The Ultimate Guide To Watching The Ruby Franke Documentary: Streaming Platforms, Titles, And Latest Case Updates

The shocking downfall of Ruby Franke, the Utah momfluencer behind the "8 Passengers" YouTube channel, has been chronicled in multiple true-crime documentaries, providing a chilling look behind the facade of her picture-perfect online life. As of December 15, 2025, the most talked-about docuseries, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, is widely available on major streaming platforms, detailing the horrific child abuse case that led to her and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt's, prison sentences.

The intense public curiosity surrounding Franke's transformation from a family vlogging star to a convicted felon has fueled the production of these deep-dive specials. This guide provides the definitive answer to where you can watch the documentaries, along with the most recent, up-to-date information on the case, including her sentencing and the fate of her children.

Ruby Franke: A Brief Biography and The Timeline of Her Fall

The story of Ruby Franke is a stark example of a public figure's dramatic fall from grace, moving from a beloved online personality to a symbol of parental abuse. Understanding her background is crucial to grasping the magnitude of the scandal.

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• Full Name: Ruby Franke (née Ruby Spurlock)
• Date of Birth: January 18, 1982
• Place of Birth: Utah, USA
• Husband: Kevin Franke (filed for divorce after her arrest)
• Children: Six (Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, Eve)
• YouTube Channel: 8 Passengers (Launched 2015, now defunct)
• YouTube Success: Gained millions of followers by documenting the daily life, parenting strategies, and Mormon faith of her large family.
• Business Partner/Associate: Jodi Hildebrandt (Founder of the ConneXions self-improvement program)
• Date of Arrest: August 30, 2023
• Charges: Six counts of felony aggravated child abuse.
• Plea and Sentencing: Pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse in December 2023. Sentenced in February 2024 to four prison terms, to be served consecutively, with a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in state prison.
• Current Status: Incarcerated in a Utah correctional facility.

The Timeline of Controversy and Conviction

The Franke family’s online presence began to unravel years before the arrest, with viewers noting increasingly strict and concerning "discipline" methods. This culminated in a shocking discovery in August 2023.

Early Red Flags (2020–2022): The "8 Passengers" channel faced mounting criticism for Franke's parenting choices, including withholding food, forcing children to sleep on beanbags, and other harsh punishments. Her oldest daughter, Shari Franke, publicly distanced herself from her mother.

The ConneXions Influence (2022–2023): Ruby Franke began working closely with mental health counselor Jodi Hildebrandt and her controversial "ConneXions" program. The content shifted, focusing heavily on Hildebrandt's teachings, which critics described as cult-like and extreme. This partnership is a central theme in all the documentaries.

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The Arrest (August 30, 2023): The case broke when Franke’s 12-year-old son, Russell, escaped from Jodi Hildebrandt’s Ivins, Utah, home and ran to a neighbor for help. He was severely malnourished and injured, with deep lacerations from being tied up with rope. The younger daughter, Eve, was also found in a similar state of malnutrition and abuse at the home.

The Sentencing (February 20, 2024): Both Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were sentenced to four consecutive prison terms, each term carrying a duration of 1 to 15 years, meaning they could each serve up to 30 years in prison. Franke expressed remorse, stating that she was "led down a dark path" by Hildebrandt.

Where to Watch the Ruby Franke Documentaries: Streaming Guide

There are two primary documentary features that delve into the Ruby Franke saga, each available on different streaming services. Knowing the titles and platforms is key to finding the content you are looking for.

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1. Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke

This is the most comprehensive and widely publicized docuseries focusing on the entire timeline of Franke’s career and criminal case. It is a three-part series that features interviews with family members, former friends, and legal experts who tracked the "8 Passengers" channel from the beginning.

• Series Title: Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke
• Streaming Platform: Hulu
• Release Date: Premiered on February 27, 2025.
• How to Watch: The series is available in its entirety to all Hulu subscribers. If you have the Disney Bundle, which includes Hulu, you can also access it through that subscription. It may also be available for purchase or rental on platforms like Apple TV.
• Key Focus: The series explores the origins of the "8 Passengers" channel, the growing concern from the online community, the influence of Jodi Hildebrandt, and the harrowing details of the child abuse case filed by the Washington County of Utah.

2. Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence

This second documentary special zeroes in on the toxic relationship between Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, specifically investigating the controversial "ConneXions" program and its role in escalating the child abuse.

• Series Title: Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence
• Streaming Platform: Discovery+ and HBO Max (now Max)
• How to Watch: The special is available to subscribers of Discovery+ and Max. It focuses heavily on the "cult-like control" that Hildebrandt exerted over Franke and her family under the guise of therapy and religious guidance.
• Key Focus: The special highlights the disturbing teachings of the ConneXions program, the manipulative tactics used by Hildebrandt, and the eventual escape of the young child that led to the arrests.

The Impact of the Case: Shari Franke and the Children's Status

The documentaries not only focus on Ruby Franke's criminal actions but also on the victims—her six children. The most prominent voice to emerge from the family is the oldest daughter, Shari Franke, who has used her platform to speak out against her mother and Hildebrandt.

Shari Franke’s Role

Shari Franke, who was already estranged from her mother before the arrest, played a critical role in the public consciousness of the case. She was an early critic of the ConneXions program and was quick to express relief and support for her younger siblings following the arrests. Her personal experience provides a powerful counter-narrative to the "perfect family" image her mother projected.

The Children's Current Status

Following the arrests of Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, the two youngest children were immediately placed in the custody of Child Protective Services (CPS). The other minor children were also removed from the home. While specific details about their placement remain private for their safety, the Franke children are now under the care and protection of the state, with their father, Kevin Franke, also navigating the complex legal and custodial process.

The documentaries offer crucial interviews and insights into the children's ordeal, including the journal entries Ruby Franke kept that detailed the abuse. This information was used as evidence in the Washington County, Utah, court proceedings. The collective entities involved in this tragic story—from the Franke family members to the judicial system and the various media outlets covering the "momfluencer downfall"—underscore the devastating impact of this true-crime case.

Topical Authority Entities in the Ruby Franke Case

To fully understand the complexity of the Ruby Franke scandal, it is essential to be familiar with the key people, organizations, and legal terms that define the case. These entities are frequently discussed across all documentaries and news reports:

• 8 Passengers: The original, now-deleted, highly popular YouTube channel that documented the Franke family's life.
• Jodi Hildebrandt: Ruby Franke’s business partner and co-defendant, a former licensed therapist whose controversial teachings were central to the abuse.
• ConneXions: The "self-improvement" program founded by Jodi Hildebrandt, which critics and legal authorities identified as the primary source of the abusive ideology.
• Kevin Franke: Ruby Franke's estranged husband, who has been working to regain custody and protect his children.
• Shari Franke: The oldest daughter, who was vocal about her mother's behavior and is now an advocate for her younger siblings.
• Aggravated Child Abuse: The severe felony charge to which both Franke and Hildebrandt pleaded guilty.
• Ivins, Utah: The location of Jodi Hildebrandt's home where the abuse was discovered after one of the children escaped.
• Washington County, Utah: The jurisdiction where the criminal case against Franke and Hildebrandt was prosecuted.
• Mormonism/LDS Church: The family's faith, which became intertwined with the ConneXions program's teachings, leading to public statements of condemnation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Russell Franke: The 12-year-old son whose courageous escape led directly to the arrest of the two women.
• Eve Franke: The youngest daughter, also found severely abused and malnourished at the Hildebrandt residence.
• Momfluencer: The term used to describe the genre of mother-centric family vlogging that Ruby Franke was a prominent member of.
• Child Protective Services (CPS): The government agency that took custody of the minor Franke children.
• Olly Lambert: The director of the Hulu docuseries, Devil in the Family.
• Passion Pictures: The production company behind the Hulu docuseries.

By utilizing this guide, you can easily find the comprehensive documentaries detailing the dark truth behind the "8 Passengers" YouTube channel. Whether you choose the Hulu three-part series, Devil in the Family, or the Discovery+ special, Ruby & Jodi, you will gain a deep understanding of the legal and personal tragedy that shocked the world in 2023 and 2024.