Hulu’s “Good American Family” had a lot of potential. The series, which premiered on March 26 and ended on April 7, is based on the true story of Natalia Grace Mans, a disabled child with dwarfism who was abused by her adoptive parents. Kristine and Michael Barnett, the parents in question, accused her of being a murderous adult who was lying about her age. The premise alone is compelling, full of opportunities to show how the complex reality of abuse intersects with disability—Hulu had a golden chance to make a point about accommodating, understanding, and believing people with disabilities.
They did—and this cannot be emphasized enough—a horrifically bad job.
In the first four episodes, Mans is presented as a grifting, murderous maniac who is taking advantage of the Barnetts. She is shown holding a knife over the Barnetts’ bed while they sleep; she is suggested to have put cleaning solution in Kristine Barnett’s coffee; the examples go on. In real life, Mans’ age was proven by a blood test to have been a child of eight to 12 during her stay with the Barnetts, but the series sets it up as a twist. Over the last four episodes, the show presents Mans’ disability as a debate: Is she a crazy adult or an innocent child? Tune in to next week’s episode to find out!
The problems with this approach should be immediately evident. Mans is a real person, who alleges the Barnetts beat her with a belt and pepper spray, and who was abandoned at the age of 12 once her adoptive parents convinced a judge to legally change her age (it has since been changed back). There are already ethical considerations about whether or not the series should be exploiting her traumatic experiences, seemingly without her input, but Hulu is not just profiting off of her story—they are sensationalizing it and lending credence to her abuser’s story, giving the Barnetts’ narrative the stage for an uncritical four hours.
It does not matter that Hulu ultimately leans towards Mans’ version of events: The first four episodes are damning. The portrayal of Mans as a lying villain cannot be erased from the minds of millions of viewers, many of whom, no doubt, will not go on to watch the episodes that tell the full story. Further, depicting her story as a “he said, she said” frames all stories of abuse and disability as a debate, ultimately obstructing the justice victims of abuse deserve by damaging their credibility. Mans might have been telling the truth this time, but who’s to say all the other disabled kids aren’t lying, or the kids who present abuse allegations? Mans’ story should never have been used to enable this blatant ableism and victim-blaming.
Abuse is not a debate. Disability justice is not a debate. Mans is a victim, and she should never have been represented otherwise.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on May 8, 2025
