Ruby Franke’s family speaks out for the first time in new documentaries

Ruby Franke’s family speaks out for the first time in new documentaries

Ruby Franke’s husband Kevin Franke and their children Shari and Chad will speak out after the vlogger and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were sentenced to prison for child molestation in February 2024.

The new Hulu documentaries Devil in the Family: The Case of Ruby Franke will premiere on February 27 and features “exclusive access to the Frankes, their friends and neighbors, as well as over a thousand hours of unseen footage from their YouTube channel,” according to Passion Pictures’ official Instagram post.

The docuseries will also mark the first time that Kevin, Shari and Chad will tell their story in depth on camera, as reported by deadline.

Kevin Franke in Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke.

Disney/Kai Pfaffenbach


“For years, the Frankes’ YouTube channel documented a healthy, happy family life, with 2.5 million subscribers tuning in at its peak,” the show said in a press release. “When the cracks became visible, the family turned to counselor Jodi Hildebrandt for advice – and quickly found themselves in a nightmare.”

Chad Franke in Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke.

Disney/Kai Pfaffenbach


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Ruby and Kevin first started their YouTube channel “8Passengers” in 2014, where they documented their family’s life together. The channel had over 2 million subscribers and over time, viewers expressed concerns about Ruby’s extreme parenting methods. The Utah-based YouTuber and Hildebrant later started a podcast together where they advocated for strict parenting styles until they were arrested in August 2023 for aggravated child abuse.

Ruby and Kevin’s eldest daughter Shari recently opened up about the abuse she and her siblings endured in her new memoir My Mother’s House: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom on January 7th.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Shari shared that she has “witnessed the harm that comes from putting your life online” and believes that “there is no ethical way to do it.”

Shari Franke in The Devil in the Family: The Case of Ruby Franke.

Disney/Kai Pfaffenbach; Ron Chaffin/St. George News via AP, Pool


In her memoir, she recalled that her mother, Ruby, was “never warm or kind” to her growing up and that some of the content she shared on her channel made her uncomfortable. When Shari left for college at Brigham Young University, she continued to worry about her younger siblings and even called the daycare center to ensure their safety.

Since Ruby’s arrest and conviction, Shari has confirmed that she is tired of “sharing my private life with the world.”

“I’ve had my voice and my freedom of choice taken away from me for so long, and now I’m giving back,” she said. “I will not talk about my wedding, my future husband or my future children.”

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