After holding on to their secret for years, the estranged family members of convicted YouTube mom, Ruby Franke, have come forward to share the truth about the abuse that took place inside their home.
The controversial YouTuber was arrested in 2023, after her malnourished 12-year-old son escaped and ran to a neighbor, asking for help.
Trigger warning: this article contains details of child abuse that may be distressing to some
A new docuseries, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, shed light on the abuse suffered by the six children of the Franke family
She was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse.
Years before her arrest, the former vlogger had made it her life’s mission to be seen as the “perfect mom” to the world.
She created a YouTube channel named 8 Passengers, chronicling her life with her husband, Kevin Franke, and their six children.
The social media channel quickly gained popularity, amassing 2.5 million followers and over 1 billion views. However, what her fans did not see was the abuse that took place behind the scenes.
Bits and pieces of the abuse have now come to light following the release of the docuseries Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke.
Here are 23 secrets from the Hulu docuseries, as revealed by the people who knew Ruby the most.
1. Ruby maintained a giant chart for all the guys she was dating
Before Kevin’s romance with Ruby bloomed, the former YouTuber used to maintain a giant chart that listed all the guys she was dating.
Kevin claimed that the color-coded chart, which hung in her closet, not only had people’s names but also listed qualities like “patient,” “sense of humor,” and “holds my hand.”
2. Ruby’s “sole ambition”
A fixation on being “seen as the perfect mom” became Ruby’s “sole ambition,” Kevin revealed.
Hence, she created the now-defunct channel 8 Passengers in 2015 and began constantly filming inside the house.
Wherever Ruby went, a camera would follow, and it eventually made Kevin uncomfortable.
“She just wanted to show the view of a Mormon happy family,” her son Chad said.
But “they only saw what we wanted to show them.”
3. “She really wanted me to be the perfect husband,” her husband said
Before Kevin got into the swing of their YouTube lives, Kevin struggled to keep up with Ruby’s expectations.
“All of a sudden, it wasn’t enough to just interact with her; I had to interact with a camera,” he said in the Hulu series.
Although Ruby wanted him to be the “perfect husband,” he admitted he wasn’t and became “very insecure” about himself.
4. The very first paycheck
Prior to their YouTube days, Kevin described themselves as a normal, “average” family.
But as 8 Passengers steadily gained popularity, the money started coming in.
When the very first paycheck of $85 arrived from YouTube, Kevin had a change of heart and got onboard with his wife’s plan of propelling them to social media fame.
5. The house felt less like a home and “more like a set”
Prior to their YouTube glory days, the family described themselves as a regular, “average” family. However, they said there was a shift in Ruby’s mindset and behavior once the fame and company contracts came in.
Daughter Shari revealed in the docuseries that they were expected to keep the house clean at all times. Even their light bulbs were replaced to have bright white lighting, which was better for the perfect frame.
6. The children became “employees”
21-year-old Shari revealed to viewers that their mother would refer to her and her five siblings as “employees,” while Ruby carried the title of “CEO.”
Even the youngest child was referred to as an “employee” at the age of four or five.
The mother’s incessant need for post-worthy content was revealed in one clip, in which she insisted on posting a conversation she had with a teenage Shari about her first menstrual period.
7. When the money came pouring in
Ruby’s harsh tactics translated to money pouring in for the family.
At the height of their fame, the family of eight was enjoying “$100,000 or more” every single month from their YouTube channel, Kevin said.
8. Life behind the camera
While life in front of the camera appeared rosy to viewers, Chad and Shari revealed the harsh situations they were subjected to.
Shari recalled having to clean up her brother’s blood whenever he got into trouble.
Chad would “get a bloody nose and I’d bring him toilet paper and didn’t really know what to do,” the sister said. She recalled having to clean his blood off the walls on one occasion.
9. Harsh punishments were doled out
The children described Ruby as physically violent and said she would “blow up off camera.”
“She would spank, whip, take the belt out and whip my butt. Pull down my pants, whip me,” the son recalled.
He also remembered being forced to do long, physically-straining tasks out in the summer heat without enough water or even the proper shoes.
10. Exploited for the camera
Kevin and Chad both revealed that the latter was “exploited” for being “confident” and “handsome.”
The now-20-year-old was popular among viewers, and Ruby would force him to put on a show for the camera.
“I just wanted to be with my friends. I really didn’t want anything to do with YouTube,” he revealed.
