‘Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke’: 4 Shocking Facts About Hulu’s Hit Docuseries
Hulu’s true crime docuseries Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke has quickly become one of the platform’s most-watched shows, according to Disney (via Deadline). The three-part series drew 7.9 million global views in its first five days of streaming and was included in the streaming platform’s Top 15 Today list.
If you haven’t gotten around to watching the series yet, here are four surprising facts that might compel you to stream it— or, perhaps, make you think twice if you’d prefer some peace of mind and avoid thinking about what the victims went through at the hands of their own mother.
It All Began with a YouTube Channel
Mommy vlogger Ruby Franke started chronicling her life with husband, Kevin, and their six children and posted it on their YouTube channel, 8 Passengers. What started as a wholesome family channel became a means to exploit the kids, especially since the channel, with its 2.5 million subscribers, began earning more than $100,000 monthly.
Their “Happy Valley” Home Is Far from Happy
The family’s home in Springville, Utah became more like a set than a home. Shari, the eldest daughter who appeared in the docuseries with her father and brother Chad, said that they needed to always keep the house clean and change every light bulb to bright for filming. Their schedule revolved around making the YouTube videos, and they were forced to perform.
In one of the videos uploaded to their channel, Ruby was yelling at the kids while sitting in the family van telling them, “Do you know that this is what we do? And everyone gets $10 for a video that they help with. Do you want $10?”
Ruby Franke Told Her Son to “Fake Being Happy”
Chad, the eldest, was once the channel’s main star and fan favorite. When he was a child, he willingly participated in the videos but rebelled when he reached his teenage years. He started hating his mother and made it difficult for her to film him. In one of the released unedited videos, Ruby can be seen and heard forcing Chad to “fake being happy.”
And if he refused? Chad claimed Ruby would “whip” him with a belt. Shari alleged that their mother would beat Chad until he bled and that they would both have to clean the blood off the walls.
After Chad got expelled from school and Ruby took away his “privilege” of having a bedroom and made him sleep in a beanbag, the channel lost subscribers and the majority of their income.
Shari Believes Ruby and Jodi Hildebrandt Were Lovers
Shari believes her mother and business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, were also lovers. She said that when Hildebrandt moved into their home and started using her old room while she was away in college, she found massage oils and melted candles. Her claim was supported by her father, Kevin, who said the ladies’ relationship is “much more than a friendship … It was uncomfortably intimate.”
Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke is available for streaming on Hulu.
