Harrowing docuseries “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” exposes horrific lifestyle for YouTube family.
Find out what really happened the cameras stopped rolling….
Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke premiered Feb. 27 on Hulu. This shocking docuseries dives into the real-life story of former YouTuber Ruby Franke whose channel was dedicated to documenting her seemingly perfect family life. In August 2023, the popular vlogger was arrested for child abuse. This docuseries marks the first time Shari and Chad, the Franke’s two eldest children, and Kevin, Ruby’s husband, share their story on camera.
Narrated by Franks children Shari, now 21, and Chad, now 20, along with their father Kevin, this three-part documentary is poignant. It’s gives an inside view as they share their story.
In 2015, Ruby Franke, a Mormon mother of six launched a family YouTube channel called “8 Passengers.” The channel shared the daily lives of her children and husband Kevin. The channel quickly gained popularity, reaching nearly 3 million subscribers at its peak. At times, it brought in over $100,000 per month.
However, unbeknownst to most, things were not as they seemed once the cameras were rolling. In June 2020 her then-15-year-old son Chad, revealed on camera that he had been sleeping on a beanbag chair in the basement for seven months as a form of punishment. Other footage showed her threatening to withhold meals and cut off the head of her child’s teddy bear. In another video, she insisted on publicly sharing a mother-daughter conversation with Shari about the teenager’s first menstrual period.
The Frankes found counselor named Jodi Hildebrandt through a family friend. Hildebrandt was a fellow Mormon and founder of the counseling business ConneXions. The counselor who was later discovered to have lost her licensed was originally brought in by the family to help Chad. However, seemingly a more intimate relationship evolved between Jodi and Ruby Franke. Ruby became deeply devoted to Hildebrandt’s methods and Hildebrandt eventually moved into the Franke home, which resulted in Kevin, the husband and the father of her kids being removed (asked to leave) the home and to not contact his wife or kids.
Believing he was the root of an unspoken family problem, Kevin continued attending Hildebrandt’s online “men’s group” counseling sessions and cut off all communication with his wife and children. This is when life for the children really took a turn for the worse. The docuseries chronicles first hand accounts of the dark and sinister things that went on in the Franke household which was opposite of the life that was often portrayed online for millions to see.
Hulu’s synopsis of the film reads, “With exclusive access to the Frankes, their friends and neighbors, and over a thousand hours of their YouTube channel’s unseen footage, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke cuts through the social media reaction to explore the untold story behind the Ruby Franke case.”
Episode 1, titled “Abundance,” explores Franke’s “wholesome YouTube” era before Hildebrandt ingrained herself in their lives. Episode 2, “Distortion,” chronicles how Franke began isolating the family from their loved ones as they rose through the ranks of Hildebrandt’s life coaching organization. And Episode 3, “Truth,” captures how those closest to the family tried to seek help.
Find out how this horrific story unfolds now in this emotional and poignant three part docuseries.
All three episodes of the 8 Passengers doc are streaming now on Hulu, so tune in now.
**If you or someone you know may be a victim of abuse, please do not hesitate to visit www.childhelphotline.org or call/text 800-422-4453. The Child help National Child Abuse Hotline Crisis has crisis counselors available to answer calls, texts, and chats 24/7 in a safe place for support and guidance for the help-seeker.