Who is Ruby Franke? Everything we know about the convicted YouTuber

Ruby Franke, a former parenting influencer, was arrested in August 2023 on several charges related to child abuse.

She pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse and was sentenced to four separate prison terms, each ranging from one to 15 years. Her business partner and life coach, Jodi Hildebrandt, was also sentenced to the same terms.

Franke rose to fame for her popular, yet controversial, YouTube channel 8 Passengers which showed Franke's family life alongside her husband Kevin and their six children.

Viewers started expressing concerns in 2020 over the Mormon family's strict parenting style.

In August 2023, authorities discovered one of Franke's sons severely malnourished, with open wounds and bound with duct tape. The boy had managed to escape from Hildebrandt’s home and sought help at a neighbour's house. Another of Franke’s daughters was found in Hildebrandt’s home, also in a similarly emaciated and neglectful state.

Last year, Ruby Franke shared a tearful apology to her children during her sentencing.

"I ... believed dark was light and right was wrong," she said at court. "I would do anything in this world for you. I took from you all that was soft and safe and good."

Who is Ruby Franke?

Ruby Franke, 43, was previously a social media personality and former YouTube star known for her YouTube channel. She is a mother of six children: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve.

"Ruby's sole ambition was to be seen as the perfect mom," Kevin Franke said in the new series. "That's all she talked about. That's all she focused on. But she wasn't getting enough praise and attention for it. So she decided she was going to create a YouTube channel. And when she sets her mind to something, hell and earth combined could not stop her."

Franke was known for her strict Mormon parenting style and for sharing their lives online. However, criticisms soon came pouring in for the controversial parenting styles which were seen as over harsh or lacking empathy towards children.

In 2023, Franke made headlines after being arrested on charges related to child abuse, leading her to lose custody of them. It came after Franke's 12-year-old son climbed out of a window and ran to a neighbour's house to house for help.

What was Ruby Franke's YouTube channel called and what was it about?

Franke's YouTube channel was called 8 Passengers, where she shared clips of her life with her husband Kevin and six children.

Franke started the account back in 2015 and garnered around two million subscribers before the page was removed in 2023.

Who is Jodi Hildebrandt?

Jodi Hildebrandt, 54, was a Utah mental health counsellor, who had been hired to work with Franke’s youngest son, Russell, before going into business with Franke.

The duo, who collaborated at a consulting firm owned by Hildebrandt, used their platform to offer parenting advice and present themselves as role models for other families. Franke also featured in videos shared by Hildebrandt on her website, ConneXions Classroom.

"It was much more than a friendship," Kevin said in the Hulu documentary. "It was much more than a sisterhood. It was uncomfortably intimate."

Franke and Hildebrand were arrested at Hildebrandt's home on 30 August.

What is Hulu's Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke about?

A gripping new three-part Hulu docuseries titled Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke drops on 27 February, delving into the shocking events that led to the arrests of Franke and Hildebrandt.

This marks the first time that Franke's eldest children, Shari and Chad, will share their full stories on camera. The series also features interviews with Ruby’s estranged husband, Kevin, law enforcement officials, and former neighbours of the Franke family.

Last month, Shari also released a memoir The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom where she shared disturbing details at the hands of her mother.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

You should read...

• What will happen to Ruby Franke’s kids now?
• Ruby Franke's son gives damning comparison of his mother and a dog

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