Eight years in prison for second-degree murder led to freedom and fame for Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
Blanchard returned home to Louisiana after spending eight years in prison for plotting a murder against her mother, Claudine “DeeDee” Blanchard, in 2015. Originally from Golden Meadow, LA, the two moved to Springfield, MO shortly after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Claudine Blanchard was believed to have Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental illness that causes child abuse. Parents with this illness make their children act sick, fake symptoms or take unnecessary medication, often causing them to truly become sick. Gypsy Rose Blanchard experienced these effects as a child. Tortured since the age of 8, Gypsy Rose responded with a revenge plot against her mother, who resultingly died.
Now 32 years old, Blanchard has returned to her roots in Louisiana with more than she has ever had before: a husband, freedom and fame.
Only one day after being released from prison, Gypsy Rose made her first post on social media.
A mirror selfie with the caption “First selfie of freedom!”. Internet users quickly became her biggest fans, leaving supportive comments and over 6 million likes on the post. She has over 8 million followers on her Instagram account and frequently shows off her Louisiana pride.
A mirror selfie of her in a Saints jersey can be found on her Instagram. She also has a fleur de lis tattoo and expresses her love for Louisiana weather.
Celebrities and influencers have shown support by following Gypsy on social platforms. Gypsy’s official TikTok account is currently at 9.8 million followers. She’s an advocate for awareness of Munchausen by Proxy, with hopes of spreading awareness to her followers. In her TikTok videos, she explains how important open discussion of mental illness is.
Through social media, Gypsy Rose has the opportunity to right her wrongs.
Although many people support her freedom, there’s still a handful of people who believe she shouldn’t have been released from prison. “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard” aired earlier this month to explain Gypsy’s story in her own words. This gives a behind the scenes look into Gypsy’s life before, during and after her release from prison.
Spreading awareness and her truth isn’t the only thing Gypsy has been working on.
The prisoner turned influencer told People magazine, “I know the home that I’m going home to is with my husband, and I’m going to have a really supportive family dynamic. And I think that that’s what I’ve been missing this whole time.”
Lately, spending time with family and her puppy has been Gypsy’s main focus. Her husband, Ryan Anderson, is also a Louisiana native. The two started talking through letters while Gypsy was still behind bars. Since being posted with Gypsy Rose after her release, his Instagram is now flooded with likes, followers and the occasional troll.
Gypsy is no stranger to going viral. She’s blown up on the internet for defending her husband against these haters. “Besides they jealous,” Gypsy typed, “because you are rocking my world every night.. the D is fire”. This “clapback,” as Gypsy called it, went viral and created a trend on TikTok.
The haters in Gypsy’s comment section won’t stop, but she has made it clear that she doesn’t care what they say about her. She’s finally free and happy.
Her social media presence hasn’t died down since. Gypsy is still active on Instagram almost every day. If anything, she has shown how quickly you can turn your life around. After discovering that her entire life was a lie, she made a mistake and claims to regret it every day. Now, Gypsy has the freedom, support and power to tell her story.
