After nearly eight years in prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard has been set free! Released on December 28, 2023, Gypsy Rose has spent her new life doing all of the things she has missed since being in prison, and is loving her new found freedom!
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a young girl who was forced into medication and attachment to her mother, Clauddine (Dee Dee) Blanchard, was sentenced to ten years in prison back in 2015 for second-degree murder. Dee Dee Blanchard lived her life with “Munchausen by Proxy”, a psychological disorder that causes parents to exaggerate their child’s medical condition or even fake it entirely, theguardian.com says.
Dee Dee convinced Gypsy and her doctors that she was sick with leukemia and struggled with epilepsy, muscular dystrophy and respiratory issues. These problems led to Gypsy needing to use a wheelchair, take a multitude of medications and even be fed through a feeding tube, Refinery29 says.
After spending her whole life receiving medication that she didn’t need, when Gypsy Rose found out her mother had been lying to her, she wanted to escape her mother’s abuse but needed some help. From there, Gypsy turned to her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to ask for help so Gypsy could be freed from her mother’s passion without causing too much damage to her own life. Gypsy let Godejohn into the house and then hid in the bathroom so she wouldn’t be able to hear her mother being killed. Godejohn used force to protect his girlfriend to ensure she would never be hurt again. Since Gypsy had no part in the physical murder of her mother, she was an accessory to the damage, she was let free after serving eight years while Godejohn still remains incarcerated.
While she was imprisoned, there have been multiple films and television series based on her story. One of the most popular ones is The Act, starring Joey King as Gypsy. However, Gypsy shared her opinions on this show and she wasn’t too thrilled. Gypsy even said that the show didn’t do her any good in prison and she wasn’t consulted about it before the show premiered. According to E! News , “[…]She was very excited about Joey portraying her but she’s very unhappy with the actual series itself.” Nonetheless, the show was simply a stop in Gypsy’s life that occurred to share her story.
She says that she feels as though Millie Bobby Brown, young actress and star of the show Stranger Things, would be a great option to play her. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Gypsy shares, “It’s funny, because I always wanted Millie Bobby Brown to play me. I think she’d be good at playing me.” So, although Joey King may not be Gypsy’s first choice, perhaps another rendition of Blanchard’s life will be in the future.
Since being freed, Gypsy Rose has been updating her followers from an Instagram account and celebrating with her family, friends, and new husband Ryan Scott Anderson. Gypsy has shared photos and videos of her new life and has sparked quite a stir. She has been featured on many television shows and has been interviewed by the media sharing how her life has been and what she has been up to. On December 29, 2023, Blanchard shared her first post on Instagram since being released with the caption, “First selfie of freedom!”
Gypsy’s story is influential in the sense that she overcame something as serious as having to live with someone who was causing harm to her life. It is incredible how she can go from being manipulated, being in prison, and to living a great new life these days. Many students at North agree to that statement as well. like sophomore Izabella Covarrubias.
“I think Gypsy’s story is good for people in this age [generation] to show [how] you can overcome abuse. I’m not saying murder is a way of overcoming abuse, but her story is her overcoming guilt and her past, which I think a lot of kids our age need,” Izzabella shares.
It looks as though Gypsy Rose Blanchard is finally getting the opportunity to live out the life she has always wanted and doesn’t care who’s watching. Cheers to Gypsy and good luck on all of her upcoming adventures!
