Just two weeks ago, on February 27, Hulu released a new documentary titled Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke. This short series garnered attention from both curious viewers and past fans of the titular convicted felon. 

Ruby Franke, also known as the mother in the YouTube channel 8 Passengers, was arrested and charged with six counts of child abuse of her two youngest children in August of 2023, according to CBS News. Franke’s arrest interested countless viewers who had been blindsided by her YouTube videos, which portrayed her as an ideal, loving parent.

8 Passengers, a family-style YouTube channel, was beloved by many across the country. Fans chose their favorite family member like they would for a TV series, making the family members seem like characters. The channel felt like an inviting abode that allowed watchers to feel like they were a part of the household.

 However, after certain incidents like the removal of her eldest son’s bed, fans began to pick up that Franke was more than just a strict mother. Viewers started creating conspiracy theories and leaving hateful comments, leading to the eventual deactivation of the 8 Passengers account. In 2022, Franke decided to rebrand her channel, renaming it to Moms of Truth, where she and other mothers posted videos promoting parenting techniques, excluding the rest of her family. 

The absence of Franke’s family members on her channel left fans curious to know what had happened. It was not until August of 2023 that a shocking news was revealed: Franke had been arrested. Fans were stunned and searched through clips from her new Moms of Truth account to try to figure out what had happened and understand how she became a felon. However, countless questions were left unanswered, as members of Franke’s family chose not to speak about the situation.

A few weeks ago, with the release of the documentary, the public finally got to see what occurred behind the scenes. The documentary contains 3 episodes, giving viewers a specific timeline of what had happened within the Franke household. The eldest siblings of the Franke Family, Shari and Chad, along with their dad, Kevin, gave their insight on the situation. Upon watching the documentary, numerous viewers were left pondering whether Kevin was truly as innocent as he claimed and a more general question of whether the friendly and carefully orchestrated image of YouTube channels can be trusted. 

The documentary has brought out the question of doubt towards the trustworthiness of YouTube channels, allowing watchers to take a step back and assess the motives behind social media influencers. So, when watching your favorite family YouTube accounts post content, it’s important to ask yourself how pure their intentions seem because, like the 8 Passengers, you never know how they might be behind the scenes.