The Transformation Of Gypsy Rose Blanchard
For most of her life, everyone assumed that Gypsy Rose Blanchard suffered from several health problems. She rode around in a wheelchair, sported a shaved head, and had almost no teeth. Her mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, claimed that she had leukemia and muscular dystrophy, and the world responded with sympathy. Gypsy even received free concert tickets and trips to Disney World. Yet she wasn't actually disabled; her mother was manipulating her and everyone around her so that she could exert control over her and receive attention as her heroic caretaker.
By her early 20s, Gypsy was desperate to break free of her mother's hold over her. She developed a largely virtual relationship with a man named Nicholas Godejohn and persuaded him to kill her mother so that she could escape. The two tried to run away together but were arrested a few days after committing the crime.
After eight long years and extensive therapy, Gypsy Rose Blanchard is finally out of prison on parole and ready to live independently for the first time. As she begins this new chapter, we look back on her astonishing transformation from a child under her mother's tyrannical control into an empowered adult woman trying to rebuild her life while advocating for victims of abuse.
She grew up as a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was born in 1991. She began her life as a healthy and happy baby, but it wasn't long before her mother Dee Dee Blanchard began to claim she had sleeping problems as well as epilepsy. Her background as a nurse's aide gave her the vocabulary to pin Gypsy with an increasing number of ailments over the years.
According to her interview on "Dr. Phil" in 2017, when Gypsy was 7 years old, she was in a motorcycle accident. Although her injuries were relatively minor, her mother told her she would have to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Soon, Dee Dee was claiming Gypsy had muscular dystrophy and leukemia and required a feeding tube. She lied to doctors, leading to a slew of prescriptions and unnecessary surgeries for Gypsy.
Gypsy's parents were divorced; her estranged father had no idea Dee Dee was lying about her condition. Instead, he thought of her as a saint for devoting herself so fully to the care of an infirm child. As time passed, Gypsy's situation worsened. Her teeth rotted and Dee Dee had them pulled out. Sometimes Dee Dee would hit her or deny her food. In 2009, when caseworkers visited the household after receiving an anonymous report, Dee Dee was able to allay their suspicions. Gypsy tried to run away in 2011 but after her mother caught her, she restrained her to her bed.
In 2015, she assisted in the murder of her mother
Dee Dee Blanchard didn't just employ corporal punishment after Gypsy Rose Blanchard attempted to run away — she also smashed her computer. However, Gypsy was clever and found ways to get online notwithstanding. In 2012, she made contact with Nicholas Godejohn, a man living in Wisconsin, on a Christian dating website. Soon enough, they considered each other boyfriend and girlfriend. The two began to message regularly in secret, flirting with each other and fantasizing about the life they hoped to lead someday, side by side.
In March 2015, Godejohn visited Gypsy in Missouri for the first time. After Dee Dee disapproved of him, their texts took a darker turn, with Gypsy filling Godejohn in on the details of her mother's abuse and asking him to kill her so she could be free. Godejohn took on a decidedly non-Christian persona, speaking of an "evil side" of his personality that "enjoys killing" (per NBC Chicago). Gypsy, too, took on an alter ego, which she referred to as "Ruby."
On June 9, 2015, Godejohn traveled back to Missouri to fulfill his role in the murder plot. When Gypsy gave him an agreed-upon signal indicating to him Dee Dee was asleep, he slipped into the house and, using a knife provided by Gypsy, stabbed Dee Dee multiple times until she was dead. All the while, Gypsy hid in a bathroom, holding her hands over her ears as her mother shouted her name, begging for her help.
A few days later, she and her boyfriend were arrested
Immediately following her mother's murder, Gypsy Rose Blanchard stepped onto the crime scene to wipe up some of the blood with baby wipes. She then called a cab to pick her and Nicholas Godejohn up from the house. They stayed in Springfield, Missouri for a couple of days. Then they took off for Wisconsin by bus, planning to hide out at Godejohn's family home.
