Current:Home > ScamsNatalia Grace Docuseries: Why the Ukrainian Orphan Is Calling Her Adoptive Mom a "Monster" -ProfitEdge
Natalia Grace Docuseries: Why the Ukrainian Orphan Is Calling Her Adoptive Mom a "Monster"
View
Date:2025-04-13 20:50:06
Natalia Grace is speaking out about her time with the Barnetts.
After the mysterious case of the Ukrainian native—who was adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett in 2010 when she was 6 years old—was previously explored in harrowing detail, she's ready to share her side of the story.
Though the former couple have alleged that Natalia—who has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare genetic disorder—was not a child, but rather a dangerous adult who subsequently attempted to kill them, Natalia has maintained that she was a young girl looking forward to her future when the Barnetts took her in.
But instead, she believes there was ulterior motives behind her adoption from the beginning.
"Kristine said that adopting me was this mission of love and never once did I see any love," Natalia says in an exclusive look at the ID docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks. "I feel like it was a mission of boosting her ego type of thing. I feel like she just wanted people to be like, ‘Oh my goodness, like she's this amazing person.'"
As Natalia further explained, "'She just adopted a little girl from the Ukraine who has dwarfism and has all these different medical issues and everything like that. You know, she's a great mom for wanting to help somebody, right?'"
However, she maintains that her adoptive mom's persona was really a "mask."
"Have this really nice smile, 'I'm a great mom,'" she continues. "But and then it's like, pull that mask off—this is who she really is, like your true colors. Kristine was a monster. I didn't know what she was going to do next."
E! News has reached out to reps for Michael and Kristine Barnett for comment and has not heard back.
In 2012, the Barnetts petitioned a court to change Natalia's birth year from 2003 to 1989, making her 20 years old when they adopted her and accused her of attempting to harm them on several different occasions.
Michael and Kristine subsequently moved with their three sons to Canada, leaving Natalia to live by herself in an apartment in Lafayette, Ind., the following year.
Six years later, Michael and Kristine—who finalized their divorce in 2018—were brought up on charges in connection to their move. Michael was found not guilty on his charges in 2022, while prosecutors dropped their case against his ex-wife this past March.
The latest installment of Natalia's twisted adoption story will take a closer look at the "saga and the Barnetts' allegations from Natalia's perspective," according to a press release from ID, "offering insight into what really went on behind closed doors in the Barnetts' home."
The three-night docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks kicks off Jan. 1 at 9/8c on ID.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (92)
Related
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- TikTok star now charged with murder in therapists' death: 'A violent physical altercation'
- Save $160 on Beats x Kim Kardashian Headphones—Limited Stock for Prime Day
- Who went home on Episode 2 of 'The Summit' in chopped rope bridge elimination
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Last Chance! Hailey Bieber-Approved HexClad Cookware Deals Will Sell Out Soon—Shop Before Prime Day Ends!
- Hurricane Milton disrupts Yom Kippur plans for Jews in Florida
- Ali Wong Tries to Set Up Hoda Kotb and Eric André on Date
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Inflation slowed again, new CPI report shows: Will the Fed keep cutting rates?
Ranking
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Dogs fatally attack a man behind a building in New York
- 3 out of every 5 gas stations in Tampa are out of fuel as Hurricane Milton approaches
- Hurricane Milton hitting near the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Michael
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Sum 41's Deryck Whibley alleges sex abuse by ex-manager: Biggest revelations from memoir
- 'Street fight': Dodgers, Padres head back to Los Angeles for explosive Game 5
- CBS' handling of contentious 'Mornings' segment with Ta-Nehisi Coates raises new questions
Recommendation
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
Opinion: College leaders have no idea how to handle transgender athlete issues
A federal judge will hear more evidence on whether to reopen voter registration in Georgia
Opinion: LSU's Brian Kelly spits quarterback truth before facing Mississippi, Lane Kiffin
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
Crane collapses into building where Tampa Bay Times is located: Watch damage from Milton
Close call at Nashville airport came after planes were directed to same runway, probe shows
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal announces he will retire after Davis Cup Finals