This article discusses real-life ableism, alleged violence, and child neglect.
Hulu’s Good American Family is based on a real-life story, and the true-crime show is only part of the complicated reality. Good American Family has presented itself as a fairly intense and unusual true-crime show, and many viewers may wonder if it’s actually based on a real story. Good American Family follows a family that adopts a child, only to believe that child was actually an adult who was trying to scam them. It seems like a product of fiction, but Hulu’s new drama is based on a true story, and the reality is just as harrowing as the fiction.
Good American Family is based on the story of Natalia Grace and her adoption by the Barnett family, but it’s not the first time this story has been put to screen. The Orphan prequel movie Orphan: First Kill was seemingly inspired by Natalia Grace, and the docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace also tried to unearth the truth of the contentious events and legal proceedings. It is, however, the first dramatization of those events, and it may deviate from the facts of the case somewhat.
Good American Family Is Inspired By The True Case Of Natalie Grace Barnett
Natalie Grace Was Adopted By The Barnett Family In 2010
According to Good American Family‘s trailer, the show is inspired by “multiple stories, perspectives, threats, interpretations, and accusations” surrounding Kristine and Michael Barnett’s adoption of Natalia Grace. As such, most of the cast members of Good American Family play real-life people in the dramatization. Ellen Pompeo, for example, plays Kristine Barnett, while Imogen Faith Reid plays Natalia Grace. The true story of Natalia Grace’s time with the Barnett family, however, was obscured by controversy, conflicting accounts, and lies. Some versions of the story accuse Natalia Grace of posing as a child to con and kill her adoptive family, while others position the Barnetts as an abusive and neglectful family.
Natalia Grace’s Life Before Being Adopted By The Barnett Family Explained
Natalia Grace Was An Orphan In Ukraine Before Being Adopted & Abandoned By A New England Family
Natalia Grace was born in Ukraine with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare form of dwarfism (via The Independent). Natalia’s Ukrainian birth certificate claimed she was born in 2003, meaning she would have been about seven years old when the Barnetts adopted her in 2010. Natalia was put into a Ukrainian orphanage at some point in her early life, and she was eventually brought to the United States to be adopted. Natalia was adopted by a different family before the Barnetts, the Ciccones, though that family from New England gave her away, according to The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.
The Barnett Family Claimed That Natalia Grace Was Violent & Lying About Her Age To Scam Them
The Barnetts Claimed Natalia Grace Had Gone Through Puberty & Had Violent Tendencies Due To Mental Illness
Shortly after the Barnetts adopted Natalia Grace, trouble began. According to some sources and the Barnetts, Natalia was suffering from some kind of mental illness – she has since been diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder (via People) – and had violent tendencies. Various accounts allege that Natalia threatened her adoptive siblings and parents with knives, urinated and defecated inside and on her younger sibling, and tried to poison Kristine (via The Independent). The Barnetts also claim that a professional diagnosed Natalia as a “sociopath,” though Natalia has denied these claims. In fact, both Natalia and Michael Barnett have accused Kristine of abusing her (via Business Insider).
At the same time as the alleged instances of violence, the Barnetts began suspecting that Natalia Grace was actually older than her birth records claimed she was. Kristine Barnett claimed that Natalia had pubic hair and had menstruated, both of which are secondary sexual characteristics girls usually first have around 12 years of age (via The Guardian). The Barnetts also allege that Natalia looked older than another child with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita and that she had a vocabulary too advanced for a seven-year-old. The family believed Natalia was actually an adult or teenager, and that she was using her dwarfism to scam them.
The Barnetts Petitioned To Legally Change Natalia Grace’s Birth Year To 1989 Before It Was Later Restored To 2003
A Judge Changed Natalia Grace’s Age In 2012 & She Was Sent To Live On Her Own
Two years after the Barnetts adopted Natalia Grace, they succeeded in a court case to effectively change her age. Natalia’s Ukrainian birth certificate originally stated that she was born in 2003, but the Barnetts successfully petitioned a judge to alter the birth records to say she was born in 1989 (via USA Today). However, a local children’s hospital conducted a skeletal survey and determined Natalia was about 11 years old at the time (via The Guardian). The change in Natalia’s birth records allowed the Barnetts to treat her as an adult, and made it so Natalia wasn’t legally their child anymore.
After having Natalia Grace legally declared an adult, the Barnetts effectively left her. The Barnetts rented an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, and got Natalia on federal benefits before moving with the rest of their family to Canada (via The Independent). Natalia also said she was unable to bathe herself or operate a washing machine while living on her own (via Business Insider). However, because of Natalia Grace’s genetic condition, Tippecanoe County prosecutors charged Kristine and Michael Barnett with neglect of a dependent in 2019. Michael Barnett was acquitted of the charges in October 2022, while the charges against Kristine were dismissed in March 2023 (via Business Insider).
Where Natalia Grace & The Barnetts Are Today
The Barnetts Have Divorced & Natalia Grace Endured Another Abusive Adoptive Family
Now, a decade and a half after the initial adoption, Kristine and Michael Barnett and Natalia Grace have very different lives. Michael and Kristine separated in 2013 and divorced in 2014 (via Business Insider). Kristine wrote a novel about raising her son, Jacob, who has autism, in 2013, though she has not written any more parenting books since. Michael has publicly alleged that Kristine was abusive and entirely at fault for the controversy surrounding Natalia Grace’s age (via The Curious Case of Natalia Grace). Michael has since remarried.
After leaving the Barnett family, Natalia had more adoption troubles. Natalia was adopted by the Mans family, though they were allegedly abusive towards her for ten years (via People). The situation was reportedly so dire that Natalia had to stage an “escape,” and she now lives with the DePaul family. She’s also studying for her General Educational Development tests, hoping to become a teacher, and planning surgeries related to her dwarfism. She also has a boyfriend, Neil, and has come a long way since the events that Good American Family depicts.
