Hulu’s new limited series “Good American Family” is reigniting interest in the story of Natalia Grace — who was accused of lying about her age by her adopted family.

Grace was born Sept. 4, 2003 in Ukraine with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a form of dwarfism that affects bone development. She was adopted in 2010 by Kristine and Michael Barnett, played by Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass in the new show, who also have three sons of their own (including one with autism).

It didn’t take long for the Barnett couple to begin suspecting that Grace wasn’t being upfront about her age, later claiming they noticed pubic hair growing and adult teeth. They went to an Indiana court and made them change her legal birth year from 2003 to 1989. They also accused Grace of attempting to murder their family, at one point alleging she put thumb tacks on the stairs for the Barnett family to step on. In 2013, they completely abandoned her and took off to Canada.

A month after being on her own, Grace befriended Cynthia Mans (played by Christiana Hendricks in the show), who invited her to live with Christian pastor Antwon Mans. They tried to become her legal guardians in 2016, but a hearing was required to determine if she was considered a legal adult. Through a legal battle, the family legally adopted her in 2023. 

She eventually escaped over conflicts with her independence, although in the documentary “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter,” Grace spoke fondly of the Manses family and their 10 children. However, eyewitnesses in the docuseries did claim that they saw the Manses physically abusing her, which Grace did not comment on.

A few months ago, Grace spoke out in an interview with People. She talked about her experience living with the Barnetts: “All I was told was, ‘You’re 22 now. Whenever somebody asks you what your age is, you say you’re 22 and you tried to murder your family.’ I was taught to lie.”

While controversy has continued about Grace’s real age over the years, a DNA test in January 2024 seemed to confirm that she was, in fact, a child when the Barnetts adopted her in 2010. Although it’s important noting, as Business Insider reported, that DNA tests are more of a health measurement than a method of determining exact chronological age.

The Barnetts filed for divorce from each other in 2014 and Kristine even published a book, “The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism,” about her son’s life with autism. In the documentary “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks,” Michael actually appeared alongside Grace and said that: “I had the same monster you did.”

Grace currently lives with the DePaul family — a family of people who also have dwarfism — in upstate New York.