In December, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison. She was granted parole after serving more than eight years of a 10-year jail sentence for the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard.
The 32-year-old Missouri native made headlines as she was sentenced to 10 years for orchestrating a plan to kill her mother with the help of her former boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, in 2015. Following the revelation that her mother allegedly had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, the story caught the public’s attention after the release of HBO’s true crime documentary, Mommy Dead and Dearest, in 2017. Two years later, Hulu released a dramatized miniseries on the Blanchards, The Act, starring Joey King and Patricia Arquette as Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee respectively. The show went on to receive several Emmy nominations and one win.
Since her release, Gypsy has become an overnight star, with millions of supporters gravitating to her Instagram and TikTok accounts in solidarity. Upon her first days out, she promoted her highly anticipated six-hour special, The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, which is set to premiere on Lifetime on Jan. 5. Blanchard has also given fans an inside look into her love life and marriage with husband Ryan Scott Anderson, a 37-year-old special education teacher from Louisiana. “I’m married to the most wonderful, most beautiful woman in the world, Gypsy Rose Blanchard,” Ryan's IG bio reads.
Recently, Missouri demanded Blanchard be removed from the state, even canceling her and her husband's plans to attend the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Bengals game in hopes of meeting Taylor Swift. Her parole officer ordered the Swiftie to leave the state “to avoid any security issues due to her popularity,” per Complex.
As Gypsy Rose continues to make headlines, even some about the more intimate details of her private life, here’s everything to know about the new internet sensation and her story.
Gypsy Rose was a victim of child abuse
For over two decades, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was a victim of child abuse by her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Her mother had a mental disorder called Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which is a rare form of abuse that results in a guardian feigning or forcing illness in their child for attention and sympathy.
As a baby, Gypsy Rose’s mother misdiagnosed her with sleep apnea. Later on in her life, her mother would take on to be her caretaker, saying that her daughter had leukemia and muscular dystrophy, in addition to seizures, asthma, and hearing/visual disabilities. The two were estranged from her father and other family members.
Dee Dee continued to abuse Gypsy Rose, requesting a wheelchair and feeding tube for her daughter. Gypsy Rose was also subjected to surgeries to remove her salivary glands after her mother fabricated the illusion of illness, the long-term consequences of which Gypsy Rose still suffers from to this day. Due to heavy medications, Gypsy Rose’s teeth rotted to the point of removal. To make matters worse, Dee Dee shaved off Gypsy Rose’s hair to make her condition more believable.
Her mother continued to lie about Gypsy Rose's disabilities and her age, claiming she was the mental age of 7 in her teen years. She mismarked dates on Gypsy Rose’s birth certificate to make her age more believable. Charities built the duo a home and provided them numerous trips to concerts and Disney World. As for doctor visits, Gypsy Rose was not allowed to speak to the doctor about her condition. Instead, Dee Dee would relay information about fake medical conditions. If the doctor disagreed with Dee Dee, she would not return.
Gypsy Rose aged into adulthood, and she longed for a relationship. In 2011, she attempted to run away with a man she met at a science convention, but her mother stopped her. The mother scolded the man, saying that he was entertaining a minor even though Gypsy Rose was 19. Gypsy Rose later confessed that her mother destroyed her computer, tied her to her bed, physically assaulted her, and denied her access to food.
In 2015, Gypsy Rose met Nicholas Godejohn on a Christian dating site. The two ultimately connected as Blanchard revealed the abuse she was enduring. She then conspired with Nick to escape her mother so she could have freedom. In June, Nick murdered Dee Dee while Gypsy Rose hid in the bathroom. The two would celebrate Gypsy Rose’s freedom in Wisconsin, where police would later find them.
A few years later in an interview with ABC News’ 20/20, Gypsy Rose recounted the night of her mother’s murder. “I heard her scream once and there was more screaming, but not like the kind in a horror film,” she recalled. “A startled scream…she called out my name about three or four times, at that point I wanted to go help her so bad, but I was so afraid to get up. And then everything just went quiet.”
In Mommy Dead and Dearest, Gypsy Rose also spoke on her relationship with Nick disclosing that he had raped her the night of her mother’s death. “I made a deal with him. I'd let him rape me and then he wouldn't do that to my mom,” she said after Nick allegedly tried to have sex with her mother’s corpse.
