Hulu/IDIn Good American Family Episode 3, Kristine Barnett lands a string of TV interviews about her son Jacob. The real life Kristine did a similar tour, with an old interview receiving a heavy backlash following the release of the Natalia Grace series.
The new TV show is currently airing weekly on Hulu, attempting to tell the complex true story of Natalia Grace, who was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett in 2010. Two years later, they had her age changed from eight to 22 years old, before moving her into an inaccessible apartment alone.
A lot has happened since then, including the confirmation that Natalia was a child at the time. Good American Family is dramatizing these events, kicking off with the Barnetts’ perspective before switching over to Natalia’s for the latter half.
While Mark Duplass plays Michael and Imogen Faith Reid portrays Natalia, Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo takes on the significant role of Kristine. And judging by this interview, she’s got the character pretty spot on. Warning: some may find this content distressing.
Kristine Barnett talks about “the spark” in TV interview
Similarly to the Hulu series, the real-life Kristine wrote a book called The Spark, about her autistic son Jacob Barnett, who has an IQ of 170. Although sourcing her TV interviews is difficult, one remains on YouTube, which you can watch below:
The video was shared by APB Speakers ten years ago, with Kristine stating, “The Spark is the story of raising my son Jacob and finding out all of these incredible things about his mind.
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“Although at one time he was locked in this world of autism, and he couldn’t speak, couldn’t talk to us, through the process of raising him I learned something that is true for every child. For all children.”
“If you find their spark and are able to reach them on this deep level, the way that they actually learn, that they will dazzle and amaze you.”
Despite her work with Jacob, ID’s docu-series The Curious Case of Natalia Grace tells a different story. Kristine is accused of physically and psychologically abusing Natalia.
When Jacob was an adult, he ended up moving to his father Michael’s house for a period of time, which is where he was living when the first chapter of the docu-series was filmed.
During his interview, he admitted to feeling guilty about the way he had acted towards Natalia. Jacob alleged that when he was 12 years old, Kristine coerced him into urinating on Natalia’s bed as “revenge,” expressing deep regret over the incident.
Although Kristine faced multiple charges of neglect of a dependent, the judge dismissed the case, citing insufficient evidence and because the statute of limitations had expired.
This hasn’t stopped Kristine from facing the wrath of netizens, however.
Natalia Grace supporters leave angry comments
IDIn the comments section of APB Speakers’ video, one wrote, “Serious question: Did Jacob get his genius through the pepper spray method or did he just have that ability naturally,” referring to the allegation Kristine pepper sprayed Natalia to ensure she didn’t tell anyone her real age.
Another said, “Was Natalia’s ‘spark’ pepper spray or was it being abandoned to fend for herself at eight years old in an apartment that was dangerous to her physical well being? If ever Kristine reads this, I hope you understand that you get what you give.
“You may not have to stand against the wall with your nose pressed to it until you defecate yourself but it’ll come… I pray Natalia can untangle the trauma and find peace.”
“Any company doing business with this woman should be ashamed of themselves,” added a third, while a fourth wrote, “Profiting off of one kid while abusing another. Cool!”
Kristine hasn’t yet commented on Good American Family since its premiere, although she did appear to support the show ahead of its release, writing on Facebook, “Here’s to high hopes that the truth is finally told about my family as Disney releases the Good American Family starring Ellen Pompeo.”
Find out when the next episode drops with our guide to the Good American Family release schedule. You can also read more about where Michael and Kristine are now, the Natalia Grace mystery that will never be solved, and find more TV shows streaming this month.