Who Is Ruby Franke? The rise and fall of the household vlogger convicted of kid abuse | EUROtoday

On Tuesday, Netflix launched a brand new documentary inspecting the rise of Jodi Hildebrandt, the Utah-based therapist who was jailed in 2023 alongside disgraced parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke after pleading responsible to a number of youngster abuse prices.

Franke first made headlines again in 2015 for the controversial parenting recommendation she shared on her YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, that includes her now-ex-husband, Kevin Franke, and their six youngsters: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve. The now-deleted channel was as soon as fashionable, having amassed greater than two million subscribers earlier than hypothesis and concern started to mount in 2020 in regards to the household’s actions.

In 2022, their YouTube channel was suspended, and the Utah-based mom introduced that she was becoming a member of a brand new channel known as ConneXions — which has since been deleted — alongside Hildebrandt. The pair sparked controversy with their movies, together with one wherein they recommended conventional notions of unconditional love is perhaps counterproductive.

In August 2023, each Franke and Hildebrandt have been arrested after Franke’s then-12-year-old son Russell escaped from Hildebrandt’s home and ran to a neighbour who known as 911. Russell was malnourished and had seen accidents with duct tape on his limbs.

The boy would later inform investigators that Hildebrandt put cayenne pepper and honey on wounds that have been brought on by being tied with the rope.

In a press launch, the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department defined that officers proceeded to a close-by residence the place they found one other juvenile in a comparable situation.

Following her arrest, Franke’s household, together with her daughter, made a number of statements in regards to the state of affairs, together with that they’re “so glad justice is being served.”

Here’s the whole lot we find out about Franke’s rise to fame on YouTube, her arrest, and her sentencing.

Who is Ruby Franke?

Franke first launched the 8 Passengers YouTube channel in 2015, documenting her household’s life in Springville, Utah. One 12 months after launching the channel, she advised native information station KSL that her web page was a manner for her to “let [her] heart rate come down and to just enjoy being with the kids as they are right now.”

Franke went on to spark criticism after revealing in a video that certainly one of her sons, Chad, had been sleeping on a beanbag for seven months after enjoying a prank on his sibling. In June 2020, involved viewers contacted native youngster protecting companies, with a Change.org petition created to encourage a CPS Investigation.

Amid the backlash, Franke advised Insider on the time the sleeping association was Chad’s “choice” after he stopped sharing a room together with his youthful brother. A letter from DCFS, seen by Insider, mentioned the claims have been unsupported and that the case, which alleged that Franke was the perpetrator, was closed.

In August 2022, she confronted additional scrutiny for refusing to carry lunch to her then-six-year-old daughter in school, who forgot her meals at dwelling. Franke mentioned she didn’t need anybody to provide her daughter lunch, explaining that she wished the kid to expertise how “painful” it’s to be hungry all day so she would “make sure to always pack a lunch.”

After making headlines for her controversial parenting decisions, which racked up thousands and thousands of views on-line, she started working as a psychological well being coach at ConneXions, an organization run by Hildebrandt.

Franke and Hildebrandt’s joint channel has additionally sparked outrage. In December 2022, they shared a now-deleted video about “the concept of love.”

The Utah mom claimed that if her youngster doesn’t “love” or “trust” her, after providing them “the gift of truth,” then they’re “refusing to love unconditionally.” She mentioned: “If my child will only love me if I give them what they want, then that’s not really love, is it?”

What did her household say about her arrest?

Following her mom’s arrest, Shari Franke, 22, took to Instagram to make a number of statements in regards to the state of affairs. She began by posting a photograph of a police automobile and an officer, writing: “Finally.”

Shari additionally created a doc asking followers to share “questionable” or “concerning” details about ConneXions or 8 Passengers.

Franke’s sisters — Ellie Mecham, Julie Deru, and Bonnie Hoellein — launched an announcement saying they’d remained “quiet” about their sister for the previous three years, “for the sake of her children.” They added that they’d performed the whole lot they may to make sure the youngsters have been protected.

Disturbing particulars revealed

Franke admitted to numerous horrific acts in an announcement filed in courtroom to assist her responsible pleas, which mentioned she abused two of her youngsters from May 2023 till her arrest.

She mentioned that she tried to persuade her youngsters that they have been evil and possessed and that the “punishments” have been a type of repentance. She described the abuse as “acts of love.”

The mom admitted in her assertion that her “actions involved the physical torture” of her son. Horrific particulars revealed that she pressured the boy into lengthy bodily duties outdoors in summer season with out sneakers or ample water, leaving him with “repeated and serious sunburns.”

Franke admitted to kicking her son whereas carrying boots, holding his head underwater, and utilizing ropes to tie collectively handcuffs that have been round his arms and toes whereas he lay on his abdomen to elevate his legs and arms off the bottom, leading to accidents, the assertion mentioned.

Her son was stored remoted from others and denied leisure like books and electronics.

Franke’s then-nine-year-old daughter was additionally a sufferer of those punishments. She admitted within the assertion that the woman was pressured to work outdoors, run on filth roads barefoot “for extended periods of time,” and go with out meals and water.

Franke learns her destiny

In February 2024, Franke was handed 4 one-to-15-year sentences in jail, one for every of the 4 counts of kid abuse to which she pleaded responsible again in December. Hildebrandt obtained the identical sentence.

The ladies will solely serve as much as 30 years on account of a Utah state legislation that caps the sentence period for consecutive penalties. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will contemplate their habits whereas incarcerated and decide how a lot of that point every will spend behind bars.

Before the decide handed down the sentence, Franke shared an announcement to the courtroom wherein she gave a tearful apology to her youngsters for bodily and emotionally abusing them.

“I’ll never stop crying for hurting your tender souls,” Franke mentioned to her youngsters, who weren’t on the listening to. “My willingness to sacrifice all for you was masterfully manipulated into something very ugly. I took from you all that was soft and safe and good.”

The two presently have parole hearings reportedly scheduled for December 2026.

Ruby’s daughter releases memoir

In January, Franke’s oldest youngster, Shari, revealed what it was like rising up in her family in a memoir titled The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom.

The guide described the extra excessive facets of her mom’s behaviour. Shari wrote that her mom bodily abused her after she performed a flawed notice on the piano. At different instances, the mistreatment was psychological, together with threats to drag her out of college if she didn’t give up her highschool observe crew.

Shari additionally detailed her mom’s relationship with Hildebrandt, writing that her bed room was at one level given to Hildebrandt, forcing her to sleep on the lounge sofa. She mentioned the pair have been the one folks allowed upstairs or in her former bed room, slicing off even her father, Kevin.

When Hildebrandt started experiencing “demonic night terrors,” Shari wrote that Franke selected to sleep within the room along with her enterprise companion, explaining that Shari’s former bed room was their “sanctuary.”

Franke’s husband information for divorce and remarries

According to KSL-TV UtahKevin initially filed for divorce three months after Ruby’s arrest in August 2023. However, Utah District Judge Roger Griffin didn’t signal the divorce decree till March 2025.

Shari lately shared that she and Chad attended their father’s marriage ceremony to Becca Bevan in November 2025.

In August, Kevin filed a lawsuit in opposition to Hildebrandt, alleging that she used her standing as a psychological well being skilled to control and isolate him from his household.

Hildebradt has not responded to the lawsuit as of December 2025.

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story is on the market to look at on Netflix.