Photo of Aretha Franklin
The youngest son of singer Aretha Franklin is calling for a boycott of the upcoming biopic of Franklin starring Jennifer Hudson.
In a Facebook post, Kecalf Franklin took issue with MGM’s Respect because he says that the makers of the film did not involve the family in it. He wrote:
““ONCE AGAIN….. THE FRANKLIN FAMILY (DOES NOT) SUPPORT THE MOVIE THAT IS IN PRODUCTION!!!!! NOR DO WE SUPPORT THE BOOK ‘THE QUEEN NEXT DOOR’!!!!! NEITHER ENTITY FELT THE NEED TO CONTACT THE (CORE) FAMILY ABOUT ANYTHING!!!!”
The book he was referring to was written by Linda Solomon, who was the singer’s longtime personal photographer.
Kecalf, who is an aspiring Christian rapper, went on to say:
“HOW CAN YOU MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT A PERSON AND NOT TALK TO THE PERSONS SONS OR GRANDCHILDREN ABOUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION? HOW CAN YOU PUT A PERSONS FAMILY (IMAGE) IN A BOOK AND NOT ASK PERMISSION? IF YOU ARE A “REAL” FAN OF MY MOTHERS….PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT THIS. ASK YOURSELF….WOULD YOU WANT THIS DONE TO YOU?”
In spite of his anger with the film, Kecalf said that he approved of the casting of Hudson as his mother.
Though he added, “Everything else is being done against our wishes.”
Franklin began her long career by singing gospel in her father’s church. At the age of 18, she signed a record deal with Columbia in 1961. But her career did not take off until 1966 when she signed with Atlantic Records.
She eventually won a whopping 18 Grammy Awards and charted 77 songs on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart before her death in 2018 at the age of 76. In 1987, she was the first woman enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Kecalf made news in July of this year when he got into a war with his cousin Sabrina Owens over who should be the executor of his mother’s estate.