For years, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were a celebrated duo in the world of online parenting advice and life coaching. Their partnership, forged in the heart of Utah’s religious community, seemed to embody wholesome values and guidance for families everywhere. Franke, a mother of six, ran the wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers from 2015, amassing around 2.5 million subscribers by June 2020, according to The Express. Meanwhile, Hildebrandt was the founder of ConneXions, a life-coaching firm that promised to help families thrive. Together, they were admired, in demand, and making a lot of money.
But behind the scenes, a far darker story was unfolding—one that would shock their followers and the wider public when it finally came to light. It all began to unravel in 2023, when Ruby Franke’s twelve-year-old son managed a desperate escape from Jodi Hildebrandt’s house, where he and his younger sister were being held captive. Malnourished, with tape on his wrists and ankles and severe cuts from being bound with rope, the boy showed up at a neighbor’s house pleading for help. The neighbor called the police, and what investigators discovered was a stark contrast to the carefully curated image Franke and Hildebrandt had projected online.
The disturbing details of this case are now the subject of the Netflix documentary Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story, which is available for streaming as of December 30, 2025. The documentary, directed by Skye Borgman, delves deep into the relationship between Franke and Hildebrandt, their rise as online influencers, and the chilling events that led to their convictions for child abuse.
According to Netflix Tudum and interviews with Borgman, the two women first crossed paths within their church community in Utah. Hildebrandt, already known for her work as a therapist and her strong ties to the Church of Latter-Day Saints, became fixated on correcting what she perceived as flaws in Franke’s family dynamics. This obsession would ultimately lead both women down a path of escalating control and abuse.
Franke’s YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, initially offered viewers an intimate look at her family’s daily life. But by 2022, cracks had begun to show. Viewers grew concerned about her harsh disciplinary tactics, especially after it was revealed that one of her sons had been barred from his bedroom and forced to sleep on a bean bag for seven months. These revelations led to the suspension of her channel that same year.
After the suspension, Franke joined ConneXions as a mental health coach and, together with Hildebrandt, launched a joint social media venture offering parenting classes. The pair’s new business, however, would soon become the backdrop for even more troubling behavior.
As Everything Gossip reports, the situation reached a breaking point in August 2023. Franke and Hildebrandt were apprehended in Washington County, Utah, after Franke’s son’s escape brought the abuse to light. Investigators discovered that the children had been subjected to severe malnutrition, physical restraint, and psychological torment—treatment that was a world away from the positive messaging the two women shared online.
The fallout was swift and dramatic. In February 2024, Ruby Franke was sentenced to four consecutive prison terms ranging from one to fifteen years each, meaning she must serve at least four years before becoming eligible for parole. She is currently incarcerated at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City. Hildebrandt was also convicted for her role in the abuse.
The repercussions for Franke’s family have been profound. Her three sisters, also family vloggers, publicly distanced themselves from her actions in a joint statement. In November 2023, Franke’s husband Kevin filed for divorce after more than a year of separation, and the divorce was finalized in March 2025. He later pursued legal action against Hildebrandt over the abuse of his children. The four younger siblings—whose identities, along with those of the two children held captive, remain protected—are now under their father’s guardianship and in protective custody.
The family’s story doesn’t end there. Franke’s 22-year-old daughter Shari published a memoir in January 2025 titled The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom. In it, she describes a household where "Anything less than unbridled enthusiasm would trigger Ruby into a rage. One hint of displeasure on my face, and whack! ... But no matter how much I twisted and turned, no matter how much I achieved or accomplished, it would never be enough. There would always be some new hoop to jump through, some new standard to meet." Her son Chad, now 20, has found success as an estate agent and married in 2025. Both Chad and Shari were adults at the time of their mother’s arrest and have since tried to move on with their lives.
The Netflix documentary, Evil Influencer, raises difficult questions about the power dynamics between Franke and Hildebrandt. In an interview with investigative reporter Anne Emerson, director Skye Borgman discussed Hildebrandt’s background as a therapist, her clientele, her deep involvement with the Church of Latter-Day Saints, and her psychological profile. The film doesn’t shy away from exploring whether Hildebrandt may have "brainwashed" Franke, as many have speculated. As Borgman put it, "I think they're moving on and trying to find some form of normal. When Ruby's released from prison, it'll be really interesting what kind of relationship – if any relationship – happens."
The case has sparked widespread debate about the dangers of influencer culture, the responsibilities of online creators, and the ways in which charismatic figures can manipulate those around them. For some, it’s a chilling reminder that appearances can be deceiving—even in the most seemingly wholesome corners of the internet.
As the dust settles, the Franke family is left to pick up the pieces. The children are under protective care, and those who are adults are forging new paths. The broader online parenting community, meanwhile, is reckoning with uncomfortable questions about trust, transparency, and the potential for harm behind the screen.
The story of Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, now laid bare in Evil Influencer, stands as a sobering testament to the complexities of influence, authority, and the human cost of unchecked power.
