For many years, 8 Passengers, run by the Franke family, was a wholesome Youtube channel showcasing small moments from the gender reveal of their youngest child to the sweet sixteenth of their oldest daughter. However, family vlogging does not always capture the true essence of what happens behind the camera. As the family began to fall apart, they turned to Jodi Hildebrandt, a Mormon guidance counselor who would soon turn their family upside down.
Hulu released Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, a documentary that shares an in-depth look at the Franke family through the experiences of the two eldest children, Shari and Chad, and their father, Kevin. The three episode miniseries was released on Feb. 27, 2025 and exposes over a thousand hours of the family’s unreleased YouTube footage, alongside exclusive interviews from some of the Franke’s, their neighbors, and their friends.
The documentary showcases the lead up to the arrests of Ruby Franke, the mother of the Franke family, and Jodi Hildebrandt, who were charged for six counts of felony child abuse on Aug. 30, 2023. Both Ruby and Jodi pled guilty to four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse, and were sentenced to up to 30 consecutive years in prison. Their arrests quickly became one of the top trending stories across America, especially since concerns for the Franke children had already been raised prior to the arrests.
The first episode “Abundance,” talks about the family’s uprising on YouTube. Like many people, I had watched the 8 Passengers YouTube channel and enjoyed the content that they shared before learning of the controversies. However, over the years, the family dynamic clearly changed from being loving and genuine to revolving solely around YouTube. This changing dynamic led to Ruby showcasing the odd ways she punished her children if they did not listen, which is the topic of the first episode. I think, although the Franke’s turned into a very strange family, the interviews with the Franke’s neighbors commenting on them were a little unnecessary. The neighbors claimed that Ruby and Kevin were suspicious because they would not throw parties or chat with them often. I do not think the neighbors’ commentary was needed, and the “odd” behaviors the Franke’s displayed, as described by the neighbors, can also be considered perfectly normal.
The second episode “Distortion,” focused on the eldest son, Chad’s, rebellion and the unhappiness of the Franke family, resulting in Ruby seeking help from Mormon life coach Jodi Hildebrandt. It was sad to see how turning to Jodi led to the family’s downfall as Kevin, the father, was pushed out of his own family and was manipulated into believing that Jodi was their family’s savior. Meanwhile, the six kids had to watch their mother turn into a completely different woman who saw her children as “demons,” as she describes them in a clip revealed in the documentary.
The third and final episode, “Truth,” reveals what happened as the police got involved in the family’s turmoil. Although the documentary had a lot of depth and cleared many rumors that had been circulating about the family for the past year, I still think there was a lot more that could have been said. For instance, Shari and Chad recount how family vlogging dominated their childhoods and how Ruby allowed it to take over their family. They also touch on what happened to the two youngest children, but only briefly mention the two middle daughters. Many viewers, including myself, wanted to hear about the experiences of the two middle children. Shari and Chad had been regularly updating fans on social media, and the situation with the two youngest children was widely known, as it was their injuries had led to Ruby’s arrest, but the story of the middle daughters was not spoken about a lot.
Another largely circulating question was the involvement of Kevin Franke in the abuse. Kevin Franke, the husband of Ruby and father of the six children, filed for divorce in November 2023, shortly after Ruby’s arrest. I think seeing Kevin’s lack of knowledge and involvement in the abuse was a shock, considering Ruby and Kevin were still married despite having no contact for the last year of their relationship. There is still a lot of controversy surrounding whether Kevin is to blame for what happened to his children, but I believe he was just as blindsided and manipulated as his kids were by Ruby and Jodi.
The show excellently displays Ruby’s transition from a loving mother to a monster who could not care less about her family. At first, the documentary describes Ruby as your everyday typical mother, but as the episodes progressed, viewers see her shift in character while still attempting to stay the loving mother. However, by the last episode, it becomes evident that she had turned into a completely different person who would harm her own family with no remorse. I think it was incredibly sad to hear from the family about how their lives changed because of Ruby, especially since they could still describe the loving person she used to be.
Overall, I think this is a good documentary to watch if you have heard of the case and want to know more, but if you have been following the news and updates about the Franke family, then you may not get as much information as you hoped for. Either way, I would encourage you to watch the documentary and hear the story from the Franke family’s point of view.
8/10
