Whether it’s in the news, on social media, or on TV, Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her story has once again taken America by storm in early 2024. Gypsy Rose, 32, originally from Golden Meadow, Louisiana, has gained popularity after being released from prison in late December, with her infamous story now being told across America.
Growing up with her mother Dee Dee Blanchard, Gypsy Rose had been raised to think she had numerous illnesses including asthma, muscular dystrophy and visual impairments. In one instance, Gypsy Rose had to have her teeth pulled out due to rotting. Gypsy Rose was put in a wheelchair and was forced to eat through a feeding tube, even though she didn’t have any medical conditions that required her to do so. In reality, Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which is a condition where caretakers of children either make up fake symptoms or cause real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick. This led Dee Dee to convince Gypsy Rose and others that she had these illnesses.
In 2012, Gypsy Rose joined a Christian dating site where she met Nicholas Godejohn. Together, they conspired to kill her mother and on June 9, 2015, Godejohn did the unthinkable. After the crime, the pair fled to Wisconsin where they were later arrested on the charge of murder. Gypsy Rose was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2016 after being charged with second-degree murder due to her allegedly hiding in the bathroom while Godejohn killed her mom.
Due to the horrific circumstances of Gypsy Rose, her story has been a topic of conversation in multiple forms of media since the beginning. In addition to various episodes of true crime documentaries like “Dateline” and “20/20” over the years, a more recent retelling of Gypsy Rose’s story is Hulu’s “The Act,” released in 2019. This biographical drama stars Joey King as Gypsy Rose and tells her life story up to her arrest over eight episodes.
Micah Kennedy (12) learned about Gypsy Rose’s story through “The Act” and her intense social media presence has added to his knowledge of her.
“I think the portrayal of Gypsy Rose in “The Act” was a job well done by the actress that played her. Her story is so interesting and the actress that played her did an excellent job displaying that on the show. I have heard about her story before, and now Gypsy Rose is basically a household name mostly because of TikTok and the news,” Kennedy said.
After serving eight of her 10-year prison sentence, Gypsy Rose was released on Dec. 28, 2023. While in prison, Gypsy Rose married a man named Ryan Anderson to whom she is still married today. Before her release, social media and news outlets anticipated her first public appearance since being arrested. Since December, Gypsy Rose’s popularity has skyrocketed because of numerous live interviews and her social media going viral.
Stevi Sandor (11) has witnessed Gypsy Rose’s newfound spotlight and is happy to see that she has been able to succeed after her release.
“Gypsy Rose is truly astounding because even though she experienced jail with no prior social interactions, she adapted to her environment and made it out of jail and is now spending her time with the love of her life,” Sandor said.
Even with all the retelling of her story out there, Gypsy shared in an interview with the “Boston Herald” that she is determined to use her newfound freedom to tell her own story. To share her truth, Gypsy Rose is releasing a six-episode series on Lifetime titled “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.”
“So much that’s out there is by people who didn’t know the ins and outs of my case or my life. I’m the source – it happened to me. No one but me has the right to share this story,” Blanchard said.
