Kirk Franklin was reportedly held back after a man repeatedly told him and his wife, Tammy Collins, to repent—escalating to threats that they would “go to hell.” The confrontation followed the cancellation of Franklin’s performance at the Gospel on Independenc
Kirk Franklin didn’t expect his night in Philadelphia to end with security stepping in.
Over the weekend, after Franklin’s set at the Gospel on Independence concert at Philadelphia’s Independence Mall was canceled because of a severe storm, he went straight to his fans. The gospel music legend climbed onto the roof of his SUV and greeted people who were clamoring for his attention.
But the moment quickly turned heated when a man confronted Franklin and his wife, Tammy Collins. Franklin tried to de-escalate the tension and even attempted to embrace the man. The man refused the hug and kept insisting Franklin “You need to repent.” The conversation intensified until the man told Franklin. “You and your wife are going to go to hell.”.
At that point, Franklin became mad, and security had to hold him back. Someone then told the man to leave.
The flare-up didn’t stop with the confrontation. Franklin later appeared to reference the incident in an Instagram post. “I need the weather to repent!. LOL!” he wrote. The reel included footage from a performance in Norfolk. Virginia over the weekend. along with additional video of Franklin mingling with his fans in Philadelphia.
The storm that disrupted Franklin’s plans also cut short other parts of the weekend’s festivities. Franklin was set to headline the annual Wawa Welcome America celebration. which included performances from singer Paula Holloway and a choir of over 100 singers from churches across the Philadelphia region—before lighting and an approaching storm brought the show to an end.
Kirk Franklin Tammy Collins Gospel on Independence Philadelphia Independence Mall severe storm Wawa Welcome America Paula Holloway Norfolk Virginia Instagram post