Investigation Discovery Africa will premiere the four-part docuseries RUBY & JODI: A CULT OF SIN AND INFLUENCE, offering unprecedented insight into the motivations and disturbing relationship between former mommy vlogger Ruby Franke and rogue therapist Jodi Hildebrandt.
Delving into Hildebrandt and Franke’s relationship from both women’s respective rise to power and extensive influence within the Mormon community to their eventual arrests in 2023, the docuseries charts the magnetic connection between the two and how the melding of Franke’s strict family values with Hildebrandt’s controversial beliefs created a microcosm of control, manipulation, and brutality that led to the devastating emotional and physical abuse of the Franke children.
RUBY & JODI: A CULT OF SIN AND INFLUENCEwill premiere over two nights on Sunday, 7 September and Sunday, 14 September from 21:00 – 23:00 CAT on ID Africa, DStv channel 171.
“With RUBY & JODI: A CULT OF SIN AND INFLUENCE, ID continues to do what we do best—go beyond the headlines to expose the deeper truths behind cultural flashpoints,” said Jason Sarlanis, President of Investigation Discovery. “The disturbing alliance between Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt has captivated and horrified the public, and this docuseries peels back the layers of that relationship through exclusive interviews with family members, former clients, and experts to explore the broader implications of family vlogging and the devastating impact of family abuse.”
Over the course of four parts, RUBY & JODI: A CULT OF SIN AND INFLUENCE offers extensive insight into Jodi Hildebrandt’s rise to power within the Mormon community through her popular ConneXions program – and how that program led her to Franke and laid the foundation for the twisted bond they shared.
Featuring extensive interviews with former clients, the docuseries underscores the extent of Hildebrandt’s cult-like and manipulative tactics that devastated the lives of the individuals who entrusted her with their struggles in hopes of helping themselves and their marriages.
Offering additional and exclusive insight from Hildebrandt’s niece, Jessi Hildebrandt, the docuseries underscores Hildebrandt’s manipulative and dangerous tendencies and how, when combined with Franke’s strict family values, they created an environment rife with manipulation, control, and abuse.
Combined with extensive archival and police footage, as well as commentary from local journalists who covered the case and influential Mormon and ex-Mormon voices, RUBY & JODI: A CULT OF SIN AND INFLUENCE chronicles Hildebrandt and Franke’s doomed partnership and the dangerous, disturbing results of unchecked influence to reveal the physical and psychological impact of their abusive actions.
