Ruby Franke — the former family vlogger behind YouTube’s once-massive “8 Passengers” channel — is currently incarcerated in Utah after being convicted in a high-profile child abuse case.
Franke is serving an indeterminate prison sentence of four consecutive terms of 1 to 15 years after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse; under Utah’s parole system, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will ultimately determine how long she remains in custody.
Multiple reports and official case summaries state that Franke is being held at the Utah State Correctional Facility. The case drew national attention after authorities arrested Franke in August 2023 alongside her associate Jodi Hildebrandt, a counselor and life-coaching figure tied to Franke’s later online content and parenting guidance.
The story — and how it unfolded behind the scenes of a “wholesome family” brand — is the focus of Hulu’s three-part docuseries, ** Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke **, which Hulu describes as an examination of how a popular channel with millions of viewers masked a family in crisis. Hulu’s official synopsis notes the series includes access to those close to the family and previously unseen materials tied to the Frankes’ public life.
In reporting around the docuseries, Franke’s rise is a key part of the context: “8 Passengers” built a large audience over years of family-focused uploads, before viewers and critics increasingly questioned her parenting approach and the escalating tone of the family’s content.
Hulu and PEOPLE have said the docuseries features on-camera interviews with Franke’s estranged husband, Kevin Franke, as well as two of the couple’s adult children, Shari and Chad, who speak publicly about the family’s experience.
As for what comes next legally, local reporting indicates Franke’s initial parole-board timeline was moved to 2026, underscoring that while the sentence structure sets minimums and maximums, her actual release date won’t be clear for some time.
