Where are Michael & Kristine Barnett now? Shocking truth behind Good American Family

Good American Family just made its debut on Hulu, and while it’s a drama TV show, it’s based on the real-life case of Natalia Grace, tracking her time with former adoptive parents Michael and Kristine Barnett. 

For the uninitiated, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace started as a docu-series on ID. It ultimately boiled down to two conflicting accounts: the Barnetts originally accused Natalia – a Ukrainian orphan with dwarfism – of being an adult masquerading as a child to harm their family, but Natalia alleges the Barnetts abused her.

One thing that’s certain about the case: in 2012, the Barnetts had Natalia’s legal age changed from eight to 22, before moving her into an inaccessible apartment alone. During this time, she met new adoptive parents, Cynthia and Antwon Mans, and extensive DNA testing was able to prove she was, in fact, a child while under the care of the Barnetts. 

A lot has happened since then, including court cases, divorces, and new fallouts. But since the felony charges were dropped, Good American Family has a tricky job on its hands, attempting to tell the story of the Barnetts’ adoption of Natalia from multiple perspectives. 

Where are Michael & Kristine Barnett now?

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Michael and Kristine filed for divorce in 2014, which was finalized in 2018. Now, Michael is living in Indiana, and he appears in the Natalia Grace follow-up documentaries, Natalia Speaks and The Final Chapter. 

Their eldest son, Jacob Barnett, lived with him for some time but has since moved out. Michael remarried to a woman named Jennifer Davis, who works as an artist. 

According to current US listings, Kristine lives in Bradenton, Florida, the same city named in her jail records. She took custody of their two younger sons, Wesley and Ethan, who are now adults. 

Kristine has kept a low profile since the case hit the headlines. While Michael took part in all three chapters of the Natalia Grace documentary series, Kristine did not contribute in any way. 

She does, however, share updates on her Facebook page, which has since been set to private. In November 2024, she appeared to endorse Good American Family, writing, “Here’s to high hopes that the truth is finally told about my family as Disney releases the Good American Family starring Ellen Pompeo.”

Her comment drew criticism from Natalia’s supporters, with one writing, “Yes Kristine, we all hope the truth is told, the actual truth. Not the dramatic version you and Michael created.”

As of 2023, Michael was working as a District Director of Operations for a financial company in Indiana. In Touch revealed that his LinkedIn profile said at the time, “As the District Director of Operations (DDO), I am 100% solely responsible for the recruiting, training, retention of the team for 11 locations in Central Indiana.”

As for Kristine, she famously wrote the book The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism about the Barnetts’ son Jacob, who has an estimated IQ of 170. 

Her LinkedIn profile, which hasn’t been active for some time, reads, “Kristine Barnett’s son Jacob has an IQ higher than Einstein’s. At age two, experts said he would never be able to tie his own shoes. 

“At age nine he started working on an original theory in astrophysics that experts believe may someday put him in line for a Nobel Prize. He is presently pursuing a PhD in physics at the age of 14.”

Jacob is now 26 years old, and though he was living in his dad’s basement when The Curious Case of Natalia Grace filmed, he’s since made the move to Bilbao, Spain, where he serves as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics.

Did Michael & Kristine go to prison?

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Although Michael and Kristine were arrested in 2019, the charges against them were dropped, with the judge citing insufficient evidence. As such, the Barnetts didn’t face prison time for the allegations about their treatment of Natalia Grace. 

In 2013, after moving Natalia into an apartment in Lafayette, Indiana, Michael and Kristine moved their family to Canada to support Jacob’s education. However, Michael left at the end of the year to move back to the US. 

Not long after they left Natalia behind social services stepped in to conduct an investigation. Eventually, they were charged with: neglect of a dependent; neglect of a dependent causing bodily injury; neglect of a dependent causing serious bodily injury, and conspiracy to neglect a dependent.

In September 2019, Michael turned himself in, with Kristine following suit shortly after. They were both released on bond. 

In October 2022, a jury acquitted Michael Barnett of the charges, and he was given immunity in exchange for his testimony against Kristine. 

However, her case was dismissed in March 2023, with the judge ruling that there would be “insufficient evidence at trial to prove the charges in this case beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Good American Family cast

Michael and Kristine Barnett are played by Mark Duplass and Ellen Pompeo, respectively. Natalia Grace, meanwhile, is portrayed by newcomer Imogen Faith Reid.

Pompeo is best known for her role as Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy, while Mark founded the film production company Duplass Brothers Productions with his brother Jay. He also co-wrote and starred in the horror movie classic Creep, as well as its sequel Creep 2.

As for the rest of the cast, Saving Hope star Kim Shaw plays Michael’s new wife Jennifer, while Aias Dalman plays Jacob Barnett. 

Find out when the next episode drops with our guide to the Good American Family release schedule. You can also check out the new documentaries streaming this month, and read about Freddie Gill from The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.