In today’s society where the line between private and public often blurs, “Devil In the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” highlights the chilling reality of what once looked like the perfect Mormon family vloggers turned upside down after the wake of allegations that shocked millions of their followers. Through interviews, never-before seen footage, and experts analysis this docuseries reveals the tragic story behind the once beloved YouTube channel, “8 Passengers,” and their Mother’s traumatic impact on her children.
What started as an innocent way to highlight the life of the perfect family quickly turned into a way for both parents, Kevin and Ruby Franke, to use their kids merely as a source of income. In the beginning, the kids seemed to really enjoy their time on the screen, but the older they got the more personal their content began to get.
Ruby’s Husband, Kevin Franke says, “Ruby’s sole ambition was to be seen as the perfect mom. It’s all she talked about, it’s all she focused on, but she wasn’t getting enough praise and attention for it, so she decided to create a Youtube channel. And when she sets her mind to something Hell and Earth combined could not stop her. And she was going to make her vlog bigger and better than everybody else’s.”
Many took to social media to comment on how strict Ruby was, often questioning if what we as viewers were seeing was just strict parenting or early signs of abuse. Some of the most controversial moments were when her daughter forgot her lunch at school and she refused to bring it to her so that she would learn how to be “responsible,” not allowing her two youngest kids to receive gifts on Christmas, forcing them to watch their siblings open presents because they were “selfish,” and taking away her oldest son’s bed for months on end and sending him away to a camp.
Senior, Gianna Clement says, “Growing up I would watch 8 Passengers all the time. When I was younger I didn’t see much of anything out of the ordinary. I really enjoyed their family content, but it wasn’t until recently that my thoughts changed. Since I was younger I didn’t know what behavior to exactly look for. One thing I did notice was how strict she was with her kids mainly regarding their consequences. The main reason being when she sent her oldest son to a wilderness camp, and also at a time she took his bed away for months at a time.”
Jodi Hildebrandt, former counselor, is thought to be the mastermind behind the entire scandal. She was the business owner and partner of ConneXions alongside Ruby Franke. She was first introduced to the family as a therapist for their oldest son Chad who had been going through a lot of behavioral issues in school and at home. Jodi seemed to see right through him and Ruby loved every second of it. Eventually, Ruby and Kevin began to attend her therapy sessions regarding their marriage. The more Ruby heard from Jodi, the more she began to love her. After some time, Ruby and Jodi became business partners and best friends. Ruby began to believe that she was a disciple of God and would do anything that she was told to do. Jodi got in Ruby’s head so badly that she even ended up kicking Kevin out to “test his loyalty to God,” and Kevin being in love with her and brainwashed as well, obeyed. This ended in him leaving the house for an entire year with no contact to anyone. Nothing could have prepared him for what those two women would do in his absence.
On August 30th, 2024 Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested after Ruby’s twelve-year -old son escaped from Jodi’s house and asked their neighbor to call the police. He was severely thin from being undernourished and had duct tape around his ankles and wrists. Later, when he was taken to the hospital, he shared that Jodi would put ropes around his ankles and wrists. Then, dress whatever wounds occurred in cayenne pepper and honey.
Senior, Aryana Salata stated, “I believe Kevin made his worst mistake by moving out of the house. If he wouldn’t have I think he would have stopped the abuse and it definitely would not have gone as far as it did. At the same time, I do believe he was brainwashed with Jodi and Ruby both at fault. No normal human goes along with the torture these children were put through.”
On February 20, 2024 Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildabrandt both pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and have been sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. Although this may seem like a long time, many believe that it isn’t nearly enough for all those two kids endured. Sherri, the oldest daughter has recently published a book entitled, The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest To Freedom where she shared her first hand experience growing up in the household.
Many Youtube parents are able to get distracted by the wealth they are gaining from their children and continuously exploit them. Many are always speculating about youtube star, Piper Rockelle’s safety after her former “squad members” have come out about their experiences regarding her Mother. In fact, Netflix has just announced that a documentary is coming out April 9th entitled, Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing involving said squad members. This case is equally terrifying and traumatizing however, it’s important to spread awareness about these family vlogging channels. Just because Ruby got caught, doesn’t mean this is the only channel this is happening to.
