Who is Gypsy Rose?

If you are on any social media platforms you have probably heard about the recent news of Gypsy Rose Blanchard being released from prison this past December, but do you know the full story?

Gypsy Rose Blanchard was born July 27, 1991, and began her childhood living with her mother Clauddine ‘Dee-Dee’ Blanchard in New Orleans. Starting early in Gypsy Rose’s childhood, Clauddine suffered from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, a mental illness and form of abuse where a caretaker makes their child and others believe that the child is sick by making up symptoms or causing real symptoms making the child seem ill. Clauddine had convinced Gypsy Rose and others to believe she had various illnesses, such as leukemia, muscular dystrophy, asthma, and many more. After Hurricane Katrina hit, destroying Clauddine and Gypsy’s home, the organization Habitat by Humanity built the pair a small home in Springfield, Missouri. By now Gypsy’s story had gotten out and people from all over the world had started to share support through donations, paid-off Disney Trips, and even for Gypsy to win Child of the Year in 2009.

As Gypsy reached her teen years, she began to question her situation and started to get out of her wheelchair at home. Clauddine was not happy about this, and if she caught Gypsy out of her chair she would sometimes resort to physical violence against Gypsy. In later years, Gypsy had met a boy named Nicholas Godejohn on a Christian dating site and began talking to him and soon told him the truth about her mother. A little while later, Gypsy came to the realization that she couldn't survive like this any longer at the hands of her mother and planned her murder with Nicholas.

In June of 2015, Nicholas murdered Clauddine Blanchard in her home. Nicholas and Gypsy went on the run for five days before getting caught by police. Gypsy had been charged with second-degree murder and was sentenced to ten years; Nicholas Godejohn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. While Gypsy was serving her sentence she had an interview with 20/20, where she exclaimed how she felt more free in prison than she did under the care of her mother: “Over here, I feel like I'm freer in prison than living with my mom. I can live like a normal woman.” After serving 8 years of her 10-year sentence, Gypsy was granted parole in September of 2023 and was released on December 29. 

After Gypsy’s release, the case gained much attention worldwide. People all over the world started posting on social media about the case and sending support for Gypsy’s release. In an interview with ABC News, Gypsy was asked about how she is handling the fame and she responded with, “There is this massive amount of support. And I appreciate that. But I'm dealing with a lot of self-guilt and regrets. So it's a battle going on in my heart and in my mind.” Gypsy Rose is currently living with her husband Ryan Scott Anderson and seems to be extremely happy with him.