Good American Family: Kristine And Michael Barnett Where Are They Now

Nivedita Dubey
April 10, 2025

Summary:

Kristine and Michael Barnett of Good American Family were charged with neglect after adopting Natalia Grace, later claiming she was an adult who posed a threat.
Michael was acquitted in 2022; Kristine’s charges were dismissed in 2023. They divorced in 2018 and now live separate lives.
Michael resides in Indiana, while Kristine lives in Florida and continues to advocate her side of the story publicly.

Where Are Michael and Kristine Barnett of Good American Family in 2025?

As of April 2025, Michael Barnett remains in Indianapolis, Indiana, while Kristine Barnett resides in Bradenton, Florida. The couple, once united in their controversial decision to adopt Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace, are now completely estranged, having divorced in 2018.

Michael Barnett, now working as a district director of operations for a financial firm, has kept a relatively low public profile outside of his appearances in the 2023 docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks. He appeared again in The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter, released in January 2025, stating his desire to move on from the case while dealing with past trauma, including severe anxiety and suicide attempts.

Kristine Barnett, on the other hand, has shifted her focus to writing. Her most recent public project is a forthcoming memoir titled Witch Hunt: The Kristine Barnett Story, announced in March 2024. She now uses social media to present herself as a “mother, writer, and advocate for children with disabilities.”

What Charges Did Kristine and Michael Barnett Face Over Natalia Grace?

Both Kristine and Michael Barnett were charged in 2019 with multiple counts of neglect of a dependent and conspiracy to commit neglect, following the public revelation that they had left Natalia Grace — legally changed to an adult in court — to live alone in an apartment.

The couple adopted Natalia, who has a rare form of dwarfism called diastrophic dysplasia, in 2010 believing she was six or seven. By 2012, they petitioned a court to legally change her birth year from 2003 to 1989 based on evaluations by a physician and a social worker. This change legally reclassified her as a 22-year-old woman.

In October 2022, Michael was acquitted of all charges. In March 2023, Kristine’s charges were dismissed with prejudice, citing insufficient evidence. Despite the legal outcomes, a 2023 DNA test estimated Natalia was about 9 years old at the time of her adoption — sharply contradicting the Barnetts’ claim that she was an adult.

Is Michael Barnett Still Living in Indiana?

Yes, Michael Barnett still resides in Indianapolis. Following his 2014 separation from Kristine and return from Canada, public court records list his address consistently within the same area. Although he remarried around 2021 to a woman named Jennifer Davis, that marriage also ended in divorce.

In the docuseries Natalia Speaks, Michael confronted Natalia directly, saying he too had been a victim of Kristine’s control and abuse. He described his marriage as oppressive, claiming Kristine stripped away his identity and forced him into a submissive role. He has since focused on mental health recovery and has largely stepped away from the media spotlight.

Michael’s relationship with his children is fractured. His eldest son, Jacob, a physics prodigy, currently works in Bilbao, Spain. The younger sons, Wesley and Ethan, have stayed closer to Kristine and were under her custody post-divorce.

Where Is Kristine Barnett Living Now in 2025?

Kristine Barnett currently lives in Bradenton, Florida, based on jail and court records from her 2019 arrest and her social media presence. Unlike Michael, she has not appeared in any recent documentaries. However, she maintains an active online presence, often sharing updates about her work as an author and advocate.

In early 2024, Kristine announced a second memoir titled Witch Hunt, aiming to counteract what she describes as media distortion of her story. This follows her 2013 bestseller The Spark, which chronicled the upbringing of her gifted son Jacob.

Kristine has denied all allegations of abuse, stating that Natalia was well cared for and that any discipline was within the bounds of normal parenting. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Kristine wrote that accusations were meant to deflect from Natalia’s own behavioral issues, asserting that Natalia accused nearly everyone in her life of abuse, including teachers, neighbors, and adoptive families.

Are Kristine and Michael Barnett Still in Contact or Together?

No. Kristine and Michael Barnett finalized their divorce in 2018, four years after Michael initially filed. There is no public indication that they are in contact, and both have moved on separately in their personal and professional lives.

Michael has spoken publicly about the toll the relationship took on him, while Kristine has made statements denying Michael’s version of events, framing him instead as a co-responsible party in the decision-making around Natalia’s age change and living conditions.

How Is Hulu’s Good American Family Connected to the Real Story?

Natalia Grace Barnett in Good American Family _ Hulu

Good American Family, which premiered on Hulu on March 19, 2025, dramatizes the real-life events surrounding the Natalia Grace case. The series stars Ellen Pompeo as Kristine Barnett and Mark Duplass as Michael Barnett, portraying the couple’s journey from hopeful adopters to controversial figures in a national legal scandal.

The series has reignited interest in the case, especially as it explores contradictory narratives from both Natalia and the Barnetts, as well as the ambiguity surrounding her age at the time of adoption. Good American Family does not offer a definitive conclusion, mirroring the ongoing complexity of the real-life events.

The dramatized series follows a multi-episode release schedule on Hulu, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday through May 2025.

Source: Forbes