TOWSON, Md. — In the backyard of his Maryland home, Jerron Hurtt Sr. is flanked by subtle reminders of his twin boys. There are the miniature action figures that lie in the backyard and the matching bikes with the tags attached. What is audibly absent from the single-story ranch-style home, however, is the laughter of children.
“I'm not only a father. I'm a dad,” said Hurtt. “I love my sons.”
Hurtt and his twin boys, whose names we are not using because they are minors, are known to millions of online followers as ‘The Hurtt Twins’. Over several years, videos posted on various websites and social media accounts show the boys interacting with their father and or playing with amongst themselves. Those videos catapulted the family to internet stardom and garnered scrutiny from those within and outside of their family.
"We spread love and joy around the world," said Hurtt.
Those viral videos were also cited in a custody dispute between Hurtt and his former partner, April Johnson, earlier this year.
After a five-day hearing, Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Nancy Purpura awarded custody of the twins to their mother and limited Hurtt’s visitation to one day a week in a supervised location.
In Judge Purpura’s opinion, Hurtt’s judgment was, “…alarmingly poor.”
She added that while Hurtt maintained a strong relationship with his children, it was, “fraught with exploitation which is not in their best interest and presents a danger to their safety.”
Hurtt denied the claims made by the judge.
Online videos of the children, and the income earned from those videos, played a central role in the judges’ decision, court records show. While some of the videos showed the children engaged in typical play, others, described in court, showed the children in sensitive situations like medical appointments.
According to court records, those videos amassed thousands of dollars a month in income from subscriptions, ad sales, and donations for Hurtt.
“Growing up, my aunts and uncles will you tell you, we always recorded. It was just something we did when we had cookouts, family functions,” Hurtt told WUSA9. “We all sat around, like later on after the event, and would watch on a big box TV.”
During the hearing, Judge Purpura questioned Hurtt about the nature of those videos and whether he thought the online content compromised the safety of the twins.
“Those memories that we were putting online became profitable,” Hurtt told WUSA9. “So, it was nothing different. I’m just sharing our memories with the world.”
Hurtt explained those memories have allowed him to care for his sons, providing a home in a quiet, safe neighborhood and an education in an elite private school.
Court testimony, though, showed Hurtt had not set up a trust fund for the twins and a college fund was depleted to pay for Hurtt's living expenses.
“It’s just a day in our life. We may go outside for a walk, and I’ll record five or ten minutes and take those moments and show the world how children can solve their problems,” said Hurtt.
The twins’ mother, April Johnson, declined our request for an interview but said in a statement through her attorney that, “she had no comment and asked for privacy for herself and her boys.”
But Johnson was clear, in a counter-complaint she filed, that the children were being, “...exploited by Hurtt in an attempt to raise money for himself and gain internet fame.”
“I don’t think things went too far,” said Hurtt referring to the attention received from those online videos of his twin boys. “Just as the same thing, when you have child actors and stuff like that. We’re not even acting. This is just our life.”
Judge Purpura ordered Hurtt to remove all video content of the children online. Accounts managed by Hurtt and reviewed by WUSA9 appear to show the content had been removed. Since the judge’s order, Hurtt has reached out to his followers for help posting a series of messages documenting his ‘fight’ to have his custody reinstated.
A change.org petition demanding Hurtt’s custody be reinstated has garnered thousands of signatures.
“This man has been the epitome of an amazing father,” wrote a supporter on the petition. “When the narrative is that Black men don’t take care of their kids…here is a full display to debunk that myth…”
To help his cause, Hurtt teamed up with Dr. Bernard Jennings who was instrumental in advocating for the passage of Florida’s Good Dad Act. The law gives unwed fathers more rights in the health, education and religious decisions of their children without a court order. Jennings wants to see a similar bill passed nationwide.
“There are good dads out there suffering silently because they don’t have time with their children," said Jennings. There are children that are suffering. Statistical analysis will show you children that have time with both parents fare better.”
Hurtt hopes an appeal will grant him more time with his children. In the meantime, he continues to post videos online but without his twin boys.
“I’m trying everything I can. I have to speak out. I have to use our platform. I have to talk about the injustice that’s going on. I have to tell about how they’re ruining families,” said Hurtt.
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