Who Is Gypsy Rose Blanchard? Why Is She Famous?

Who Is Gypsy Rose Blanchard? 

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is known for her involvement in the killing of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, in 2015. 

Gypsy and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, were convicted in 2016 for orchestrating the murder of Dee Dee, who had been manipulating her daughter's life, portraying her as terminally ill.

In 2015, Gypsy and Godejohn conspired to kill her mother after she suffered years of abuse due to Munchausen by proxy. 

Godejohn committed the crime while Blanchard waited in the bathroom. 

Dee Dee spent years convincing doctors and peers that Gypsy suffered from several severe illnesses, including leukemia and muscular dystrophy. 

She went as far as to make Gypsy use a wheelchair and a feeding tube and get many unnecessary procedures. 

After Gypsy’s arrest, it was proven that she was perfectly healthy the entire time. 

Why is Gypsy Rose Blanchard famous? 

Blanchard’s case sparked national tabloid interest after reports said her mother had essentially kept her daughter as a prisoner. 

Blanchard was released in December 2023 after serving 85% of her 10-year sentence.

In the days since, she has been on a press tour promoting a documentary series that will air on Lifetime called “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.” 

While serving her sentence, several networks produced her story in shows like HBO’s “Mommy Dead and Dearest,” Hulu’s “The Act,” and Discovery’s “Gypsy’s Revenge.” 

Leading up to her release, fanfare on several social media platforms started to rise. When she got out of prison, fanfare seemingly grew, with Blanchard joining several platforms herself. 

What is Munchausen by proxy? What did her mother do to her?

The National Library of Medicine says Munchausen by proxy, formally known as factitious disorder, is when a caregiver deliberately produces illness in a person under their care. Hence, the proxy receives medical care that gratifies the caregiver.

It is a form of abuse that NLM says the victims are often unaware of. Disease fabrication most often resulted from poisoning. 

Gypsy said it wasn’t until her arrest that she realized how healthy she was.

In Gypsy’s case, her mother told doctors that her medical records were lost in Hurricane Katrina when they were relocated from Louisiana to Missouri, and if they asked too many questions, she found a new physician. 

She used tactics to back up her stories, such as shaving Gypsy’s head. 

Gypsy underwent several unnecessary surgeries, such as the removal of her salivary glands, which her mother convinced doctors to do by using a topical anesthetic to cause drooling.

AP News reported that through the ruse, they met country star Miranda Lambert and received charitable donations, a trip to Disney World, and even a home near Springfield from Habitat for Humanity.

Dee Dee kept Gypsy sheltered from her family and the rest of the world. She had little schooling and wasn’t even sure what her real age was. 

Gypsy said in addition to controlling her whole life, Dee Dee had also chained her to a bed and would hit her. 

How did Gypsy conspire to murder her mother? 

Gypsy met her co-conspirator, Goodejohn, on a Christian dating website, where they grew closer by secretly messaging each other. 

According to AP News, Gypsy testified in the sentencing of Goodejohn, saying she had convinced him to travel to Missouri to kill her mother. 

She said it was the only way she could think of to get away from the abuse. 

Goodejohn's attorneys argued that he committed the murder in order to grow closer to Gypsy and was blinded by love. 

Goodejohn stabbed Dee Dee to death, was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder, and is currently serving a life sentence. 

What is Gypsy doing now that she is out of prison? 

Gypsy has been working on her documentary series “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard,” saying she wants to raise awareness for abuse victims. 

In 2022, she married Ryan Anderson, whom she met after he wrote her a letter in prison. 

She has been reunited with her dad and stepmom, whom her mom kept her from before the crime.