On June 14, Blanchard logged onto her mother's Facebook page and posted an ominous declaration on her wall: "That B**** is dead!" (via People). Needless to say, this message didn't help Gypsy and Godejohn stay under the radar. Authorities traced the IP address and found that the post had been made from Godejohn's house in Wisconsin. Shortly after, the two were detained in Wisconsin. Jim Arnott, the Sheriff of Greene County, Missouri, addressed the case in a press conference. "Things are not always as they appear. We really don't know the true background of this family," he stated (per Springfield News-Leader). "This is a tragic, tragic event surrounded by mystery and public deception."
Gypsy and Godejohn were initially arrested on charges of murder and felony armed criminal action. Eventually, Godejohn was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, while Blanchard was convicted of second-degree murder and given a ten-year sentence due to the "extraordinary and unusual" nature of her situation, according to Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson (per Springfield News-Leader).
She appeared on Dr. Phil while in prison in 2017
In November 2017, Gypsy Rose Blanchard returned to the public eye via an appearance on "Dr. Phil" McGraw's notorious talk show. For the episode, titled "Mother Knows Best: A Story of Munchausen by Proxy and Murder," Dr. Phil traveled to the prison where Gypsy was being held to interview her. She appeared poised and confident, her hair neatly arranged in ringlet curls, as she conversed with him.
Known for his confrontational style, Dr. Phil pulled no punches with his questions. "Should you be in this prison?" he asked her. "To be honest, I have complicated feelings about that," she replied. "I believe firmly that, no matter what, murder is not okay, but at the same time, I don't believe I deserve as many years as I got ... I don't believe I'm in the right place to get the help that I need." When he asked her, "Are you glad your mother's dead," she was clear she didn't relish the crime she had committed. "No, sir. I'm glad that I'm out of that situation, but I'm not happy she's dead."
Gypsy went on to explain the extent of the abuse she suffered at her mother's hands. She told Dr. Phil her earliest memory is of going to the hospital for surgery at 3 or 4 years old. She wasn't allowed to attend school or play with friends. Other than her tyrannical mother, her only companions were her stuffed animals and dolls.
She married Ryan Scott Anderson in prison in 2022
While behind bars, Gypsy Rose Blanchard found a surprising source of support in Ryan Scott Anderson, a special education teacher from Louisiana. According to an exclusive 2023 interview with People, Anderson first penned a letter to Gypsy during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, inspired by a friend who announced his intention to write to Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldonado of Netflix's "Tiger King" docuseries. He told her that he was moved by her story and opened up about his personal life as well. Soon enough, the two were emailing and calling on the phone regularly. They were wed in a small prison ceremony on July 21, 2022. Speaking to People, Gypsy shared her appreciation for her husband, whom she referred to as her "backbone for the last three years."
"Ryan has seen me through some really good times, some really hard times. I would say that he is probably the most compassionate soul that I've ever met, and the most patient," she said. "God knows, he's so patient with me, because I could be a lot to handle. I could be an emotional handful."
Gypsy is aware that marriages can be hard work, but she's not worried about life with Anderson. "I think this, being in prison, has been the hard part," she said. "I think when I'm at home ... with my husband's arms around me and I'm surrounded by my loved ones, that is when I will be happy."
She wrote an eBbook in 2023
After receiving early parole, Gypsy Rose Blanchard realized that she wanted to greet the world by sharing an earnest account of her trauma and recovery in her words. Thus, she penned a tell-all account of her experience, aptly titled "Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom." The memoir, which will be published as an eBook by Penguin Random House on January 9th, 2024, features exclusive interviews with Gypsy, as well as her personal journal entries, illustrations, and photos. It was written with the assistance of Melissa Moore, an expert in domestic violence and recovery from trauma, and Michele Matrisciani, a New York Times bestselling editor.
"While incarcerated for her role in her mother's death, Gypsy saw her story told by others again and again in the media, from news reports and podcasts to TV series like The Act (Hulu)," the book's page on the Penguin Random House website states. "Now, granted early parole and preparing to start a new life, she's free to speak directly to her supporters and the world."
In a video posted to Instagram on January 1st, 2024, Gypsy shared her excitement over the book's upcoming release from her backyard in Louisiana. "I just put out an eBook that I'm super proud of. It's not a rehashing of everything that happened. It's more of my reflection of everything that I have learned and experienced in the last eight and a half years," she explained.
