You probably remember the headlines from 2023. A 12-year-old boy, emaciated and duct-taped, climbing out of a window in Ivins, Utah, to beg a neighbor for water. It was the kind of story that stops your heart. But for millions who followed the "8 Passengers" YouTube channel, the shock was layered with a sickening sense of "I knew something was off." Now, the ruby franke documentary on hulu, titled Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, finally peels back the digital wallpaper of that "perfect" life.
It’s heavy. Honestly, it’s a lot to process.
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The docuseries isn't just a recap of the news clips you’ve already seen. It’s a three-part deep dive into how a suburban mom went from filming pancake breakfasts to serving a prison sentence for aggravated child abuse. If you’re looking for a simple "villain" story, this isn't quite that. It’s much more of a cautionary tale about the toxic intersection of family vlogging, religious extremism, and a very specific kind of psychological manipulation.
The 8 Passengers facade and the "Abundance" era
The first episode, "Abundance," takes us back to 2015. Ruby Franke was the queen of "momfluencers." She had nearly 2.5 million subscribers who watched her navigate life with six kids and her husband, Kevin. To the outside world, they were the Mormon dream.
But the documentary uses over a thousand hours of unedited, raw footage that never made it to YouTube. You see the stress. You see the performance. Kevin Franke actually admits in the series that being a parent is considered one of the "highest callings" in their faith. Ruby wanted to be the perfect mother so badly that she turned her children's lives into a 24/7 marketing campaign for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Then the cracks started showing.
Remember the bean bag incident? In 2020, their eldest son, Chad, revealed he had been forced to sleep on a bean bag for seven months as punishment. The internet lost its mind. People called CPS. But instead of self-reflecting, Ruby doubled down. She didn't see abuse; she saw "principled" parenting. This is where things got dangerous because, as the channel started to tank under the weight of "cancel culture," Ruby looked for a savior.
Enter Jodi Hildebrandt: The ConneXions era
This is the part of the ruby franke documentary on hulu that really gets under your skin. Jodi Hildebrandt wasn't just a business partner; she was a wrecking ball. She ran a life-coaching business called ConneXions, which preached a radical, "truth-based" version of living that basically involved cutting off anyone who didn't agree with you.
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- Jodi started as a therapist for Chad.
- She eventually convinced Ruby that her children were "demonically possessed."
- She drove a wedge between Ruby and Kevin, eventually leading to their separation.
By the time the second episode, "Distortion," rolls around, the environment is unrecognizable. Kevin is out of the house. Shari, the eldest daughter, is disowned and frantically trying to get the authorities to listen. The documentary shows how Jodi used Ruby’s desire for "perfection" to lead her down a path where pain was seen as a way to "exorcise" demons. It’s a classic cult dynamic played out in a luxury Utah home.
The evidence you didn't see on the news
What makes this Hulu series stand out is the access. We’re talking about police bodycam footage from the day of the arrest and, perhaps most chillingly, Ruby’s own journals.
The police found a safe room in Jodi's house. Inside? Ropes, handcuffs, and a mixture of cayenne pepper and honey used on the children’s wounds. The journals describe the abuse in a clinical, almost detached way. Ruby wrote about "cleansing" her children through suffering. It’s a level of cognitive dissonance that is hard to wrap your head around unless you see the footage of her in the interrogation room, still convinced she was doing God's work.
Why Shari and Chad’s participation matters
For a long time, the Franke kids were just characters in their mom’s show. In Devil in the Family, Shari and Chad finally get to be the narrators. Their perspective is the backbone of the series. Shari talks about the "uncomfortably intimate" relationship between Ruby and Jodi—mentioning finding massage oils and candles in a room they shared.
Chad talks about the pressure of filming brand deals and how he felt "controlled" by scripts. It turns out, the "happy" kids we saw on screen were often miserable, just trying to get through the day so they could stop being filmed. It’s a brutal look at what happens when children are used as props for profit.
What's happened since the sentencing?
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt both pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in late 2023. They were sentenced to four consecutive terms of 1 to 15 years in prison. Because of how Utah law works, the actual time served is determined by the Board of Pardons and Parole, but they could be in there for up to 30 years.
Kevin Franke has since filed for divorce and has been vocal about his regrets. In the documentary, he says vlogging his family was "wrong" and he regrets it every day. It's a bit of a "too little, too late" moment for many viewers, especially since he was part of the channel for years, but his participation adds a layer of accountability that was missing before.
Actionable insights for digital consumers
If you've watched the ruby franke documentary on hulu, you probably walked away feeling a bit greasy for ever having watched a family vlog. That's a natural reaction. The "8 Passengers" saga has become the primary case study for why we need better laws regarding "sharenting."
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- Audit your subscriptions: If a family vlog seems too perfect, or if the kids look like they’re performing, they probably are. Support creators who protect their children's privacy.
- Recognize the signs of "Truth" cults: Groupthink that demands you "isolate" from "untruthful" family members is a massive red flag for psychological abuse.
- Support legislative change: Look into the "Coogan Law" variations being proposed in various states that aim to protect the earnings and privacy of child influencers.
The tragedy of the Franke family wasn't just a "private" matter. It happened in front of millions of people who hit "like" and "subscribe." Watching the documentary is the first step in understanding how the search for digital validation can lead to a very real, very physical nightmare.
If you or someone you know is concerned about a child's safety or suspects abuse in a high-control group, you can contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.