The Rev. Franklin Graham has shared a personal memory illustrating how deeply his father Billy Graham’s globe-spanning ministry affected their family life, recounting a moment when he failed to recognize his own father after a prolonged absence.
“Mama, who’s that strange man in the bed with you?” Graham recalled asking his mother, attributing the story to her account of events after his father returned from a six-month trip to Australia.
Graham shared the memory during an interview on Sean Hannity’s podcast, “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” describing how his father’s extended travels sometimes kept him away from home for months at a stretch.
According to Graham, the trip took place before jet aircraft were widely used, meaning travel to Australia required multiple stops that stretched the journey out over days, including layovers in Hawaii and Fiji.
“You would fly to Hawaii, then you’d stay a couple of days, then you’d fly to Fiji and stay a couple days, and then you’re going down to Sydney or Melbourne or wherever you’re going,” Graham recalled.
“But my father spent all that time in Australia, and so when he came home … we [his children] just didn’t recognize him,” he added.
Graham said the incident “hurt” his father, whose evangelistic work remained central to his life. Billy Graham spent decades traveling the world to preach the Gospel, becoming one of the most influential religious figures of the 20th century through his crusades, television broadcasts and other outreach.
Franklin Graham now continues that work as president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and as a prominent voice on matters of Christian faith. His conversation with Hannity also touched on his own faith in Christ and the broader legacy of the Graham family’s ministry.
The full interview is available on “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” streaming on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeart.