She announced a Lifetime docuseries in 2023
Gypsy Rose Blanchard isn't just using the written word to share her perspective on her tragic backstory. While still in prison, she collaborated with Lifetime on a docuseries about her life both before and after the murder of her mother Dee Dee Blanchard. After her release, she shared the news with her followers on Instagram and TikTok. "I just want to send a quick video to thank everyone for the massive amount of support I've been getting on social media ... I've got a lot of great things happening really soon. I've got my documentary series coming out, 'The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard,'" she announced in a video.
The Lifetime docuseries will be streamed on television over three nights on January 5, 6, and 7, 2024. The in-depth series spans six hours of reporting and exclusive interviews. "Currently still incarcerated, Gypsy's shocking story has been told by many others but now, as she approaches her release in December, she is finally ready to tell her truth before she becomes a free woman for the first time in her life," the Lifetime website states. A trailer for the series shows Gypsy in prison, offering insight into her psyche leading up to her mother's murder. "I will mention the abuse that I suffered at the hands of my mother. ... There was a lot of emotional and physical abuse, hospitals, surgeries. I started to feel like it was either her or me" (via Lifetime).
In December 2023, she was released from prison
On Thursday, December 28, 2023, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was finally released from prison on parole. Her husband Ryan Scott Anderson pulled up in his Cadillac sedan to drive her to freedom. Gypsy wore a blue and white long-sleeve shirt and jeans as she emerged, ready to begin her new life. Shortly after, she and Anderson were spotted at an Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse in Kansas City, buying Gypsy some fresh kicks.
In an interview with News Nation, Gypsy's stepmother Kristy Blanchard told the world how she planned to help Gypsy celebrate her release. "We booked a spa day. We're gonna go get her pedicure, manicure, facial, haircut, colored if she wants ... the works. Bring her shopping," she said. Sure enough, a few days later, Gypsy showed off her manicure on Instagram — she opted for square-shaped nails with glossy French tips, a versatile look that will go well with all of her new outfits.
With her sentence behind her, she took to social media
After being locked behind bars with no cell phone, it makes sense that Gypsy Rose Blanchard would be excited to experience the wonders of social media. According to a TikTok posted by her half-sister, Mia Blanchard, she was allowed to maintain accounts on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok during her final days in prison by dictating captions for her husband Ryan Scott Anderson to post from his phone. Now, she's at liberty to post to her heart's content on her own terms — and, it seems, she couldn't be happier.
At the time of this writing, Gypsy has 6 million followers on Instagram. Her bio lists her as a "Public Figure" and "Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy Advocate." Her early posts mainly focus on advocacy and inspirational content, such as a post on World Mental Health Day on October 10 and a post that brought attention to the case of a fellow Chillicothe Correctional Center inmate who claimed to have been wrongfully convicted.
Since her release, she has offered more of a window into her personal life. On December 28th, 2023, she posted a mirror selfie on Instagram from the hotel room where she stayed after leaving prison, revealing a pink iPhone. "First selfie of freedom!" she captioned the image. Other posts show her having fun with Snapchat avatars and filters.
She spent her first holiday surrounded by loved ones
Given that Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison on December 28, 2023, it makes sense that she would want to go all out for New Year's Eve — her first holiday spent in the outside world. On December 30, she showed her Instagram followers just how excited she was with a sweet post featuring her husband Ryan Scott Anderson. "A New Years Eve Eve kiss with my hubby," she wrote in the caption, which accompanied a selfie of the couple in a loving embrace. In the comments section, fans noted the fact that Anderson was using a selfie stick to get the perfect shot, while a neon "Ryan & Gypsy" sign glowed pink in the background.
In an Instagram video posted on New Year's Eve, Gypsy shared her holiday greetings with her followers. "Hey everyone! Happy New Year's Eve. I'm about to celebrate with my family. I have my dad and my stepmom Kristy here and, of course, my husband. We're looking to ring in the new year together. It's gonna be awesome to have some family time after so long," she said, ready for festivities in a light pink sweater with a necklace that matched her engagement ring. Later that day, she shared a second kissing selfie on Instagram with Anderson, this one simply titled "New Years Eve kiss with my hubby." Here's hoping that her future holidays will be just as cheery.