The story of Gypsy Rose, whose mother kept her sick for years

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is (in)famous for having an extremely tragic childhood. She was also tried and sentenced for the murder of her abusive mom, Dee Dee Blanchard. At the end of 2023, the young woman was released from prison.

Shortly after Gypsy was born in 1991, her mom began to claim her daughter had sleep apnea and began taking her to the hospital. From there, her daughter’s alleged health issues began to balloon.

Image: Official Trailer | The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard Lifetime/Youtube

Her father Rod Blanchard, who separated from his wife Dee Dee, told Buzzfeed News that more and more sicknesses were attributed to her daughter. Dee Dee reportedly told him it was because she had a chromosomal defect.

Image: Official Trailer | The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard Lifetime/Youtube

Her mom kept reporting new health issues to doctors. Dee Dee said Gypsy had seizures, so she went on seizure medication. Dee Dee told another doctor she had muscular dystrophy, even though tests proved she didn’t. She was operated on for poor vision, drooling and ear infections.

Image: Official Trailer | The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard Lifetime/Youtube

Dee Dee claimed she and her sickly daughter were victims of Hurricane Katrina and were offered a lot of support from charities. They were airlifted to Missouri, where they lived in a house made by Habitat for Humanity. The community believed Dee Dee was a caring mother.

Image: Mommy Dead and Dearest HBODocs/Youtube

Gypsy was usually in a wheelchair and she was on so much medication that her teeth rotted out and had to be pulled. She was also put on a feeding tube at times. Dee Dee told some people that her daughter’s mental age was 7. She was also told she had luekemia.

Image: Mommy Dead and Dearest HBODocs/Youtube

In 2009, an anonymous tip stating that Gypsy’s ailments had no medical basis sent two caseworkers to their home. However, Dee Dee convinced him that there was nothing wrong and that her daughter was indeed very sick.

Image: Mommy Dead and Dearest HBODocs/Youtube

The tip was right — Gypsy was not sick. Dee Dee seemed to have had a mental health condition called Munchausen syndrome by proxy. That is when a caregiver creates the appearance of health problems to make the other person dependent on them and to gain attention. Studies say it may be the most lethal form of abuse, with up to 1 in 10 victims dying from it. Gypsy also said her mom was abusive in other ways like chaining her to the bed.

Image: Official Trailer | The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard Lifetime/Youtube

Once her daughter got older, Dee Dee started lying about her daughter’s age, even altering the birth certificate and asking Gypsy’s dad not to wish her a happy 18th birthday. Dee Dee also convinced one of Gypsy’s boyfriends whom she tried to run away with that her daughter was still a minor, even though she was 19.

Image: Official Trailer | The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard Lifetime/Youtube

In 2012, Gypsy made contact with Nicholas Godejohn on a Christian dating website. They stayed in a relationship. In 2015, their plan to kill Dee Dee culminated in her murder. He stabbed Dee Dee 17 times in the back and then the couple fled. Even at the time, she believed she had leukemia, which she did not.

Image: Official Trailer | The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard Lifetime/Youtube

After discovering Dee Dee’s corpse and that Gypsy was missing, the local community was terrified about what happened to the charming young daughter. Soon, police realized that Gypsy was involved in the murder and both she and Godejoh were arrested. The truth came out about Dee Dee’s lies and the community was shocked.

Image: Mommy Dead and Dearest HBODocs/Youtube

Gypsy’s attorney secured her a plea bargain to second-degree murder which would come with 10 years behind bars. Her lawyer told Buzzfeed that she was so undernourished that she gained 14 pounds (6.4 kg) in prison, whereas most of his clients lost weight in jail.

Image: Mommy Dead and Dearest HBODocs/Youtube

In 2018, Gypsy told ‘20/20’ that she felt like she was more free in prison than living with her mom. “Because now I’m allowed to just live like a normal woman,” she said. HBO also made a documentary about her called ‘Mommy Dead and Dearest’ and Hulu made a dramatic adaptation of her life called ‘The Act.’

Image: Official Trailer | The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard Lifetime/Youtube

A jury ruled that while Godejohn (right) was acting at Gypsy's request, he pursued the murder and was the one who committed it. The jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and he got life (25 years) in prison. The couple has since broken up.

Image: KY3 News - Springfield, Mo./Youtube

After serving 85% of her prison sentence, Gypsy was released on Dec. 28 and is now living as a free woman… really for the first time in her life.

The 32-year-old woman said on ‘Dr. Phil’ that, while she is glad she is out of the situation of abuse, she is not happy her mom is dead.

Image: gypsyrose_a_blanchard/Instagram

She also spoke to her followers on Instagram after leaving prison: "Hey everyone, this is Gypsy. I'm finally free…. I just wanted to send a quick video to thank everyone for the massive amount of support that I've been getting on social media, everyone has been really, really nice and supportive and I really appreciate that.”

Image: gypsyrose_a_blanchard/Instagram

Gypsy told her supporters that she is back home in Louisiana and enjoying married life. Now that she’s out, she is finally able to wear the wedding ring her husband got her while she was still behind bars.

Image: Ryan_s_anderson/Instagram

Coinciding with her release, Gypsy is publishing an e-book called ‘Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom.’ The TV network Lifetime is also debuting a six-hour docuseries that promises “unprecedented access” to Blanchard

Image: Official Trailer | The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard Lifetime/Youtube