Gypsy Rose, the internet’s most recent obsession. How could someone who just got released from serving 8 years in prison be so glorified in the eyes of the public? It all dates back to her traumatic childhood.
Gypsy was born in 1991, and grew up in South Louisiana. From the second she was a baby, her mother, Dee Dee, began claiming her daughter Gypsy had medical issues. It began with the diagnosis of sleep apnea, and continued into much more severe issues including Leukemia, muscular dystrophy, seizures, asthma, and visual impairments. These medical issues were not actually real as Gypsy was not unwell – Dee Dee was lying about her symptoms to doctors.
With the large accusation of medical issues, a substantial list of medications came along with it. She underwent multiple surgeries, such as removing her salivary glands, eye procedures, and teeth pulling. She had to sleep using a breathing machine and was transported in a wheelchair because she was unable to walk according to Dee Dee. Her head was bald, not from the supposed cancer, but just from her mother shaving her hair off.
Dee Dee was believed to have Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which meant she thrived off of gaining attention and sympathy for her care towards her ill daughter. Despite her delusions, Dee Dee seemed charming and devoted to Gypsy, which hid the appalling behavior going on behind the scenes. Dee Dee restricted Gypsy’s voice to speak out her own opinions. Dee Dee instructed Gypsy to not give any of her own feedback to the doctors she visited, and to allow her to do all the talking. If her symptoms were questioned by the doctor, Dee Dee would simply leave and go to another one.
Dee Dee also pulled Gypsy away from her father, Rod Blanchard. He was told that Gypsy had a chromosomal disorder causing her health issues. When his family questioned the use of the wheelchair, Dee Dee and Gypsy moved away to Missouri from their home in Louisiana and used Hurricane Katrina as a cover up.
As Gypsy became older, her rebellious nature began to show as she became harder for Dee Dee to control. Dee Dee changed the date on her birth certificate to make her seem younger than she truly was in order to manipulate Gypsy. Eventually, the wrongdoings of Dee Dee started becoming clear to Gypsy. She attempted to run away with someone she met at a science fiction convention, but was tracked down by Dee Dee, and physically restrained to her bed when arriving home. Dee Dee was 19 at the time, but her forged birth certificate said she was 15.
Gypsy had finally become fed up with Dee Dee’s behavior, and asked Nicholas Godejohn, a man she had met online to kill her mother. Nicholas came to their house and stabbed Dee Dee in 2015; Gypsy was 23 at the time. Gypsy and Nicholas went back to Wisconsin where Gypsy made targeted twitter posts indicating her mother’s death.
Gypsy was sentenced to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Nicholas was sentenced to life in prison after being sentenced to first-degree murder. While in prison, a documentary called “Mommy Dead and Dearest” was released in 2017, reproducing her life. She had an interview with Dr. Phil in 2017 as well. A man named Ryan Anderson contacted Gypsy after watching the documentary, Mommy Dead and Dearest. The two fell in love and got married in a small prison ceremony with no guests.
On December 28th, 2023, Gypsy was released from prison after serving 7 years of her sentence thanks to parole. Despite the wonderful feeling of finally living a free life, Gypsy regrets her actions and realizes that the situation could have been handled in a different manner.
In an interview with people magazine, Gypsy explained, “She was a sick woman and unfortunately I wasn’t educated enough to see that.”
She hopes to bring awareness to Munchausen by proxy and create change through her social media platforms. She has created her own TikTok account and has been seen taking pictures with her supporters. She has reconnected with her family, and is currently living happily with her husband in Missouri.
