.png)
6 days ago
3
This article contains descriptions of child abuse and disturbing images.
A new three-part docuseries on Hulu has shared tons more insight into the demise of Ruby Franke, a former family vlogger who was sentenced to prison last year.
If you need a quick refresher, Ruby shot to fame with her then-husband, Kevin, and their six children under the now-defunct YouTube channel 8 Passengers. The Utah mom’s videos sparked concern multiple times over the years.
In 2023, Ruby was arrested and charged with six counts of felony child abuse after her youngest son escaped the home of her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, and contacted a neighbor for help. The child was “emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duct tape around the extremities.”
Ruby pled guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and admitted to all sorts of horrific acts, like kicking her youngest son while wearing boots, denying him “sufficient food,” and punishing him for drinking water. She is now serving up to 30 years in prison, as is Jodi, who also pled guilty to four charges of child abuse.
This week, Hulu released a new docuseries titled Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, which sees Ruby’s estranged husband Kevin and their eldest kids, Chad and Shari, giving a “detailed account” of what went on behind the scenes in the years before her arrest. The series notes that the family have “provided over 1,000 hours of unseen footage.”
The series is split into three parts: “Abundance,” “Distortion,” and “Truth.” Here’s a roundup of key details and moments across each of these episodes.
1. Kevin said that Ruby decided to create her YouTube channel because she was entirely focused on being “seen as the perfect mom.” He described it as her “sole ambition,” and revealed that her consistent filming of their family initially made him uncomfortable. “Wherever Ruby was, the camera was,” he said.
2. Ruby got extremely annoyed at Kevin for not contributing enough verbally when she filmed him for her vlogs. He said, “All of a sudden, it wasn’t enough to just interact with her; I had to interact with a camera...She really wanted me to be the perfect husband…But I wasn’t. I was very insecure with who I was.”
3. However, Kevin revealed that he did a complete 180 after they received their first paycheck from YouTube, which was for $85.
4. Kevin revealed that before he and Ruby met and got together in 2000, she had a giant, written chart in her closet; the rows listed all the attributes of qualities in a guy she was looking for, and the columns listed each of the men who were interested in her.
5. Ruby’s eldest daughter Shari, 21, said she and each of her siblings were referred to as “employees,” with Ruby being the “CEO.” She later adds that the youngest child was about 4 or 5 when referred to as an “employee.”
6. When their YouTube channel blew up, Ruby’s eldest son Chad, now 20, was the most popular. Kevin admitted that he was “living vicariously” through Chad. “He was everything that I wish that I was when I was a kid — confident, handsome, great at sports, the heartthrob and the comedic relief,” he said before adding: “Ruby knew that, and she exploited it.” When asked if he exploited it himself, Kevin said, “Absolutely I did.”
7. Kevin revealed that at their peak, the Franke family were making “$100,000 or more per month” from YouTube.
8. Kevin said that eventually, the kids “started to complain” about constantly being filmed. In unseen footage, Ruby yelled at the kids: “Do you know that this is what we do? And everyone gets $10 for a video that they help with. Do you want $10?”
9. Shari said that her family’s entire lives became centred around YouTube, to the extent that they changed all of the lightbulbs in their home to “bright white” ones for perfect lighting. “It felt more like a set than a house,” she said, also noting that they had to constantly keep the house clean.
10. Speaking of how disinterested he became in filming, especially given how intimate some vlogs were, Chad said, “I just wanted to be with my friends. I really didn’t want anything to do with YouTube.” Unseen footage showed Ruby telling an uninterested Chad, “Are you going to be willing to help me out or not? You seem really distant,” when he refused to cooperate on camera.
11. Chad recalled sleeping in the basement on a beanbag “every night for about seven months” as punishment for his bad behavior. Kevin later said that once Chad’s behavior improved, he and Ruby decided that he had earned back the “privilege” of a bedroom. As Kevin noted in the docuseries, this was the moment that 8 Passengers started facing immense backlash.
12. Previously unseen footage from behind-the-scenes of Ruby’s vlogs shows her shouting at her family off-camera, “HEY, I’M STILL RECORDING! COME ON. WHY AM I HEARING ALL THIS NOISE.” In another clip, she yells at her kids that they were “not entitled to talk” while she was recording.
13. In more unseen footage, Ruby yelled at one of her younger children, “Hold on, what was that look for?” The child said, “Sorry, I just get nervous.” Ruby said, “Just be yourself,” and when the child said, “That is myself,” Ruby bluntly replied: “Well then change it.”
14. Another harrowing clip showed Ruby grabbing one of her young children and covering her mouth after she interrupted her while filming. “You get down and you be quiet. This isn’t your turn, now sit,” she said, before adding, “We’re gonna cut that out.”
15. Ruby scolded one of her children and reduced her to tears in more footage. “If you cut one more thing in my house, I am going to cut your [toy cat’s] head right off,” she said.
16. Chad said that Ruby “blew up” off-camera, and alleged that she’d pull down his pants, “whip” him with a belt, and “spank” him when she was angry.
17. Another unseen clip showed Ruby yelling at Chad to “fake” his excitement and be more “talkative” on camera when he attempted to avoid being filmed. “Fake being happy,” she told him.
18. Kevin noted that in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, both he and Ruby firmly believed that the world was ending. At this point, Ruby had gotten incredibly close with Jodi Hilldebrant, a former therapist who was counseling Chad. Ruby believed that she and Jodi were meant to “share God’s truth” with the world, and Kevin noted that they “truly believed” Jodi was “a representative of God.”
19. Chad recalled being kicked out of their family home at age 17 after Ruby found out that he’d been watching pornography and making out with girls in the house behind her back. Ruby believed that this had resulted in negative “spirits” and demonic energy that had troubled Jodi, who had moved in with them. Ruby also kicked Kevin out too, while Shari was disowned.
20. Despite being kicked out of the house by her, Kevin admits that he was “1000% compliant” with Ruby because he was “terrified” that she’d divorce him. “I was going to support her over all my children, period,” he said.
21. After learning from Ruby’s neighbours that her younger siblings were being left home alone for long periods of time, Shari called the cops to request a welfare check. However, the case was closed because they couldn’t find evidence of “physical” abuse on the kids.
22. However, Ruby’s youngest son’s eventual escape from Jodi’s home resulted in their arrest. A police officer revealed that Ruby’s youngest son was so “extremely emaciated” when he was found that she could see the tendons on his ankles through his skin.
23. And finally, Kevin admitted he “absolutely” feels guilty about the abuse his kids endured. “I was the last line of defense for these children,” he said. However, he noted he still loves Ruby. “The actions that she did were atrocious, but I still feel a longing,” he said. “It is easy for the world to hate that woman, and so many people want me to join in that chorus, and I can not turn off all of those other memories.”
You can stream this docuseries now on Hulu or Disney+.
If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.
English (US) ·