Now out of prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard is appearing on television for her first major interview in more than five years starting Friday night.
Blanchard shares her side of the apparent Munchausen syndrome by proxy case that drove her to plan her mother’s murder in a new docuseries, The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. The three-part special contains six episodes total, with two airing each night Friday through Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on the Lifetime network. In a trailer, Blanchard promises to “share my story and speak my truth.”
“This docuseries chronicles my quest to expose the hidden parts of my life that have never been revealed... until now,” Gypsy Rose says in a voiceover.
Blanchard, now 32, was released from the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri on parole December 28 after serving 85 percent of her 10-year sentence. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the June 2015 stabbing death of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. Gypsy Rose conspired with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to kill her mother after suffering years of what she calls “relentless child abuse” in the new docuseries trailer.
Multiple experts have concluded that Dee Dee likely suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental disorder in which a caretaker makes someone sick or gives the illusion of being ill in order to garner attention. As early as Gypsy Rose’s infancy, Dee Dee led doctors to believe her daughter suffered from a series of fake illnesses such as asthma, leukemia, and muscular dystrophy, consequently subjecting her to unnecessary surgeries and treatments.
The case was previously highlighted in the 2017 HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest and was the basis for the 2019 dramatized limited series The Act on Hulu. Gypsy Rose also sat for a televised interview with Dr. Phil McGraw in November 2017, appeared on 20/20 in January 2018, and participated in Investigation Discovery’s Gypsy Revenge documentary in November 2018.
How to Watch The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Cable and other live TV subscribers can watch each episode of The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard exclusively on Lifetime. The first two episodes debut Friday with two more releasing Saturday before the finale pair on Sunday. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET all three nights.
Following Friday’s premiere, you can stream the first two episodes for free on mylifetime.com through January 15. The remaining episodes will require a subscription to view on the site. After each broadcast, the episodes will also be available on demand with a cable subscription or for purchase on direct-to-own platforms such as Amazon and iTunes.
Gypsy Rose will talk about her incarceration and husband
In a press release, Lifetime said the six-hour project will feature “unprecedented access” to Blanchard, including on the eve of her parole hearing. It will delve into her time in prison and introduce viewers to her husband, Ryan Scott Anderson, a Louisiana teacher whom she married in June 2022. “We’re in love,” she told People just prior to her release. “When I’m at home with my family, with my husband’s arms around me and I’m surrounded by my loved ones, that is when I will be happy.”
According to Lifetime, Blanchard will also discuss “her emotional journey of being forced to remain a child, held prisoner by her own mother, and the unfathomable choice she made in order to survive.”
Blanchard spoke with filmmakers from prison. The trailer appears to feature both recorded and in-person interviews with her. Executive producer Melissa Moore has documented Blanchard in prison since 2017. “I watched her transform into a woman who holds responsibility for her past and now has the courage to face an unknown new free world for the first time,” Moore said in the release.
Gypsy Rose’s other plans for the future
In addition to the Lifetime series, Blanchard is also sharing her story through a new e-book, Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom, which releases on January 9. She has previously expressed her desire to write about her experiences in order to help other victims of child abuse.
Reportedly, she hopes to do the same with her voice. According to TMZ, sources close to Gypsy Rose said she plans to participate in speaking engagements and advocacy work after her release to raise awareness about Munchausen by proxy. The outlet said she has taken part in group therapy while in prison and will likely enter one-on-one trauma therapy.
Blanchard has said she completed multiple self-improvement courses during her incarceration and wishes to use those skills to help others. “This will be my never-ending life goal,” she said in 2021.
Gypsy Rose has shared via social media she is spending time reconnecting with members of her family following her release, including celebrating New Year’s Eve with her husband; her father, Rod Blanchard; and her stepmother, Kristy Blanchard.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
