Perhaps you’ve been made aware of Gypsy Rose Blanchard from news broadcasts, TikTok, or The Act, a Hulu Original starring Joey King meant to depict a true story. Gypsy’s case made headlines back in 2015 when she arranged for her former online boyfriend to murder her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. The shocking reason behind this murder generated a variety of reactions from the world, which included support of Gypsy, as Dee Dee faked her daughter’s numerous acclaimed illnesses (e.g., sleep apnea, leukemia, and muscular dystrophy). Due to these “illnesses,” Dee Dee forced her perfectly healthy daughter to use a wheelchair and feeding tube, and Dee Dee additionally gave Gypsy many different types of medicine, had her teeth pulled out, and shaved her head—none of which Gypsy needed. Dee Dee Blanchard was diagnosed with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which, according to the National Library of Medicine, is a condition in which “mothers produce histories of illness to their children and support such histories by fabricated physical signs and symptoms, or even by altering laboratory tests.”
In 2012, Gypsy Rose joined a Christian dating site, spilling her traumatic life events to Nicholas Godejohn. They soon became a couple, then came up with the plan to kill Dee Dee, which would free Gypsy and allow them to be together. In June 2015, Dee Dee Blanchard was found in her home after having been stabbed to death by Nicholas. After investigating the murder, the police tracked down the couple, who surrendered and were taken into custody. Both Gypsy and Nicholas were convicted of murder; however, only one of them—Nicholas—was given a life sentence. This is because Gypsy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, whereas Nicholas was convicted of first-degree murder.
Although Gypsy’s term was set for 10 years, she was granted parole and released early from the Chillicothe Correctional Center on December 28, 2023. Now 32 years old, Gypsy is currently living with her husband, Ryan Anderson, a man she married while incarcerated in 2022, in Louisiana. Before her release, supporters on social media excitedly waited for the day Gypsy gained her freedom, making jokes about how they were ready to lend a helping hand once she stepped foot out of prison. Since her release, Gypsy has been greatly active on social media sites such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, gaining millions of followers across these platforms. Her posts consist of her thanking her supporters, pictures of her husband, and her life story. In a recent interview with People, Gypsy expressed her “intent [to use] whatever influence she might have for good.”
“I feel like I have been blessed with that ability to possibly create change,” Gypsy said in the interview. “And that is what I’m trying to do.”
While Gypsy’s new chapter is unfolding—according to People, she is “set to release a new ebook, titled Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom, as well as tell her own story in the new Lifetime docuseries, The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, premiering Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. eastern”—it is evident that the world has not closed the book of her narrative.
