What Life Looks Like for Natalia Grace After Leaving the Barnetts: ‘I’m Just Ready To Move On’
Natalia Grace is 21, working on her GED and finding stability after a turbulent few years
Whether or not you’ve followed the true crime series Good American Family, chances are you’ve heard of Natalia Grace. She first made national headlines after her adoptive parents, the Barnetts, were accused of abandoning her. Since then, she’s been at the center of intense media attention—from The Curious Case of Natalia Grace to the upcoming Hulu miniseries starring Ellen Pompeo. But where is Natalia Grace now? Here’s what we know about her life today—including her relationship, living situation and plans for the future.
Who is Natalia Grace? A brief background
Natalia Grace was allegedly born in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on September 4, 2003. She was born with a rare form of dwarfism, and that’s believed to be the reason her birth mother gave her up.
Kristine and Michael Barnett adopted her in spring 2010, after her last family gave her back, and that’s when things turned weird.
Kristine claimed that Natalia Grace tried to kill her and her three sons, had lied about her age and tried to scam them so they would pay for her surgeries. Seeing no other option, Kristine then legally changed Natalia Grace’s birth year from 2003 to 1989, aging her up to 22 years old at the time, and bought her an apartment before making a move to Canada with her sons and husband.
“I was terrified of her. I was terrified, so when Kristine told me to tell people that I was 22, I listened because I didn’t know what she would have me do. I didn’t know what she would do to me,” Natalia Grace said in The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.. “She threatened me into telling people lies. At first I said, ‘No, I’m a kid,’ and I guess she just got so mad.”
A month after moving into her new apartment, Natalia Grace was taken in by Antwon and Cynthia Mans. They stood by her during the trial between her and the Barnetts and legally adopted her in 2023. They also helped turn her birth year back to 2003.
Once again, things turned weird, and a few months later, Natalia Grace left the Mans—with the help of her boyfriend, Neil. She has been living with a new family ever since.
What Natalia Grace is doing now at age 21
Following her stint at the Man’s, Natalia Grace began living with the DePaul family—Nicole and Vincent DePaul, a couple with dwarfism like her. The couple attempted to adopt her in 2009, but couldn’t due to financial issues.
“At first it was bumpy, because the Mans were still involved. They were calling Natalia constantly and trying to wheel her back in,” Nicole told PEOPLE in January 2025. “It was just this constant thing where we were walking a fine line of not doing too much. See, she just came from this house that basically was ruled by a dictator, so I didn’t want to tell her what to do.”
“She’s also never done one violent thing ever,” she continued. “Our dogs love her, and they sleep with her. I’m an animal lover. If I didn’t trust her, I wouldn’t leave my babies with her. They’re also a judge of character, as well.”
Natalia Grace is currently 21 years old, working on getting her GED and is still with Neil.
“It’s been a big learning curve for me. For the most part, I’ve made peace. It is definitely a blessing to be alive today. And there’s nothing I can do to change the past,” she told PEOPLE. “I’m a girl who loves kids and wants to get married and have children. But one of my biggest things is not making promises I can’t keep. I’ve had too many promises that have been broken. I’m just ready to move on.”
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