Horrible things took place behind the lens of the infamous “8 Passengers” family YouTube channel.
Tragic details of the famous YouTube family have come to light in “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke,” a new documentary on Hulu which reveals to the world the horrible acts of child abuse that took place behind the scenes. This was shocking to many people worldwide who had previously watched their channel.
The “8 Passengers” channel launched in 2015 according to CBS News. Ruby Franke, a mother of six, began to film the everyday life of her family. The channel gained popularity for the transparency of the family’s lifestyle.
Franke, in Aug. 2023, was arrested and charged with counts of child abuse; she is currently in prison in Utah, having been found guilty, on Feb. 20, 2024, of four counts of aggravated child abuse..
Many past viewers who are now seeing the documentary, which was released Feb. 27, 2025, are starting to recognize early signs in the videos of the family.
Maya Mallett, an early watcher, began to recognize these early signs of abuse.
“I didn’t pick up on weird vibes until Chad was forced to sleep outside, deprived of food, and was punished worse than the other kids,” she said. “I also felt particularly guilty for having watched the family for so many years and not ever picking up on the harm the kids were facing.”
Chad, the oldest son, experienced a great amount of physical and mental abuse. Franke obtained a “therapist” for Chad’s outbursts and lack of interest in everyday activities. Her name was Jodi Hildebrant. Hildebrant plead guilty at the same time as Franke to counts of child abuse.
Hildebrant started out as a outsourced therapist for Chad. They would talk several times a week over the phone for hours. Franke had an influence on the kids but so did Hildebrant. As the years passed, she moved in with the family after an alleged encounter with the devil.
The family was Mormon. The family’s religion is what started the vlogs in the first place, as many people in that community were doing the same.
Franke took Chad’s bed away for six months, making him sleep on a bean bag in the basement. She then sent him to a military camp in the woods for what she determined was bad behavior. Sherry, the oldest, was shunned from of the family and became cut off.
Kevin Franke, Ruby’s now ex-husband, was highlighted in the documentary. He says that he did not realize what was going on in his home. Kevin moved out before the families’ secrets were revealed; the two were divorced in 2025.
Malaya Anaba, who watched the documentary, feels sketchy about Kevin.
“I don’t think there’s any way that Kevin didn’t know about any of the issues, even after being kicked out,” Malaya said. “I also found the fact that Kevin was in the documentary and narrating some of the story to be interesting. It just seemed like he was trying to justify a lot of things for himself and for Ruby. I just couldn’t understand how he could still try to defend her or want to have any part in a documentary like that, especially this being so fresh.”
Everything was uprooted when one of the youngest children snuck out of the house and arrived on a nearby neighbors’ porch. He was malnourished, dehydrated, and had been bound with tape around his legs. This drastic discovery of the children led to a full-scale investigation, which led to the trials of Franke and Hildebrant.
There were opposing thoughts from junior Zola Piekarski and senior Malaya Anaba about whether this particular case of abuse is a one-off, or happening on a more widespread basis.
“I don’t think this is a one-of-a-kind case,” Zola said. “I’m sure there are other cases just like it where children’s welfare has been compromised due to vlogging or social media, but they haven’t received as much attention simply because they don’t have as large of a following.”
Malaya disagrees.
“I feel like this is a one-of-a kind case just because of how many elements were at play like religion and the influence of the internet,” she said.
