Viewers have vowed to boycott an upcoming biopic based on the crimes of Mormon mom vlogger Ruby Franke.
Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story will premiere on Lifetime on October 26, but people are already threatening not to watch it and accusing the network of “trauma for profit.”
Franke, who was a popular influencer and YouTube star, was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison in February for brutally abusing her 12-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter in a “concentration camp-like environment.”
The Lifetime movie, starring Heather Locklear as Franke’s business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, will cover the abuse inside her house of horrors until the couple’s eventual arrest.
The comments section on the film’s official YouTube trailer is overwhelmingly negative, with hundreds of potential viewers vowing to boycott the “disgusting” project.
‘Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story’ will premiere on Lifetime on October 26, but viewers are already threatening to boycott the film
In February, Ruby Franke was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for brutally abusing two of her six children in a “concentration camp-like environment.”
Ruby (left) was arrested along with her partner Jodi Hildebrandt (right)
‘Don’t support this. The family was unaware of how this was done and no profits will go to the children. “These children are already traumatized enough,” said one comment, which garnered 1,900 upvotes.
‘This is absolutely disgusting. Barely a year has passed since these events occurred and a movie has been made. Without contacting the Franke family and the children. Awful. Simply horrible. This movie shouldn’t be released!’ wrote another.
“This is highly inappropriate and takes away from the fact that real children suffered and are STILL recovering from this extremely traumatic experience,” a third added.
A fourth wrote: ‘How totally disrespectful that a once respected Heather Locklear is so desperate to play this role! I hope they cancel it for this!! How horrible!’
Ruby’s eldest daughter Shari, now 21, recently called the film “trash” in a scathing post.
“A note about the upcoming Lifetime movie about my family: I suddenly saw the trailer in class and had an anxiety attack,” she wrote on Instagram.
‘None of us were hired for the film. None of the profits will go to the children. This movie is trash and only hurts my brothers more. Please don’t support this movie.”
The Lifetime movie stars Heather Locklear (pictured) as Franke’s business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.
The film will cover the abuse inside Franke’s house of horrors until his eventual arrest.
Last October, Shari, who is separated from her parents, wrote on Instagram that “there weren’t even words to describe how upside down my life has become.”
“I cried, I had an infinite number of panic attacks, I ate too much ice cream, and yet life goes on,” she continued.
She credited her faith for helping her get through this difficult time.
“Therapy has literally saved me, but so has God,” Shari wrote. “My life is somehow becoming more beautiful and full, despite all the terrible things that are happening.”
A month earlier, she had claimed that her relatives had been “trying to tell the police and CPS for years about” her mother’s abuse.
Shari added that she was “so glad they finally decided to take the step” and that the children were safe.
This February, Ruby Franke was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for aggravated child abuse.
The YouTube mom, who gave parenting advice to her 2.5 million subscribers, subjected her children to horrors including starvation and forcing her son to endure severe sunburn by working outdoors for several weeks without protection appropriate.
His business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, a mental health counselor, was also sentenced to 30 years after it was revealed she was involved in the abuse.
Franke’s ex-husband, Kevin, had not seen the children for more than a year.
Disgraced mom blogger Ruby pictured after her arrest
Ruby is pictured with her husband and six children before her arrest.
During Franke’s trial, prosecutors played dramatic doorbell camera footage showing the disturbing moment her son arrived at a neighbor’s house in chains asking for help and directions to police.
In the video, the emaciated and badly bruised 12-year-old boy timidly approaches his neighbors on their porch after managing to escape his mother’s torture through a window.
The boy had just escaped from Hildebrandt’s home, investigators said.
Images released by the courts also highlight the extent of Franke’s abuse and show the two emaciated victims with infected cuts on their legs, duct tape around their arms and feet, and scratches and bruises on their bodies.
Police discovered a small safe room in the basement of the property that was locked from the outside, with rope that would be used to tie children and adult diapers.
The boy later told prosecutors that his mother and Hildebrandt would also dress his wounds with honey and cayenne pepper, which were found in the home after a search.
The children were subjected to torture, such as being tied with ropes, forced to wear adult diapers, and locked in a small safe room.
The released images highlight the extent of Franke’s abuse and show two emaciated victims with infected cuts on their legs and duct tape around their arms and feet.
The photos highlight the extent of Franke’s abuse, including duct tape wrapped around a child’s arms and legs.
They were regularly denied food, water, beds to sleep in, and virtually any form of entertainment.
Meanwhile, footage shows the kitchen and pantry were filled with food and Franke’s large office dedicated to making YouTube videos.
The young children were forbidden to interact with others and were hidden in the house when people came to visit.
Investigators added that they were forced to perform manual labor outdoors in the extreme summer heat, without shoes or socks.
Two children were told they were possessed and that torture was done as a way to help them.
Washington County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Shaum said in a written statement that Franke and Hildebrandt’s actions amounted to “some of the worst child abuse” he had seen in nearly 30 years of prosecution.
