A chilling new Netflix documentary has cast a stark light on one of the most disturbing influencer-led child abuse cases in recent memory, coinciding with a detailed explanation of the perpetrators' lengthy prison sentences. Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story, which began streaming on 30 December 2025, meticulously traces the unchecked rise of Utah therapist Hildebrandt and her catastrophic partnership with parenting vlogger Ruby Franke.
The Rise and Collapse of an Influencer Empire
The film explores how the two women, who met within their local Mormon community in Utah, formed a powerful and ultimately toxic alliance. Franke was already a controversial online figure, running the YouTube channel 8 Passengers with around 2.5 million subscribers by June 2020. Her content, which publicly documented harsh disciplinary methods against her children, had long raised alarms.
After her channel was suspended in 2022, Franke began working as a mental health coach at Hildebrandt's life-coaching company, ConneXions. Together, they launched a venture offering parenting advice, with Hildebrandt becoming deeply embedded in Franke's family life under the guise of "fixing" them.
A Shocking Discovery of Abuse
The documentary opens with the pivotal moment that shattered their facade. As depicted, a malnourished young boy escaped from Hildebrandt's home and approached neighbours, pleading for food, water, and to be taken to the police. He was found with deep rope wounds on his body from being bound.
Authorities who responded discovered his sister was also being held captive at the property. A subsequent police search uncovered rope, handcuffs, and a bowl of cayenne pepper paste allegedly used to treat the boy's injuries. Franke's own diaries, entered as evidence, revealed she frequently punished her children because she believed they were "possessed" and exhibited "satanic chaos".
Sentencing and Aftermath
Both Jodi Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. In a landmark ruling, they received identical sentences: four consecutive prison terms ranging from one to 15 years each. Both are now incarcerated at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City.
Franke's first opportunity for parole is scheduled for December 2026. The documentary includes prison audio recordings suggesting Franke has begun to distance herself from Hildebrandt. Film director Skye Borgman, while lacking definitive proof, believes this separation has continued, telling Netflix's Tudum website it may be a form of "self-preservation" and an attempt to mitigate her culpability.
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story is now available for streaming on Netflix, offering a comprehensive and harrowing look at how influence, ideology, and manipulation culminated in devastating criminal acts.
