The internet is buzzing with the recent release of Gypsy Rose Blanchard from a Missouri prison, where she served eight years for her part in the murder of her mother, Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released on Dec. 28, 2023, after serving 85% of her 10 year sentence.
Blanchard was victim of munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental disorder and form of abuse where a primary caretaker fabricates the illness of a child. The oddity of this case is what attracted so much attention in the world of true crime and inspired the HBO documentary “Mommy Dead and Dearest” and the Hulu series “The Act.”
“It’s one of the most difficult things that I have ever been involved in,” Blanchards attorney Mike Stanfield told Nexstar’s KOLR while discussing the release of his client. “Gypsy has gone through things that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone and to finally be at the end of this, for her to come out and start living a normal life, is wonderful.”
Blanchard does not just plan to live the rest of her life in normalcy, but rather she is creating a strong media presence for herself. Blanchard made her social media debut the day after her release, posting a selfie captioned “First selfie of freedom,” and has reached over eight million followers on her Instagram since. Blanchard gained even more popularity on TikTok, hitting almost 10 million followers, where she posts life updates and participates in trends like “get ready with me” and “outfit of the day.”
“I feel like I have been blessed with a platform and the ability to possibly create change, and that is what I’m trying to do,” Blanchard said in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE.
Blanchard not only uses her platform to document her life of freedom with her new husband, but also uses it to spread awareness about munchausen syndrome by proxy. She has also been using her platform to promote her new lifetime docuseries, “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard,” which aired on Jan. 5, and her new e-book “Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom,” which was published on Jan. 9.
“So much of what has already been put out there was either by people, that, honestly, just didn’t know the ins and outs of my case — or they lied,” Blanchard said in a recent press conference to promote her docuseries. “Ultimately, I think, I’m the source. It happened to me, and so no one has the right but me to tell this story.”
While Blanchard has had a packed schedule since her release, she is enjoying her time reconnecting with her family in Louisiana and spending time with her husband.
“It’s a very sweet ending to a very long story,” Stanfield said to Nexstar’s KOLR.
