Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mature themes, child abuse in disturbing docuseries.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke
What's the Story?
DEVIL IN THE FAMILY: THE FALL OF RUBY FRANKE is a docuseries that chronicles how a Mormon mother went from being a successful YouTube influencer to being sentenced up to 30 years in prison for child abuse. In 2015, Ruby and Kevin Franke started 8Passengers, a YouTube vlog featuring them interacting with their six children. With 2.5 million followers, major sponsors, and over a million dollars in earnings, they were on top of the world. By 2020, though, their followers began to fear for the Franke children because of Ruby's extreme disciplinary tactics. The vlog lost its followers, sponsorships, and was eventually shut down, but through the influence of the family's controversial life coach and therapist, Jodi Hildebrandt, these disciplinary actions continued. In 2022, Ruby Franke restarted her mommy influencer career by partnering with Hildebrandt and launching Moms of Truth, a podcast and live cast featuring the women sharing Hildebrandt's extreme views on relationships and parenting. Behind the scenes, Ruby also used these cult-like teachings to break up the once-close family, leaving her with the four youngest children. Despite the efforts of eldest sibling Shari to ensure their safety with the help of law enforcement, it wasn't until August 2023, after the Frankes' youngest son escaped from Jodi Hildebrandt's basement, that the full extent of Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt's abuse was revealed. Several years later Kevin, Shari, and oldest son Chad Franke talk about Ruby as a wife and mother, and what life was like before and after Jodi Hildebrandt became part of their lives. While Hildebrandt abuse survivors discuss their experiences with the then-life coach, licensed therapists and law enforcement officials discuss the reasons why Ruby Franke became a religious zealot and the various ways she abused her children and got away with it. Archive news footage, never-before-seen streaming content, and occasional dramatic reenactments are also featured.
Is It Any Good?
The strange and harrowing three-part docuseries deconstructs Ruby Franke's actions before and after she developed a professional and personal relationship with controversial therapist Jodi Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt, whose advanced degree in educational psychology gave her the credentials necessary to disguise her abusive practices as therapeutic tools, is clearly portrayed as the religious extremist who destroyed many people's lives. The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke story is somewhat contextualized within this, but the narrative suggests that there was something more than religious zealotry that drew her to Hildebrandt's teachings (and to Hildebrandt herself).
Granted, many of the conversations about the connection between the two women are speculative, and there are folks who note that Ruby Franke had always been an abusive parent, and that the attention she received from 8Passengers helped fuel that abusive behavior. But none of the arguments or explanations offered make her appear sympathetic, nor are they offered as excuses for what she did to her children. Instead, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke clearly places the responsibility for what happened directly on Ruby Franke's shoulders regardless of who or what made her do it, and regardless of those around her that weren't paying attention.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the reasons people regularly feature their families on vlogs or social media. Are there any benefits outside of potentially earning money for doing so?
In Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke there are connections made between the doctrine of the LDS church and religious extremism. Do connections like this lead to stereotypes about the religious institution?
TV Details
- Premiere date : February 27, 2025
- Cast : Kevin Franke
- Network : Hulu
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Character Strengths : Courage
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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