s wife? Here’s everything you need to know about Tammy Franklin and her relationship with the gospel singer.

She first met Kirk when she was 18 years old

Kirk Franklin and Tammy Collins at the 12th Annual Soul Train Music Awards on February 27, 1998.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Kirk and Tammy first met at a water park in their home state of Texas. About her first meeting with Kirk, Tammy said on Show in the Tamron Hall, “He was cute, he had Cross Colors, he was 18 years old. He had a vision, he had a plan and he was honest.”

Four years later, they met again when Tammy’s cousin invited her to record one of Kirk’s demos. When Tammy went with them, she recognized Kirk from the water park and they dated for a few weeks.

“From that day forward we talked on the phone…” Tammy said Today’s Christianbefore Kirk interrupted, “You’re leaving out the good stuff. You’re leaving out the fact that you came up behind and gave me your number. I called her because of course I noticed her. I thought, ‘She’s bad.’ ”

She started dating Kirk again in 1995

Kirk Franklin and Tammy Collins at the premiere of Kingdom Come Beverly Hills on April 5, 2001.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Tammy moved to Minneapolis for her singing career, and although she tried to have a long-distance relationship with Kirk, they decided to remain friends.

Things changed when Kirk stopped returning Tammy’s calls, which she sees as God’s way of allowing them to mature spiritually while apart.

In March 1995, Tammy called Kirk and left a message, saying, “You haven’t been returning my phone calls. I just wanted to say hello and see how you are doing. But I won’t call again.”

Since then, they started dating again.

She married Kirk in 1996

Kirk Franklin and Tammy Franklin on their wedding day.

Tammy Franklin’s Instagram

Kirk and Tammy were married on January 20, 1996. She told Equipped by Faith 2020, “Kirk proposed to both me and my daughter with rings — I knew he was the one I wanted to be with. I knew that God would continue to equip me for ministry and our common calling.”

In 2021, Tammy celebrated their 25th anniversary with an Instagram post featuring throwback photos of the wedding. In the caption, she wrote: “Half of my life I have loved this man… By God’s grace we have come this far.” I am simply humbled to love you more than I loved you.”

He has four children

Caziah Franklin, Kennedy Franklin, Kirk Franklin, Tammy Collins, Carrington Franklin and Maxx Nakwaasah at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on January 26, 2020.

Frazer Harrison/Getty

When Tammy married Kirk, she had a 9-year-old daughter, Carrington, while Kirk had a 10-year-old son, Kerrion. Then they had two children together: daughter Kennedy was born in 1997, while son Caziah was born in 2000.

Through Carrington, Tammy is also a grandmother. Carrington has two children, son Shiloh and daughter Levi with husband Maxx Nakwaasah.

He hosts a TV show with Kirk and a radio show with his daughter

Kirk Franklin, Kennedy Franklin and Tammy Franklin.

Kirk Franklin’s Instagram

Together with her husband, Tammy hosts the TV One show Only, a dating show that helps people find love. The show’s debut season began airing in 2023, and featured a couple helping an Atlanta man and woman find love, Christian Post reported.

Speaking with Essence, Tammy said of being asked to do the show: “When people came to us about reality TV, I always thought if I’ve ever done anything, it’s to help someone. It would not be the way we normally see it today. And that’s what sparked my curiosity, the fact that we’re going to be coaches and that we’re going together and helping someone.”

With her daughter Carrington, Tammy co-hosts a SiriusXM radio show In real life on her husband’s gospel channel, Kirk Franklin’s Praise.

She is active on social networks

Kirk and Tammy Franklin.

Kirk Franklin’s Instagram

Tammy posts frequently on social media, where she has thousands of followers. She has nearly 300,000 followers on Instagram and has shared more than 1,500 posts on the platform — including many with her husband and children.

She also showcases her passion for fashion and fitness on Instagram, both of which have their own highlights section on her profile.

She follows Christianity along with Kirk

Kirk Franklin and Tammy Collins attend the Black American Music Association and Georgia Entertainment Caucus Opening Ceremony for the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame on June 17, 2021.

Moses Robinson/Getty

Her husband is known for creating Christian music and for his faith, and Tammy is also religious.

Tammy told Equipped by Faith, “I grew up in a very, very motivated household in a denomination that was very religious. My grandmother was very strict, but she sprinkled Jesus on everything — and that started a journey for me where I was very afraid of God’s presence. I was taught only about God’s wrath – not his love. As I began my own journey of establishing a relationship with God, I began to understand who he really is.”

She supports and defends her husband

Tammy Franklin and Kirk Franklin attend Sony BMG hosts a celebration honoring their 2007 Grammy Award nominated artist on February 11, 2007 in Beverly Hills, CA.

Andreas Branch/Patrick McMullan/Getty

Tammy often supported and defended her husband, both publicly and privately. In 2023, she defended Kirk after he was criticized for partying at an Atlanta lounge, telling radio station Praise 102.5: “This was for our daughter. She just graduated and so we were there celebrating. You know, when your child wants you to go with him, that’s good, you’re not embarrassed.”

And 11 months after the couple married, Kirk fell off stage and suffered a brain contusion, spending some time in a coma as a result. While doctors weren’t sure if Kirk would be able to walk and talk again, he recovered faster than expected and returned to the stage after six weeks.

He said Today’s Christian, “When I fell, it really showed me another side of Tammy. When you say your vows, ‘Til death do us part,’ and you really face it… you know someone is there for better or for worse. It’s not just a saying.”

She credits therapy and being “good friends” with Kirk as the key to their long marriage

Kirk Franklin and Tammy Franklin visit Rock the Bells with host Roxanne Shante at SiriusXM Studios on May 10, 2023.

Slaven Vlašić/Getty

Tammy and Kirk discussed the longevity of their marriage with Essence 2023 When asked what the key to their success was, Tammy said, “Therapy. Be proactive as best you can instead of being reactive… But also, Kirk and I are really, really good friends, and because we’re really good friends, we have the best interest of others at heart and that makes you really caring and sensitive, however you can, for another.”

Tammy also told Equipped by Faith, “Marriage counseling was a 4 year hiatus for us. He would be on tour, but he would fly home on his day off so we could go to counselling.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education