Gypsy Rose Blanchard Released From Prison After Serving 7 Years For Her Mother’s Murder
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the subject of the HBO documentary film Mommy Dead and Dearest and Hulu’s true crime drama The Act, has been released from prison after serving more than seven years for her role in her mother’s murder.
As reported by TMZ, Gypsy, who was granted parole back in September 2023, was released on Thursday morning (December 28), three years before her release date for her original ten-year sentence. She was convicted in July 2016 of second-degree murder in connection with the death of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard.
“I’m ready for freedom,” Gypsy told People in an interview just before her release from the Missouri Department of Corrections. “I’m ready to expand, and I think that goes for every facet of my life.”
The story of Gypsy and Dee Dee became known to viewers in HBO’s 2017 documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, which revealed how Gypsy’s mother suffered from the illness Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (previously known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy).
Dee Dee had convinced friends and family that Gypsy was terminally ill with the mind of a 7-year-old and suffered from various ailments and illnesses, including muscular dystrophy and leukemia. She forced her daughter to use a wheelchair and, on occasion, even tied her to the bed to stop her from escaping.
“I was very sheltered,” Gypsy told People. “I was limited in what I could watch and the exposure I had to other kids. What I knew of the outside world was only in Disney movies, and those don’t talk about warning signs of bad parents.”
Dee Dee Blanchard (Patricia Arquette) and Gypsy Rose Blanchard (Joey King) in The Act; Brownie Harris/Hulu
In June 2015, Gypsy and her online boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, plotted to kill Dee Dee at her home in Springfield, Missouri. That month, Dee Dee was found stabbed to death.
Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2019 following his trial conviction for first-degree murder.
“Nobody will ever hear me say I’m glad she’s dead or I’m proud of what I did,” Gypsy shared. “I regret it every single day.”
In 2019, The Kissing Booth star Joey King portrayed Gypsy in Hulu’s scripted drama series The Act, based on Michelle Dean’s 2016 BuzzFeed article about the real-life case. Patricia Arquette played Dee Dee and won an Emmy for her performance; King also received an Emmy nomination for her role.
Viewers can hear more about Gypsy’s story and her life behind bars in the upcoming Lifetime docuseries, The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, premiering on Friday, January 5, at 8/7 c.
