On Dec. 18, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri after serving a sentence for conspiring to kill her mother with her now ex-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, in 2015. Blanchard’s mother “Dee Dee” suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which caused her to fake her daughter’s illnesses to receive sympathy from others who viewed her as a devoted caretaker. Once Blanchard learned of her mother’s lies, she eventually met Godejohn online, whom she asked to kill her mother so Blanchard could be with him. After pleading guilty to second-degree murder, Blanchard’s sentence was originally intended to last 10 years, however, Blanchard was released at the end of 2023 after spending eight years at the correctional center, while Godejohn is still serving his life sentence without parole.
Blanchard soon posted a picture from her Instagram account after her release and gained a significant following, now including over eight million followers. This may be a result of the multiple popular documentaries and the well-known Hulu series entitled “The Act” that cast the history of Blanchard and her mother in the limelight. However, because of this quick rise to fame straight out of prison, many have been wondering whether it poses an issue for Blanchard and her reintegration into society.
At first, Blanchard stated in an interview with ABC that she had planned to be considered “infamous,” not famous, which is not what came to be. After her first post on Instagram went viral, Blanchard has been seen in interviews on “Good Morning America” and “The View” discussing her past and how she has been affected by her newfound fame. She has been accompanied by her husband, Ryan Anderson, in some of these interviews as well. They even participated in a newlyweds game while being interviewed by Lifetime. However, all of these interviews occurred within about a month of her release from prison.
Typically, it is very difficult for prisoners to reintegrate into society because they are faced with many challenges and societal discrimination. On top of all of this pressure, facing it alone can be straining on an individual’s mental health after their release from prison. Yet, it seems that Blanchard is facing the flip side of this issue. She is garnering an extreme amount of positive support, and although it might help her to feel supported, fame tends to come with its problems.
For instance, on Feb. 4, Blanchard posted an Instagram reel with her sister showcasing the items they bought after shopping. Blanchard made a joking comment, asking her sister if she was “going to show them [her] whole wardrobe?” Comments began flooding in about Blanchard’s supposed intense need to be in the spotlight and shaming her for questioning her sister while filming.
Additionally, in Blanchard’s Lifetime documentary that aired on Jan. 5, she recalls her time before prison and what led her to commit second-degree murder. There is a good chance that many will watch this documentary, especially considering the success of other shows that describe Blanchard’s story, but there is no guarantee that Blanchard will remain to be seen in a positive light by these viewers. Just as it was shown on Instagram, the public can easily turn on famous individuals if they do not like what they see and hear.
This means that Blanchard might face difficulty in her personal life following her release after all. Either way, Blanchard is currently garnering a lot of attention and it does not look like that will be changing very soon. Due to this, in the interest of Blanchard, the public should consider remaining positive and helping Blanchard’s integration into American society rather than hurting it.
