Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Netflix returns with another shocking true story with the release of the documentary "Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story" on December 30, 2025.
Directed by Skye Borgman, the film deeply examines the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose arrest on child abuse charges alongside popular parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke revealed a complex and horrific manipulation.
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The documentary not only presents a chronology of the case but also focuses on Jodi Hildebrandt's teachings and influence as a therapist.
Through exclusive interviews with former clients, the film details Hildebrandt's methods and the psychological impact they experienced, depicting how she built a cult-like presence that openly victimized Ruby Franke's family.
The case first came to light on August 30, 2023, when Ruby Franke's 12-year-old son managed to escape and seek help, revealing the horrific conditions he endured.
Evil Influencer: Exposing Jodi Hildebrandt's Manipulation
The Netflix documentary 'Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story' presents a comprehensive narrative through archival footage, news coverage, and interviews with individuals directly involved in the case.
It specifically highlights the inner workings of Jodi Hildebrandt's manipulation and why it was so effective in influencing her victims.
Several of Jodi Hildebrandt's former clients speak for the first time in the documentary, providing personal perspectives on their experiences under Hildebrandt's guidance.
They explain how the teachings of ConneXions, Hildebrandt's life coaching company, gradually eroded their autonomy and critical thinking, creating a dangerous dependency.
The film opens with a heartbreaking scene from security camera footage, showing a malnourished boy with wounds on his wrists and legs, begging for food and water and asking to be taken to the police.
This opening scene immediately brings the audience to the heart of the atrocities that will be revealed throughout the documentary, emphasizing the urgency and seriousness of this child abuse case.
Jodi Hildebrandt's Business History and Relationship with Ruby Franke
Jodi Hildebrandt, a former therapist, is the founder of a life coaching company called ConneXions.
She first met Ruby Franke through their local Mormon church community in Utah, and from there, a strong bond developed that later blossomed into a fatal business partnership.
The two launched a joint YouTube channel called ConneXions in 2022, as well as the Instagram account "Moms of Truth," where they offered controversial parenting classes.
Previously, Ruby Franke was widely known as a popular family vlogger with the YouTube channel "8 Passengers," which had over two million subscribers.
On the channel, Franke shared parenting tips and the daily lives of her six children.
However, the "8 Passengers" channel was shut down in 2022, shortly after her partnership with Jodi Hildebrandt deepened, marking a transition to more extreme and manipulative content.
The business and personal relationships between Jodi Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke have been at the center of this case.
Their partnership involved not only social media platforms but also increasingly distorted parenting ideologies, ultimately leading to horrific acts of child abuse.
Timeline of Arrest and Cruelty of Child Abuse
The tragedy culminated on August 30, 2023, when Jodi Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke were arrested in Washington County, Utah.
This arrest happened after Franke's 12-year-old son managed to escape from Hildebrandt's home and seek help from neighbors.
The boy was found severely malnourished, with duct tape wrapped around open wounds on his body.
Following this horrific discovery, law enforcement searched the home and found Franke's 10-year-old daughter, also malnourished and suffering from similar injuries.
Further investigation revealed that Franke and Hildebrandt were holding the two children in conditions similar to a forced labor camp, where they were regularly deprived of food, water, bedding, and virtually all forms of entertainment.
The children were forbidden from interacting with others and hidden away when visitors were present.
They were forced to perform strenuous physical tasks, such as carrying boxes of belongings up and down stairs, and "sitting" against a wall without chairs for hours.
Furthermore, they were forced to perform manual labor outdoors in the blazing summer sun, barefoot.
The children were also beaten, and a 12-year-old boy was tied hand and foot after a previous escape attempt, demonstrating an inhumane level of cruelty.
Extreme Motivations and Prison Sentences
The abuse committed by Jodi Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke was apparently motivated by religious extremism.
Both women are believed to have believed their heinous acts were necessary to "teach" their children the proper way to repent for their imagined "sins" and to exorcise evil spirits from their bodies.
Ruby Franke even kept a detailed journal documenting each act of abuse, describing her children as "possessed by demons" and justifying the starvation by writing, "I will not feed the devil."
These notes served as key evidence demonstrating the twisted mindset behind the atrocities, highlighting the dangers of extreme interpretations of religious beliefs.
On February 20, 2024, both Franke and Hildebrandt were sentenced to four consecutive terms ranging from one to 15 years in prison.
However, the Utah Board of Pardons and Paroles will determine how long they will actually serve, with a maximum sentence of 30 years under Utah law.
Both are currently incarcerated at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City, and their first parole hearing is scheduled for December 2026.