Who Is Gypsy Rose Blanchard? Convict Becoming Internet’s Top Influencer
The 32-year-old was recently released from prison after eight years for orchestrating the murder of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. She now has more than nine million followers on TikTok.
But Blanchard’s story also isn’t a simple one, with many thinking she was wrongly imprisoned in the first place.
Dee Dee, it is now believed, suffered from a mental disorder known as Munchausen syndrome, which experts believe led to her subjecting her daughter to years of unnecessary medical treatments. This included using a wheelchair and getting two salivary glands removed, according to Blanchard.
“I see Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s rapid rise to social media fame as a testament to the power of second chances and personal growth,” Nina Vargas, a celebrity and business strategist, told Business Insider.
“Her story of resilience and transformation has resonated with millions, showing that we’re all capable of change and redemption, no matter our past.”
Where Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s story began
Courtesy of the Blanchard Family
Blanchard grew up in a pink house in Missouri with her mother Dee Dee. She had a tough start in life, with Dee Dee telling neighbors and doctors her daughter was suffering from multiple illnesses including leukemia and muscular dystrophy, according to ABC News.
Hulu’s 2019 series “The Act,” starring Joey King and Patricia Arquette gave a dramatized retelling of the family’s story, and multiple documentaries have laid out what happened to Blanchard in detail.
Blanchard was given multiple medications every day, was administered liquidized food through a feeding tube, and was transported around in a wheelchair.
Dee Dee kept Blanchard’s head shaved, telling her it would fall out anyway. Blanchard’s teeth rotted and fell out, and the rest had to be extracted. She even had her salivary glands removed.
Dee Dee constantly obsessed over her daughter’s care and smothered Blanchard to the point they shared the same bed.
Behind closed doors Dee Dee was overbearing, but to the outside world, it was a different story. The two became darlings of the neighborhood, with people being more than willing to step in and help them out financially.
But the truth was Blanchard was perfectly healthy. Her tooth decay was a result of the strong medications she didn’t need. Her hair would grow back if it wasn’t cut away. She was also a lot older than Dee Dee was telling people she was.
Dee Dee’s lies started making less sense to Blanchard, who tried to escape several times but was always forced to come back home. She finally plotted with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, who she met over the internet, to kill Dee Dee so she could be free.
In June 2015, a post appeared on Dee Dee’s Facebook page that said: “That Bitch is dead.”
Police tracked down Godejohn and Blanchard after finding Dee Dee stabbed to death in her bedroom.
Blanchard was sentenced to 10 years in prison for second-degree murder, while Godejohn, who was the one who carried out the murder, was given a life sentence. Blanchard later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Supporters believe she had no choice
Blanchard served eight of her 10 years before she received parole and was released on December 28, 2023.
Over the years, Blanchard grew supporters who thought she was wrongly imprisoned, and killing Dee Dee was a last resort.
It is now widely believed that Dee Dee should have been diagnosed with factitious disorder imposed on another, also known as Munchausen by proxy, which is a form of child abuse.
The theory is that Dee Dee was purposefully giving her daughter pills and medicines to create symptoms of diseases that she didn’t have, to get attention from doctors and her peers.
Blanchard has given several interviews over the years about her incarceration, describing how trapped she felt while living with her mother. In one with People after her release, she said killing Dee Dee was an act of “panic” and “desperation” because she was facing yet another surgery.
“It’s not like I didn’t think about every other option besides murder,” she told the outlet. “I did.”
In her first social media video on December 31, 2023, Blanchard thanked everyone who had supported her. It amassed over 32 million views.
“Hey everyone, this is Gypsy,” she said. “I’m finally free.”
Leaning into her influencer status
Since her release, Blanchard hasn’t wasted any time throwing herself into the media circuit. She’s appeared on “The View,” given a handful of exclusive interviews, and gained millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram.
Popular influencers have also helped boost her platform.
Claudia Oshry (girlwithnojob) stated on her podcast “The Toast” that Gypsy Rose Blanchard was “the name on everybody’s lips,” and even mused that she may win the title of Time’s next Person of the Year.
Amanda Hirsch (notskinnybutnotfat) joked with Blanchard about a comment she recently made on Instagram about her sex life when trolls came after her husband, Ryan Anderson.
“They jealous because you are rocking my world every night,” Blanchard wrote. “Yeah I said it, the D is fire.”
Blanchard’s attitude and enthusiasm to lean into her stardom have made her a darling of the internet, with fans pronouncing her a “queen” and commending her courage.
“She’s actually so real, what an angel,” one comment reads.
Another asks: “If she’s out of prison, why is she still serving?”
Vargas told BI that Blanchard’s support comes from people not just focusing on her past, but “her present and future.”
“It’s about hope, growth, and the human spirit,” she said. “We’re naturally drawn to stories of resilience, and her journey embodies that.”
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
9 million followers on TikTok
Despite her video updates having the slightly clumsy quality of a new social media user, the internet has welcomed Blanchard with open arms. She currently has over nine million followers on TikTok, and eight million on Instagram.
YouTubers are begging her to appear on their podcasts, and media outlets are scrabbling over each other to land an interview.
Jessica Maddox, an assistant professor and researcher of social media and internet culture at The University of Alabama, told BI Blanchard’s story has long been a source of fascination, with documentaries, articles, and television adaptations.
“She’s always been a bit of a sustained internet celebrity in this way, even when she’s been in prison,” Maddox said. “The social media landscape was ready for her when she was paroled.”
People were rooting for Blanchard to succeed, Maddox said, because her story was so horrific. Now, they get to see what she actually does with her freedom.
“She endured horrible abuse for years, and I think people are interested in what she does now and how she can move on from that,” she said.
Maddox also said some caution is always necessary when being flung into the limelight, especially for someone who has already been through so much.
“I hope followers give Gypsy the space to heal from her lifetime of trauma,” she said. “And we should remember that her sharing anything with us at all is a privilege, not a right.”
