The true story behind the upcoming Hulu show “Good American Family” proves that reality can be stranger than fiction.
The streamer released the first trailer for the series this week, which quickly accumulated over 2.5 million views on YouTube.
The clip centers on Kristine Barnett (Ellen Pompeo), a mom and wife living a seemingly idyllic life who receives a call from an adoption agency that a Ukrainian orphan needs a home — a little girl named Natalia Grace.
Mark Duplass plays Kristine’s husband, Michael Barnett, and Imogen Faith Reid plays Natalia Grace.
Here’s what you need to know about the real people the show is based on and the complicated true story behind it.
Natalia Grace’s adoptive parents said she was an adult posing as a child
Natalia Grace’s story was first publicized in 2019 after her adoptive parents were charged with neglect, which they denied.
Kristine and Michael Barnett, an Indiana couple who have since divorced, adopted Natalia in 2010. At the time, they were told that the girl, who has a form of dwarfism, was 6 years old.
The Barnetts said they came to believe that Natalia, who they said had menstrual periods and pubic hair, was really a grown woman with a mental illness. Kristine Barnett said that Natalia terrorized their family, trying to kill them and pouring bleach into her coffee.
The Barnetts successfully petitioned the court to change Natalia’s legal age from 8 to 22 in 2012, making her a legal adult. They then put Natalia up in an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, in 2013 and moved their family to Canada.
Natalia, who has always maintained she was a child, was left to fend for herself for years. She ended up in the care of Cynthia and Antwon Mans, another couple with multiple adopted children.
After a yearslong investigation, the Barnetts were charged with neglect. Michael was acquitted of the charges in October 2022, and the charges against Kristine were dismissed in March 2023.
Natalia Grace’s story was told in a multi-season docuseries
The description for “Good American Family” notes that the fictionalized drama is “inspired by multiple stories, perspectives, threats, interpretations, and accusations.”
The convoluted saga was previously unpacked in a docuseries, “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace,” which aired for three seasons on Investigation Discovery from 2023 to 2025. The series focused on the perspectives of several key people involved in the story.
The first installment told the backstory of the case and largely focused on Michael Barnett’s perspective and the Barnetts’ argument that Natalia was an adult. Natalia didn’t participate in that installment but was the central focus of a follow-up, dubbed “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks,” in 2024.
“Natalia Speaks” presented the story from her perspective, saying Kristine Barnett had been abusive to her and had concocted the story (which had eerie similarities to the plot of the 2009 horror movie “Orphan”) in order to get rid of her. It even featured a confrontation between Natalia and Michael, who apologized to his former adoptive daughter for his actions and said he’d also been abused by Kristine.
The second installment appeared to end happily, with Natalia getting closure from Michael Barnett, taking a DNA test to determine her true age, and being formally adopted by the Mans family. However, the shocking ending of “Natalia Speaks” included a phone call that implied Natalia was at odds with the Mans family as well.
The “Final Chapter,” an additional four episodes released in January 2025, followed Natalia’s friction with Cynthia and Antwon Mans. She left them to live with Nicole and Vince DePaul, a couple with dwarfism who’d previously tried to adopt Natalia before the Barnetts did. Nicole DePaul accused Cynthia and Antwon Mans of stealing Natalia’s money, which the Mans family has denied.
Today, Natalia is still living with the DePaul family, has a long-distance boyfriend in the UK named Neil, and apparently is estranged from the Manses, who remain her legal parents.
Kristine Barnett has maintained in public social media posts that Natalia was an adult all along, calling her former adoptive daughter a “sociopath,” and has denied abuse allegations.
“Good American Family” will premiere on March 19 on Hulu.
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