When Chad refused to comply with her filming requests, Ruby was captured asking him in previously unseen footage: “Are you going to be willing to help me out or not? You seem really distant.”
11. Do you want $10?”
When the children started complaining about constantly having a camera filming their every word and move, Ruby would yell at them, saying, this is “what we do.”
“Everyone gets $10 for a video that they help with. Do you want $10?” she was heard asking in one clip.
12. Never-before-seen footage
Plenty of unseen footage was included in the docuseries, shedding light on Ruby’s parenting tactics.
One clip captured the mother telling her child to be quiet while she spoke to the camera. She even grabbed the child and covered her mouth, saying: “This isn’t your turn, now sit … We’re gonna cut that out.”
13. “Head in toilet, needs to be painful”
Parts of Ruby’s journal entries were read out by a police investigator, who appeared in the Hulu series.
Some of the entries included disturbing accounts of what she did to her two youngest children, who were 12 and 9 during Ruby’s arrest.
“Sleep outside, shaved her head, doused her with water, over his nose and mouth, head in the toilet, needs to be painful. Blood on his face, scream and scream,” read one entry in the convicted mother’s journal.
The two children, believed to be the subject of the journey entry, were in Ruby’s care until authorities found them malnourished and covered in wounds in 2023.
14. “Fake being happy”
Seemingly disregarding her children’s true feelings, Ruby was captured in one scene telling an upset Chad to “fake being happy.”
“I don’t know if I can right now,” he replied.
15. Violent threats
The unseen footage captured Ruby hurling violent statements at her children, including threatening to keep them hungry. One of her children was seen in tears after the mother threatened to cut up a teddy.
“If you cut one more thing in my house, I am going to cut your [toy cat’s] head right off,” the YouTube mom said.
In another clip, the mother yelled at her kids, saying they were “not entitled to talk” because she was recording.
“Why am I hearing all the noise?” she yelled at her kids.
16. Forced to sleep on a beanbag in the basement
For about seven months, Chad was stripped of the “privilege” of having a bedroom as a form of punishment.
The son recalled being forced to sleep on a beanbag in the basement every single night for about seven months.
17. “Change” your personality
In another tense exchange, a young child was captured apologizing for getting “nervous” in front of the camera.
“Just be yourself,” the mother said, to which the child replied, “That is myself.”
“Well then change it,” the mother flat-out said.
18. Kevin was “terrified” of his wife
Kevin revealed that he was willing to support his wife “over all” his six children because he was “terrified” of being divorced.
Even though he was “100% compliant,” she still kicked him out of the house, Kevin said.
19. Ruby believed her kids were demonically “possessed’
The Mormon family vlogger wrote in her journal about her two youngest children being “possessed by demons.”
Her journal entries revealed that she justified her severe, abusive punishments to them by claiming they were “evil.”
The 12-year-old son, who ran to the neighbor’s house for help, was not only severely malnourished but also had duct tape around his ankles.
Investigators eventually learned that the boy was being held captive nearby and had escaped by climbing out of the window.
The boy’s daring escape led to the arrests of Ruby and Jodi within hours.
20. Kevin was kicked out after Jodi Hildebrandt entered the picture
Much of the family breakdown took place after Ruby struck up a connection with Jodi Hildebrandt—a former sex therapist and the founder of the religious social media network ConneXions.
The pair met in 2018 to help Chad, and they eventually began a podcast together advocating for strict parenting methods.
Shortly after Jodi entered the picture, Shari was disowned by her mother. Eventually, Ruby even kicked Kevin and Chad out of their home.
Ruby and Jodi were living together at the time of their 2023 arrests.
21. Jodi was seen as a “representative of God”
Fellow Mormon Jodi managed to gain Ruby’s respect and admiration. She believed that, together, they were meant to “share God’s truth” with the world.
They also “truly” believed that Jodi was “a representative of God,” Kevin revealed.
22. Shari called the cops out of concern for her siblings
After Shari was disowned by the family, she heard from neighbors that her young siblings had been left alone at home for days together without adult supervision.
She called Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services for a welfare; however, no action was taken because officials said they didn’t find any physical signs of abuse.
23. Despite everything, Kevin still loves Ruby
Image credits: Hulu
Despite all the heinous crimes that Ruby was convicted for, Kevin admitted he still feels a “longing” for his soon-to-be ex-wife.
“I cannot turn off all of those other memories,” he said on the show.
Nevertheless, he believes it’s no excuse to dismiss the way she treated their children, and he feels “absolutely” guilty for the abuse they went through.
