From “momfluencer” to felon: the fall of Ruby Franke exposes dangers of family vlogging

For years, the “8 Passengers” YouTube channel painted the perfect picture of a ‘perfect’ Mormon family filled with stereotypical love, laughter, and faith. But beyond the meticulously edited videos was the objective reality - one that nearly cost the lives of the young Franke children.

On February 27, Hulu premiered a new docuseries, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke. This three-episode documentary detailed the timeline of how the family went from seemingly perfect to unimaginably abusive. Featured in the series were the two eldest Franke children, Shari and Chad, along with their father, Kevin Franke. The documentary not only details their accounts of the events and gives viewers a glimpse into their perspective of the situation, but it also includes jarring new footage of the family, some clips long before the arrest of “Momfluencer” Ruby Franke.

For those unfamiliar with the family, their budding channel grew to 2.5 million subscribers and went dark in early 2023, taken down by backlash regarding suspected abuse perpetrated by mother Ruby. Following the channel’s deletion, Franke began posting content with her business partner, Jodi Hildebrant, about living an austere Mormon lifestyle. It was just months later that the two were incarcerated, and later charged with child abuse.

Warning: documentary spoilers lie ahead.

Episode 1, “Abundance,” reveals Ruby’s true motives in starting her channel in the first place: wanting to be seen as the perfect mother. As her need for recognition increased, so did the pressure on her family to perform well for the camera, portraying an all-American unit. This is why when Chad began defying authority, the parents turned to reputable therapist, Jodi Hildebrant. As Hildebrant wormed her way into the family, slowly manipulating them, Ruby’s abuse worsened.

While viewers knew nothing about Hildebrant at this point, they also failed to recognize Ruby’s questionable behavior, such as withholding lunch from her elementary-aged child as punishment for forgetting to bring it to school, to making Chad sleep on a bean bag for seven months because his “bedroom privileges” had been revoked. In the documentary, Chad states that he was given the option between sleeping in the living room, or sleeping on a basement beanbag, so he chose the latter. While he denies still being brainwashed (as viewers have speculated since the documentary’s release), it’s clear from the documentary that Chad is still reticent on fully recollecting the events, as contrasted with Shari. 

The series continues to explore the twisted family’s journey as Hildebrant isolates Ruby from the rest, kicking out the three who are now speaking out. The role of Kevin within all of this is puzzling and confounding. He claims that he had no idea what was going on and could never have predicted the horror that would befall his family, but many feel he should have done more. In Mormon culture, the father is seen as the “head of the family,” so it’s surprising to many that he would even allow himself to be removed from the household. As he himself states in the documentary, “in our church, our faith, we were raised to believe that the ultimate thing you can become in this world is a parent.” One would think he’d fight harder, but it really speaks to the power of religious manipulation.

It’s at this point in the series where Kevin uses brainwashing in his own defense, along with the fact that he was so dedicated to his family he was willing to do anything to get it back. The documentary was his chance to clear his name, but it’s unclear whether or not this was accomplished. On the other side of the spectrum, people are defending Kevin, saying that his religious ties were so deep he truly believed Ruby when she said their two youngest children were possessed.

This so-called “possession,” along with each painstaking detail of the abuse she inflicted upon her children, is detailed in a journal of Ruby’s which the series reveals to the public. The pages are littered with words such as “demon,” “devil,” and “possessed,” which were used to describe her own children. The worst part: she showed zero remorse.

While Ruby undeniably failed her children despite her drive to be “the perfect mother,” the eldest daughter, Shari, surely didn’t. While adequate action was never taken, Shari called child services several times while the four youngest were living under the roof of Hildebrant. Shari has since written a memoir, The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom, in which she details the events she experienced growing up.

Beyond the physical abuse that was revealed in 2023, the documentary sheds light on a new perspective of the situation when it comes to family vlogging. There are repeated clips of the kids being forced to act for the camera, facades for which they were paid a mere five dollars per video. These children, who were just trying to figure out who they were, had their childhoods and personal business broadcast for millions to see against their wishes. All that freedom was compromised for a few dollars. This wasn’t voluntary work, either. These children were forced to be employees in their own home, resulting in devastating mental health tolls.

When documentaries such as these are made, stories of children are often exploited for financial gain. It’s for this reason that it’s so refreshing to see that not only were the faces of the minors blurred, but their names censored. Although most viewers already know their names and faces from the Family Channel, Hulu was able to tell the story without further exploiting these children on the internet like they had been by their parents. Additionally, the interviews with Shari, Chad, and Kevin alleviate any concerns a viewer may have when it comes to such a series.

It’s certain that each one of the Franke children endured enough to cause trauma. Since the documentary’s release, the Frankes have turned their hardship to strength, fighting to end family vlogging in hopes that other children may be spared the childhood that was stolen from them.

by Emma Toney

Published March 17th, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue VI