Review-Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story
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Netflix’s Chilling True-Crime Documentary
Reviewed by Joy Parris-Premiering December 30 on Netflix, Fremantle’s Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story pulls viewers into the disturbing rise—and unraveling—of the Utah therapist whose child-abuse arrest alongside parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke shocked the nation.
On August 30, 2023, Hildebrandt was arrested at her home in Ivins, Utah, after Ruby Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped through a window and ran to a neighbor for help. This gripping documentary peels back the layers of manipulation, power, and control behind the Hildebrandt case, exposing how a so-called “trusted” mentor weaponized influence—and left devastation that won’t just disappear because headlines moved on.
In a measured, unflinching examination, renowned true-crime director Skye Borgman (Abducted in Plain Sight, My Father, The BTK Killer, Unknown Number: The Highschool Catfish) turns the lens on Hildebrandt with a clear-eyed focus on the reach of her influence. Through firsthand accounts, we see how psychological dominance and perceived authority can shatter lives—quietly at first, then all at once.
There will be plenty of judgments and comments about Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story. Some people will ask, “How does anyone get trapped in her program?” Others may feel sympathy, depending on the angle they’re coming from. But wherever you land, this documentary is a cautionary tale: be alert, be analytical, and be diligent. When people are broken and desperate for help, they seek out professionals they believe have the tools and skills to guide them. Unfortunately, that belief can be exploited. With the rise of social media—and the endless parade of people online selling “answers”—it’s become a marketplace of opportunity for individuals like Jodi Hildebrandt.
Borgman takes us into the belly of the beast of Jodi’s insidious control. Some may ask, “Why didn’t the documentary focus more on Ruby Franke’s involvement?” But in this instance, I think it’s essential that we recognize how Jodi manipulated her clients’ pain for her own benefit—and how she strategically positioned herself as the authority. Ruby and her husband built a successful online presence through their YouTube channel, “8 Passengers,” documenting family life and parenting. It worked—until people started questioning her child-rearing practices. The channel views decreased, and Franke stopped uploading.
That’s when she joined Jodi’s “ConneXions,” not just as a follower, but as a business partner. Together, they also created a joint Instagram account called “Moms of Truth.” And Jodi understood the emotional climate of her audience—particularly within the Utah Latter-day Saints community, where strict rules and moral guidelines around sex and marriage can be deeply ingrained. That understanding became instrumental to her mental and spiritual dominance over clients. She spoke with evangelical fervor about the “evils” of sex before marriage, pornography, homosexuality—using fear, shame, like weapons. With these platforms in place, they pushed their mission and their messaging, repeating lines like: “What do you want to choose, Truth or Distortion?”—a phrase you’ll hear throughout the documentary.
On screen, you see them leading couples and families into a dark world—tearing households apart with words, threats, and emotional coercion. Broken people, already fragile, were pushed into choices that devastated them even more: husbands leaving families, relationships collapsing, people surrendering their instincts to Jodi’s twisted version of reality. She moved like someone convinced she was chosen—called by God—while her cult of influence grew.
Borgman does an incredible job peeling back the layers of this heinous union—what it was, what it produced, and what it cost. And the most heartbreaking part, without question, is the children. Ruby’s kids were so traumatized that they began to believe they deserved the abuse being handed to them. That’s what this kind of control does: it rewires a person’s sense of reality and worth.
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story is a cautionary tale everyone should watch—not for entertainment, but for awareness. I was horrified watching how a mother could subject her children to extreme torture and strip away their humanity. I pray that those children can heal emotionally and have the chance to live an everyday life.
And though both women are incarcerated, it seems clear Jodi will keep preaching her message of “truth” and “distortion.” She still believes God sent her to save individuals and families—and she continues to practice these messages even while locked up. Personally, I hope she and Ruby stay in prison for the rest of their lives.
