Franklin Jonas is no stranger to the spotlight now, but at one point he would go to great lengths to conceal that he was related to the Jonas Brothers.
The “Claim to Fame” host grew up on a tour bus with his brothers, Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas as they traveled the country and throughout the years, they’ve taught him a thing or two about handling fame.
“I used to try and hide my identity all the time when I was a kid so that I could have a normal childhood or some semblance of it,” he revealed on Access Hollywood’s Behind the Easel, explaining he would pretend to be a character from “Drake & Josh.”
“I would end up going to the high school where my friends went. An alias I would use was Josh [Nichols] It’s whatever Josh Peck’s character from ‘Drake & Josh’ was,” he said.
Eventually, Franklin came to terms with his fame and now he’s co-hosting “Claim to Fame,” which puts a spotlight on the relatives of celebrities.
“I mean a bunch of times my brothers have really been there for me, trying to figure out my life in the public eye,” he said. “I mean on this show specifically, having Kevin as a resource has been so special. When it comes to music Nick and Joe and even Kevin have been incredible, incredible spaces for me to bounce ideas off of to really try to better myself and my craft. I’m definitely lucky to have them I mean they’re the greats,” he said.
When it comes to hosting the ABC reality competition show, Franklin credits Kevin for showing him the ropes.
“He really taught me how to host a TV show,” Franklin said. “He had done hosting before; I had never done anything like it. I, especially the first season I really did everything and anything to learn and sort of like, ride his coattails a bit to understand what it was I was even doing.”
When it came down to it, Franklin was also happy to have his brother on the ride with him.
“He’s just the whole time been such an amazing brother and friend through it all and confidant, which has been great,” he said. “It’s nice hosting with your brother because you know you both have each other’s best interest at heart. We’re lucky in that sense.”
Kevin hasn’t just taught Franklin how to host, he’s also taught him a thing or two about being in a relationship.
“Kevin is a really good resource for like being a good and responsible partner in a relationship,” he told Access. “So, it’s really nice to spend time with Kevin and watch the ways that he just adores and loves and adores his wife.”
According to Franklin, Kevin isn’t afraid to go the distance to spend time with his wife Danielle Jonas.
“It’s so interesting every season if we have a day off, he spends that day off flying to and from New Jersey, just to see her which is so, so special,” Franklin said. “Great dad, great wife, great mother.”
Franklin didn’t just gush over Kevin as a dad, but he also revealed how Nick and Joe are as parents.
“Overall, they’re all so purposeful with the way they parent, which is so special and unique and necessary, to build a family,” he said. “Individually though, I mean Kevin is just the most prioritizing. I mean like I said, if there’s a day off, he’ll jump on a plane and go see them. Joe is just a fun dad. Nick’s exterior falls apart and he is just the warmest teddy bear as a father. It’s really special.”
Kevin, Joe, and Nick are also all-girl dads and, according to Franklin, the dynamic in the household has changed since they all started their families.
“It’s serious now. It’s a girl household now. The energy has shifted,” Franklin playfully said when talking about being an uncle to his nieces.
Although his nieces are all different ages, the “Cherub” singer says he does something special with each of them.
“Nick’s kid [Malti Marie] she really loves to go with uncle Frankie into the car wash. She loves a car wash,” he said. “I took her to the library recently for the first time. I got her first book which was special. It’s so nice and so interesting to be able to watch them grow up and have different relationships with each.”
Although his nieces are young, some of them already have distinct talents!
“There’s one with perfect pitch,” he said. “There’s one absolutely that has perfect pitch. I can’t name names,” he added.
Just because Franklin kept the identity of his niece with perfect pitch a secret, he knows they will all lead incredible lives.
“They all have secret talents. They all have their own things,” he said. “Kevin’s daughters are going to take over the world one day and they’re all going to end up being vets, doctors, supermodels, and actresses, and who knows.”
“Claim to Fame” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.