Current:Home > StocksNatalia Grace Docuseries: Why the Ukrainian Orphan Is Calling Her Adoptive Mom a "Monster" -Aspire Financial Strategies
Natalia Grace Docuseries: Why the Ukrainian Orphan Is Calling Her Adoptive Mom a "Monster"
View
Date:2025-04-17 08:46:20
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! (57)
Related
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Jinger Duggar Wants to Have Twins With Jeremy Vuolo
- Sigourney Weaver chokes up over question connecting her movie roles to Kamala Harris' campaign
- 10 years after Ferguson, Black students still are kicked out of school at higher rates
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- If you buy Sammy Hagar's Ferrari, you may be invited to party too: 'Bring your passport'
- What will Bronny James call LeBron on the basketball court? It's not going to be 'Dad'
- What to know after Texas authorities searched the homes of Latino campaign volunteers
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Julianne Hough Addresses Sexuality 5 Years After Coming Out as Not Straight
Ranking
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Megan Thee Stallion Seemingly Confirms Romance With NBA Star Torrey Craig
- Watch this stranded dolphin saved by a Good Samaritan
- Ohio regulators: Marijuana sellers can’t give out food from ice cream truck
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- West Elm’s Labor Day Sale Has Ridiculously Good 80% Off Deals: $2.79 Towels, 16 Ornaments for $10 & More
- Sneex: Neither a heel nor a sneaker, a new shoe that is dividing the people
- Kelly Osbourne's Boyfriend Sid Wilson Says His Face Is Basically Melted After Explosion
Recommendation
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
California lawmakers pass bill that could make undocumented immigrants eligible for home loans
Health officials in Wisconsin, Illinois report 3 West Nile virus deaths
Colorado man convicted of kidnapping a housekeeper on Michael Bloomberg’s ranch
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
Joey Chestnut explains one reason he's worried about Kobayashi showdown
Baywatch’s Jeremy Jackson Confesses to Smelling Costars' Dirty Swimsuits
Massachusetts health officials report second case of potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus