What Is Cynthia Mans from ‘Good American Family’ Up to Now?

In Episode 6 of “Good American Family,” we are introduced to Natalia Grace’s new adoptive parents, Antwon and Cynthia Mans.

The Manses were motivated by the couple who formed a friendship with the real Natalia Grace back in 2013 after she was abandoned by her previous adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett.

The Barnetts accused Grace, who has a type of dwarfism, of being an adult pretending to be a child at the time they adopted her. Grace has consistently refuted this assertion, and later medical and DNA examinations confirmed her actual age.

Christine Hendricks, who portrays Cynthia Mans in the Hulu series, expressed her astonishment that the story is drawn from real-life events.

“The script was incredibly well-written, and I thought they skillfully crafted it so that halfway through, you think, ‘Wait … I thought I knew what was happening,’ and suddenly everything changes,” she remarked to TODAY.com earlier this month.

Hendricks described Cynthia as a “complex and intriguing” character and mentioned instances that lead viewers to question her true intentions.

“What I find compelling about this show is that you truly need to pay close attention to each character, as things are often not what they appear,” she added.

Hendricks stated that she viewed Cynthia’s character as someone “trying to care for and protect Grace.”

“I believe that individuals are multifaceted; even if you’re attempting to assist someone, various circumstances in your life can complicate things,” she stated.

The real Cynthia Mans has previously discussed her connection with Grace, notably in a 2019 “Dr. Phil” interview and in the Investigation Discovery docuseries titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.”

Continue reading to find out more about Cynthia Mans and her current situation.

Who are Cynthia and Antwon Mans?

Cynthia and Antwon Mans are the couple who established a bond with Natalia Grace, ultimately adopting her in 2023, according to a document from the Indiana Court of Appeals accessed by TODAY.com.

Currently, they reside in Tennessee, as per public records reviewed by TODAY.com, but they were living in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, when they first encountered Grace in 2013, according to the aforementioned court document.

On social media, the Manses have depicted Antwon Mans as a bishop. Both he and Cynthia frequently post religious content on The Mans Family Instagram page.

The couple has welcomed several other children in addition to Natalia, many of whom are adopted.

“My husband and I adopted these kids. Honestly, who else is going to do it if we don’t? Who will help if we don’t?” Cynthia Mans stated in a 2019 “Dr. Phil” interview. “We’ve done this for others as well; Natalia isn’t the first child we’ve taken in.”

Mans detailed in the same interview how she and her husband first met Grace, noting that a concerned neighbor reached out to them shortly after Grace was left alone by her former adoptive parents, Michael and Kristine Barnett.

“A friend called me and said, ‘You need to come down here right away.’ So I went over, and she told me she was 22 years old. I mean, look at her; she’s clearly not 22,” Mans recounted during the “Dr. Phil” interview.

Grace stated in that same interview that she was 8 years old when the Barnetts abandoned her and moved to Canada with their biological son. She disclosed to Dr. Phil that she had already lived independently in another apartment for about a year before being relocated to the apartment where she met the Manses, which the Indiana Court of Appeals document corroborates.

“She took me to her apartment, and it truly was hers. She had a bed, a TV, and some boxed food in her freezer,” Cynthia Mans recalled during the “Dr. Phil” interview.

“I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got a couple of kids at home. Come on over; you can play with them, talk with us, whatever,'” she continued. “So she came to our house and just stayed. She’s been part of our family ever since.”

Mans asserted that the Barnetts attempted to change Grace’s age and falsely suggest she had psychological problems because they considered her a “burden.”

“It’s awful that they are attempting to depict her as some sort of monster,” she stated.

What transpired between Natalia Grace and Cynthia and Antwon Mans?

Grace lived with the Manses for nearly a decade. Throughout that period, Cynthia Mans noted that Grace developed a strong bond with her adoptive siblings.

“We have more children, including a grandson. She only shows love to her siblings and her nephew,” Mans expressed during the family’s 2019 “Dr. Phil” interview.

Mans mentioned that Grace was present during the birth of one of her brothers. She also indicated that over the years, Grace helped care for her younger siblings by giving them baths, changing diapers, and preparing bottles.

