By Rell Conley
The streaming platform Hulu has come out with a new show based on the true crime case of Natalia Grace Barnett. Natalia was born in 2003 in Ukraine and had a rare form of dwarfism. She was adopted at 7 years old by an American family. Natalia had behavioral issues and her adopted mother started to believe that she was lying about her age. This led to her and Natalia’s adopted father abandoning the 7 year old girl in an apartment after they got her birth year legally changed, making Natalia an adult.
This story was everywhere when it first came out. Thousands believed that Natalia was faking her age. But recent DNA testing suggests that she was only a year older than she thought she was, making her 8 years old when she was adopted.
In the Hulu series called A Good American Family, this case is depicted by Imogen Faith Reid. She plays Natalia and Ellen Pompeo plays Natalia’s mother. This series has received some backlash from viewers who say that Natalia should not have been played by Imogen Faith. This is due to the fact that she is an adult woman, which can further people’s ideas that Natalia was faking her age. The show is also receiving some backlash due to the fact that the first few episodes depict the young girl as a monster hiding the fact that she was only 8 years old being abused by her adopted mother and father.
Natalia is currently living with a new family and her boyfriend and is studying to get her teaching degree. She has spoken out against her abusers. The Barnett family never received any legal prosecution. Kristain Barnett is now an author and wrote a book about her experience, and Michael in the past years has spoken to Natalia in the 2023 Natalia Speaks documentary. The Barnetts are no longer married and are living separate lives.
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