It is hard to believe that there is anyone on the internet who doesn’t know who Gypsy Rose Blanchard is. She is all over social media, constantly in pop culture headlines, and recently finished the first season of her new documentary Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up.
The Life of Gypsy Rose
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was recently released from prison after serving 8 years out of a 10-year sentence for the second-degree murder of her mother Dee Dee Blanchard. She suffered years and years of physical, mental, and medical abuse at the hands of Dee Dee, who would forcibly make Gypsy Rose sick with unnecessary medication, surgeries, and more. By 2015, Gypsy Rose had had enough. She decided to kill her mom, with the help of her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn. Godejohn would end up being the one to end Dee Dee’s life, stabbing her in the back 17 times. Both Nicholas and Gypsy Rose were imprisoned for the murder, Godejohn was sentenced to life for first-degree murder, and Gypsy Rose was sentenced to 10 years in prison for second-degree murder.
This crime gained a lot of public attention due to the disturbing nature of the prolonged child abuse. Due to the fact Gypsy Rose was released from prison, the story has recently found its way back into the limelight. Not only was Gypsy Rose released in December of 2023, but she has been very active on social media, which has gained her a pretty big following and in turn more media coverage. One of the newest additions to Gypsy Rose’s media presence is the Lifetime documentary, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up. Although a documentary, this show plays more like reality television. Starting with her release from prison, the doc follows Gypsy Rose as she tries to redefine herself while also revisiting the past.
The Documentary
The show begins with Gypsy Rose’s family preparing for her return home. Her dad, Rod Blanchard; stepmom, Kristy; half-sister, Mia; and husband Ryan are all decorating their Airbnb in Missouri for Christmas. Gypsy Rose is then released on December 28, 2023, and it soon becomes clear that she is the media’s new star.
The 8-episode show follows Gypsy Rose through the transition into a life of freedom, but also a life of full exposure. She has been a spectacle in the public eye even before she was released, and now being able to follow her journey, more and more people join the obsession. Gypsy Rose, while happily documenting her story, soon becomes aware of the cruelty of strangers on the internet, something she never really has had to deal with before. The documentary not only focuses on Gypsy Rose trying to create a new life for herself, but it also focuses on the faults in our criminal justice system and the need for prison reform. We see Gypsy Rose struggling to navigate the rules of being on parole and the obstacles ex-convicts have to overcome to please their parole officer.
Gypsy Rose in the Media
This show almost feels too personal for the average television watcher. There is something that feels inherently wrong in following a woman who has never had autonomy or a say in how she lives her life as she attempts to do just that. Dee Dee completely took away any free will Gypsy Rose had the moment she was born. Once Dee Dee died, Gypsy Rose spent the next 8 years in prison, following rules and hoping to get off on good behavior. By the time she was released from prison in December, she was 32 years old. Now 33, she has never been able to figure out who she is. She has never been given the chance to grow up, or at the least have a childhood. She is thrown right into the deep end, and a camera crew is there to catch all of it. And with every wrong move she takes, or with every mistake she makes, the audience turns on Gypsy Rose, forgetting she is learning all of this for the first time.
It’s so odd to me how Gypsy Rose was seen as a victim largely until she was able to speak for herself and yall realized she’s a whole human & not the “perfect” victim. In particular since yall feel like she’s playing into her fame, which she had no hand in, mind you. Her story… https://t.co/sPWLYoq2Su
— I appreciate you. (@DeeLaSheeArt) July 29, 2024
But it seems that Gypsy Rose supports the show. In an interview with the New Zealand online magazine The Spinoff, she explains that it lets her tell the story she wants to tell. She fears people view her as who she was in 2015, and she is adamant about letting viewers know she is not that person anymore. She is trying to live her own life and hopes to put space between her and her past.
In addition to the documentary, Gypsy Rose has been in the news following leaked photos of the Blanchard house and Dee Dee’s body at the time of her murder. The pictures are gruesome like any crime scene picture is. These pictures have caused people to change their tune, calling Gypsy Rose a monster and saying she should still be in prison. She no longer fits whatever vision of “the perfect victim” they have.
We have seriously lost the plot here. Yes, Gypsy Rose orchestrated the murder of her mother, but this mother had been abusing her horrifically. In her mind, there wasn’t any other option. This is a common pattern for people who face a large influx of media coverage. Their public perception becomes cyclical. For example, Gypsy Rose was first introduced in the media as a murderer, but then once more information came out about her trauma, the public switched to supporting her. She is put on a pedestal until something comes out to knock her down, gruesome crime scene photos for example. And the cycle continues. And with this cycle, the humanity of Gypsy Rose is lost.
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