According to testimony during the 2022 trial of Michael and Kristine Barnett, the Manses charged Grace $250 per month in rent, which is noted in correspondence from the Indiana Court of Appeals. (Michael Barnett was later acquitted, and the charges against Kristine Barnett were dismissed. TODAY.com has attempted to reach both Michael and Kristine Barnett for comments).

The Manses initiated a court petition in 2016 seeking guardianship of Grace. Although this petition was unsuccessful, they eventually succeeded in formally adopting Grace in 2023.

In recent years, the Manses have shown their support for Grace as she fought to assert that she was a young girl when the Barnetts adopted her, rather than an adult posing as a child.

In one scene from the multi-part Investigation Discovery documentary “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace,” filmed between 2023 and 2025, Antwon Mans is depicted providing emotional support to Grace as she awaits the results of a DNA test that confirms her approximate age.

He is also shown comforting Grace after a confrontation with her former adoptive father, Michael Barnett.

What occurred between Natalia Grace and the Manses?

Though the Manses appeared to have a close relationship with Grace, tensions seemed to arise in 2023.

That year, the couple contacted the producers of “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace” to report an “issue” concerning Grace.

“Something isn’t right with Natalia,” Antwon Mans voiced during the call, a recording of which was included in a later episode of the documentary.

“Natalia is only concerned with herself; we are finished. We’re done with her,” he stated.

Cynthia Mans suggested that Grace was being influenced by her boyfriend, Neil, a man in the U.K. whom Grace had met online.

“This guy turned Natalia completely against her family,” Cynthia Mans mentioned in the documentary. “He persuaded Natalia that his view was correct and we were mistaken.”

Neil had contacted the DePauls, a couple in New York who also have dwarfism and had considered adopting Grace before the Barnetts. Nicole DePaul told People that she believed Natalia was in danger.

“After a month of daily communication with him and the same with her, we knew we had to intervene,” Nicole DePaul shared with People.

In the documentary “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace,” there were allegations from friends and neighbors that the Manses had physically abused Grace and other adopted children.

In the docuseries, Grace opted not to comment on these allegations. When asked by a producer if she had been hit by the Manses, she replied, “Nothing too severe. Maybe a little pop on the butt or something.”

The Manses have not responded to previous requests for comments from TODAY.com regarding the allegations brought up in the documentary.

By late 2023, Grace left the Manses’ home and moved in with Nicole and Vince DePaul and their teenage daughter, Mackenzie, in upstate New York.

She has been living with the DePauls since and has indicated she is working towards greater independence.

“It’s been a significant learning curve for me. Overall, I’ve found peace. It truly is a blessing to be alive today,” Grace shared with People in January. “And there’s nothing I can rectify about the past.”

Where is Cynthia Mans now?

It remains uncertain whether Cynthia Mans maintains contact with Natalia Grace presently.

In April, Mans appeared to comment on how her family’s narrative is depicted in “Good American Family.”

“It’s astonishing how people take 30 minutes of television and cast judgment on my family,” an April 3 post from a TikTok account associated with the Mans family’s Instagram highlighted.

“We never harmed a hair on Natalia’s head,” the post emphasized. “That little girl was cared for by us for 11 years. I am the one who saw her, took her in, and loved her despite the opinions of others. Everyone on these platforms should think before they speak.”

In January 2024, the same TikTok account that seems to belong to Cynthia Mans shared an update regarding Grace’s social media activities.

“Hello everyone. This is no longer Natalyah Mans’ account,” the post stated. “She has her separate page now. I wanted to clarify this again so nobody assumes I’m trying to gain followers by using her name. Thank you for your understanding.”

The Mans family’s Instagram page has not been updated since 2023 when they posted a Thanksgiving photo featuring Grace alongside their other children.

Several previous images of Grace remain on the page, including a selfie from August 2023 with Grace and Cynthia Mans together.

“God is working His magic!!!🥰🥰🙏❤️,” the caption read, along with the hashtags #mommydaughterlove and #bestfriends.