Gypsy Rose was sentenced to 10 years in jail
After confessing that she convinced Nick of her master plan to murder her mother, Gypsy Rose pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. She was then sentenced to 10 years of prison even after her attorney revealed the decades-long abuse she endured.
Missouri Department of Corrections representative Karen Pojmann stated, “[Blanchard’s] 10-year sentence started in June 2015, so, barring parole violations and other extenuating circumstances, it’s expected that she’ll be on parole supervision and reporting to a parole officer until June 2025.”
Nick Godejohn’s court trial
After Gypsy Rose took a plea deal for her involvement in Dee Dee’s killing, Nick's trial began in 2018. Gypsy Rose admitted that she took the lead role in the plan to murder her mother. Nick's lawyers claimed that Nick was victimized and manipulated into committing murderous acts, and suggested that his sentence should be reduced. His legal team also cited that Nick allegedly suffered from multiple personality disorder after his arrest for masturbation in a McDonald’s restaurant while carrying a concealed weapon in 2013.
The judge sentenced Nick to life in prison without parole in addition to 25 years for armed criminal action. He is serving out his sentence at Potosi Correctional Center. In 2022, Nick and his lawyers requested a new trial based on claims that his counsel was ineffective. The following year, his motion was denied.
Gypsy Rose’s release from prison
In December, Blanchard was released from prison after serving eight years of her 10-year prison sentence. According to Springfield News-Leader, the 32-year-old was granted parole in September by the Missouri Department of Corrections.
In an exclusive interview with People, Blanchard spoke about her release and insisted that she was “ready for freedom.” She added, “I’m ready to expand, and I think that goes for every facet of my life.” Blanchard also chimed in with the misconception about her that has been fueling the media. “No one will ever hear me say I’m proud of what I did or I’m glad that she’s dead,” Gypsy Rose told the outlet. “I’m not proud of what I did. I regret it every single day.”
Internet Sensation
Upon her release from prison, fans have been obsessed with Gypsy Rose’s story, empathizing with her as a victim. The Missouri native has over 6 million followers on TikTok and Instagram. Although Blanchard had an Instagram account before her release, she gained millions of supporters with her “first selfie of freedom” IG post that attracted over 6 million likes.
Her initial post was followed by photos of glimpses inside her life, including her marriage to Ryan and snippets of her upcoming docuseries. The two connected in 2020 after Ryan penned a letter to Blanchard. “It was when Tiger King was really popular. My coworker at the time was like, ‘I want to write Tiger King [Joe Exotic].’ I said, ‘I’ll tell you what, if you write him, I’ll write Gypsy Rose Blanchard,’” he told People in an exclusive interview. Ryan had watched Blanchard’s HBO documentary, Mommy Dead and Dearest, three years before his email.
The pair began exchanging messages back and forth. “I remember I had butterflies when we’d email. But really what set it over the top was the first time I heard her voice,” he said. Ryan and Gypsy Rose met in 2021, ultimately tying the knot in 2022. The two are planning another wedding for their family to attend. Most recently, the couple made headlines after Gypsy Rose came to her husband’s defense on Instagram.
“Ryan, don’t listen to the haters,” Gypsy Rose commented underneath a selfie of her husband. “I love you, and you love me. We do not owe anyone anything. Our family is who matters. If you get likes and good comments great, if you get hate then whatever because THEY DON’T MATTER. I love you.” She then ended her comment with a line that’s quickly gone viral over the past few days, “Besides they jealous because you are rocking my world every night…yeah I said it, the D is fire 🔥happy wife happy life.”
Gypsy Rose’s upcoming docuseries tells her story
In the wake of Gypsy Rose’s release, her social media has been flooded with snippets and trailers for The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. The six-hour docuseries will premiere on Lifetime on Jan. 5.
In the trailer, Gypsy begins to tell her story, saying, “After a lifetime of silence, I finally get to use my voice to share my story and speak my truth.”
“As a survivor of relentless child abuse, this docuseries chronicles my quest for liberation and journey through self-discovery. I am unapologetically myself and unafraid to expose the hidden parts of my life that have never been revealed until now.”
Two episodes will premiere each night at 8 p.m. ET from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7. Fans can catch the show live on Lifetime or the following day on Lifetime.com. As for streaming, residents with DirectTV Stream, Sling TV, Fubo TV, and Hulu + Live TV extension can tune in.
