Jodi Hildebrandt, a former counselor, is now in prison for child abuse.
Hildebrandt became known in Utah for her therapy that used religious ideas to help people with their relationships and parenting. She started a program called ConneXions in 2007 and quickly became popular online.
In 2019, Hildebrandt began working with Ruby and Kevin Franke and their six kids, who were famous for their YouTube channel, 8 Passengers. But things got bad in 2023 when Ruby and four of her kids moved into Hildebrandt’s house.
While living together, Ruby and Hildebrandt reportedly hurt and mistreated Ruby’s two youngest kids. Ruby wrote about it in her journal, saying they didn’t give the kids enough food, made them do hard work, and even tied them up.
In August 2023, Ruby’s youngest son ran away and got help. Ruby and Hildebrandt were soon arrested. They were charged with child abuse and admitted they were guilty. Hildebrandt was sentenced to prison for several years.
Hildebrandt’s story, her connection to the Franke family, and her crimes are all shown in a Netflix documentary called Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story, which came out on December 30.
Here’s what you need to know about Jodi Hildebrandt now and what she did.
Who is Jodi Hildebrandt?
Hildebrandt used to be a therapist. She grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to the Netflix documentary, Evil Influencer, she used to be a beauty queen and basketball player who convinced people to join the church.
Hildebrandt got married in 1993 and had two kids, but she got divorced three years later. She has said that her kids don’t talk to her anymore.
After her divorce, Hildebrandt went back to school and studied psychology. She was interested in relationships, sexuality, and how religion relates to these things.
What was ConneXions?
Hildebrandt became well-known in Utah when she started a counseling business called ConneXions in 2007. It was meant to help marriages.
Besides marriage counseling, Hildebrandt and ConneXions also offered parenting advice. People who used to be clients said that Hildebrandt used religious teachings to justify her advice about people’s problems.
According to Washington County Attorney Eric Clarke in Evil Influencer, Hildebrandt was good at taking advantage of vulnerable people and using religion to make them do things that a normal therapist wouldn’t.
ConneXions offered different types of therapy, workshops, and online content. Investigators estimated that Hildebrandt made a lot of money each month from her clients.
In 2012, Hildebrandt’s therapist license was taken away because she shared a client’s private information. The client, Adam Steed, said that Hildebrandt had “destroyed” his life by telling his secrets to Brigham Young University and the church.
Steed said that Hildebrandt “completely controls the relationships” during counseling and that she believes “relationships need to die before they can be reborn.”
Even though she lost her license, Hildebrandt became a life coach and continued to be successful with her online content and workshops. She became even more popular when she started working with Ruby Franke.
What was Hildebrandt’s relationship with Ruby Franke?
In 2019, Hildebrandt started working with Ruby after she and her husband, Kevin, asked her for help with their family and marriage. At the time, Ruby’s YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, was very popular.
The channel showed Ruby and Kevin raising their six kids in Utah. By 2020, it had millions of followers.
But people started to notice that Ruby’s parenting was changing and she was using harsher punishments.
Soon after the Frankes started seeing Hildebrandt, Ruby became involved in ConneXions classes and videos. Ruby and Hildebrandt became close and worked together on projects.
In 2022, Hildebrandt moved into Ruby and Kevin’s house. Later that year, she and Ruby kicked Kevin out and encouraged them to separate.
Ruby and Hildebrandt also created the “Moms of Truth” profile, where they shared videos about strict parenting.
In May 2023, Hildebrandt and Ruby moved four of the youngest Franke kids to Hildebrandt’s house. At the time, Kevin wasn’t in contact with his youngest kids.
What did Hildebrandt do to Ruby Franke’s children?
After Ruby and her kids moved into Hildebrandt’s house, they set strict rules and punishments. Ruby kept a journal where she wrote about the abuse she and Hildebrandt inflicted on the two youngest kids.
Ruby wrote that two of her kids were “evil” and needed to be punished. She said that her daughter “manipulates me” and her son was “defiant.” She punished her son by making him stand in the sun and poking him with a cactus.
Ruby also wrote about denying her kids food, making them do hard labor, pushing them into a pool, and stealing their water. She later said that she was influenced by Hildebrandt’s teachings and did the abuse because Hildebrandt told her to.
According to the Washington County Attorney’s Office, the children were denied food, water, beds, and entertainment. They were also not allowed to interact with others and were hidden when people came to visit.
The children were forced to do manual labor in the heat without shoes or socks. They were also forced to stand outside in the heat for hours or even days. They were beaten, and the 12-year-old was tied up after trying to run away. The children were also emotionally abused and believed that they deserved the abuse.
Investigators said that Hildebrandt and Ruby were motivated by “religious extremism” and believed that the abuse was necessary to teach the children how to repent for their “sins” and get rid of evil spirits.
On August 30, 2023, Ruby’s 12-year-old son ran away and got help from a neighbor, who called the police. Hildebrandt and Ruby were arrested and later admitted to child abuse.
Where is Jodi Hildebrandt now?
In February 2024, a judge sentenced Franke and Hildebrandt to several years in prison, which was the maximum sentence.
During their sentencing, Ruby admitted to abusing her children and apologized. But Hildebrandt didn’t apologize and said that she committed the abuse out of love.
Hildebrandt is currently in the Utah State Correctional Facility.
Hildebrandt’s crimes and background are shown in the Netflix documentary Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story. Although Hildebrandt didn’t participate in the documentary, some of her phone calls are played, in which she talks about continuing her mission.
She said in a recorded phone call that she plans to go to prison unjustly and then teach the gospel.
