Gypsy Rose Blanchard has had a very odd rise and fall on social media. Blanchard, 32, was recently given early parole in late Dec. 2023 for the murder of her mother Clauddine Blanchard, also known as Dee Dee.
In 2016, Gypsy Rose Blanchard along with her at the time boyfriend, Nicholas Godjohn, were both incarcerated for the arrangement of her mother’s murder. Gypsy Rose Blanchard was charged with second degree murder, meanwhile Godjohn was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in Feb. 2019.
It was revealed that Blanchard was continuously abused by Dee Dee Blanchard, which was likely caused in relation to Dee Dee Blanchard’s diagnosis of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA). FDIA is a psychological disorder that is known to cause attention seeking behavior. Although there’s no cure nor medication for this disorder, cognitive therapy is the most common use of treatment for people diagnosed with FDIA. A person with this disorder does not seem to be motivated by a desire for any material type of gain, it’s more for sympathy. People diagnosed with FDIA tend to create exaggerations of the symptoms of the person that they’re taking care of in many ways, such as by falsifying records.
School counselor Kelly Watson stated childhood trauma can have “Long lasting effects in a person’s life,” Which seems to explain some of the irrational behavior of Dee Dee Blanchard.
This abuse occurred continuously throughout Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s life up until she was put in prison for the murder. Dee Dee Blanchard alleged Gypsy had illnesses such as Leukemia and Muscular Dystrophy, and Gypsy required a wheelchair, feeding tubes, medication commonly used for seizures and other medical “problems.”
The story of Dee Dee Blanchard’s murder shocked the nation in 2015. In 2017, the documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, which centered around the case, was released to the public. “The Act,” a tv series developed by Hulu starring Joey King as Gypsy Rose Blanchard, was released to the public in 2019.
In the wake of these two releases, there was an uproar over the case with a majority of the public debating whether or not Gypsy Rose Blanchard deserved prison time over Dee Dee’s murder. The Blanchards’ story has all the disturbing constituents that reels in fans of the true crime genre nationwide.
During Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s incarceration she met her now husband, Ryan Scott Anderson, a teacher in Louisiana. Anderson contacted Gypsy Rose Blanchard via prison mail after watching a true crime documentary on her case. They married in 2022 while she was in prison. The couple planned to move in together upon her release.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard has accumulated over 8.3 million followers on instagram and 9.8 million on Tik Tok. Despite this growth, Gypsy Rose Blanchard has been heavily criticized online for her marriage to Anderson.
Gypsy Rose Blachard spoke out on Instagram saying, “Those who choose to stay ignorant about my personal growth as a person and place labels on me DO NOT influence my happiness. Spread love NOT hate.” This post has received over 600,000 likes on Instagram
Gypsy Rose Blanchard has been unfazed by the criticism she has faced online and is especially unaffected by the negative comments left on her posts regarding her husband. Gypsy Rose Blanchard has continued living her life outside of the prison walls she once occupied. It is unclear if Gypsy will resume a normal life or have her past traumas affect her future.
