Hulu’s new drama series Good American Family is the scripted version of a true story about Natalia Grace Barnett. Natalia Grace was an orphan born with a rare form of dwarfism, who was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010. This new series, which will also be released internationally on Disney+ in May, dramatizes the strange and harrowing story of what happened to Natalia following her adoption. Good American Family is an eight-episode limited series, which is set to end Natalia Grace’s story prior to her reaching adulthood, since it focuses on her experience with the Barnett family.
Cynthia Mans, who took over Natalia’s guardianship after her ordeal with the Barnett family, appears as a character in Good American Family as well, played by Kim Shaw. Her recurring role in the show indicates that it will cover the beginning of Natalia Grace’s time with the Mans family, although it doesn’t cover the time period since Natalia cut ties with the Manses. She’s now in her early twenties, and has put her experiences with both the Barnetts and the Manses behind her as she seeks to move on with her life.
Natalia Grace Currently Lives With The DePaul Family In New York After Her Experiences With The Barnetts & Manses
Natalia Left Her Childhood Home Behind In 2023
Even after the events depicted in Good American Family, Natalia Grace’s family trauma wasn’t over. Following accusations of controlling and abusive behaviour against the Mans family, Natalia was picked up in front of a Nashville church by the DePaul family in December 2023, in what they deem as a mission to rescue her from the Manses. She now lives with the DePauls in upstate New York, although she still considers Cynthia and Antwon Mans her parents.
In an interview with People magazine published on January 2 of this year, Natalia Grace said it was “sad” to leave the Mans family behind. “We have our problems,” she admitted, adding, “I do believe they still love me a lot.” After a phone recording in which Antwon stated, “We’re done with her,” in reference to Natalia, and what Natalia herself has described her father’s attempts to stop her from contacting her boyfriend, it seems that she decided to leave what had been her family home for the previous decade.
Because of her condition, Natalia was still legally a dependent of the Manses at the time she left, which is why she had to leave with the DePauls in secret. However, she’s now 21 years old, and otherwise appears ready to live a more independent life, making her own choices and decisions without her parents’ consent.
At the same time, she’s living with a family who apparently cares about her deeply. The DePauls had previously attempted to adopt her 14 years before they eventually took her in, when Natalia was just six years of age, as she is at the start of Good American Family.
Natalia Grace Appeared In A 3-Season Docuseries About Her Life That Ended In 2025
Like Good American Family, The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace Covers What The Barnetts Did To Natalia
Prior to the dramatization of her childhood in Good American Family, Natalia Grace had already appeared in a documentary TV series about her life. The series is entitled The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, in reference to the 2008 David Fincher movie starring Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is about a fictional character who was born looking decades older than their age, as Natalia apparently did when she was adopted.
The documentary was initially supposed to end after two seasons, but developments in Natalia’s story inevitably led to a third season being produced.
The docuseries consists of three seasons, and is currently streaming on Max. Its first two seasons recount the story of Natalia’s adoption and subsequent abandonment by Michael and Kristine Barnett, who are played by Mark Duplass and Ellen Pompeo in Good American Family, as well as her life with the Manses. The third season, which was released this January 2025, covers the period in which Natalia left the Mans family, and moved in with the DePauls.
Given the publicity surrounding Good American Family, as well as the seemingly unresolved issues between Natalia and her legal guardians, it’s possible that additional seasons of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace could be produced in the near future. The documentary was initially supposed to end after two seasons, but developments in Natalia’s story inevitably led to a third season being produced.
Natalia Grace Is Working On Her GED & Trying To Become A Teacher
At 21 Years Old, Natalia Appears To Have Overcome The Traumas Of Her Childhood
However, with her experiences in the Barnett and Mans households behind her, and no fresh documentary episodes on the horizon at present, Natalia Grace is now focusing on adjusting to adult life. Having previously expressed a desire to work with children, following her experience of helping to raise younger brothers and sisters in the Mans family, Natalia is now pursuing her dream of becoming a school teacher.
She’s working on her General Educational Development (GED) certificate, while learning to drive and continuing her relationship with her boyfriend. Good American Family might show us the harrowing side of Natalia Grace’s life, but having survived the traumas she suffered during her childhood, she now seems to be having a much better time of it.
