Gypsy Rose Blanchard recently gave her first tell-all interview since being released from prison.
The 32-year-old sat down with Good Morning America’s Deborah Roberts earlier this week to detail her experiences with childhood abuse that led her to commit second-degree murder and share insight into her time in prison.
Blanchard spent over eight years inside Missouri’s Chillicothe Correctional Center after she convinced her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to kill her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Dee Dee allegedly suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The disorder causes parents to pretend their children are sick in order to gain sympathy.
During Blanchard’s formative years, she was led to believe she had cancer, muscular dystrophy, severe allergies, and more. Dee Dee went to great lengths to create fake symptoms in her daughter. As a result, Blanchard underwent multiple unnecessary surgeries and took dozens of unneeded medications that put in a wheelchair and on feeding tubes.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was sentenced to ten years in prison but only served the state’s minimum of 85%, which translated to over eight years. She was released on Dec. 28, 2023.
“I felt a little bit like I was dropped in a different world,” she told Roberts during the interview that aired on Jan. 5. “You don’t realize how much you’re restricted in prison. I felt like I was in a black-and-white world and I just stepped into technicolor. It was amazing.”
Blanchard said prison wasn’t “much different” than life with her mother, and she did have “more freedom” behind bars. She also admitted that her mother wasn’t a “monster.” Nonetheless, she forgives herself for her crime.
“She had a lot of demons herself that she was struggling with,” Blanchard shared. “I didn’t want her dead. I just wanted out of my situation. And I thought that was the only way out.”
Fans Have Mixed Feelings About Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Candid Interview
Considering the complicated circumstances surrounding the crime, people have mixed feelings about Gypsy Rose Blanchard, especially since she has shot to celebrity status over the years.
Blanchard has gained a cult following that includes millions who believe her abuse justified the crime. Many people are wishing her luck as she “reintegrates into society.” Others feel unsettled by the fact that she convinced someone else to do her bidding.
“I feel sorry for Nicholas Godejohn,” one person posted on X today. “He must have been manipulated…”
Godejon is currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole after he stabbed Dee Dee to death inside her home.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard told Roberts that she’s “sure that we both have a lot of regrets.”
” All I can really say is that I did my time,” she added. “He’s doing his time for his part. And I wish him well on his journey.”
Despite the well-wishes, many don’t believe Blanchard feels any remorse for Godejon, who allegedly suffers from autism. They also don’t think murder was justified because she had “other options.”
“There’s no doubt that her mom was abusive,” another person wrote. “…But many who have suffered worse abuse do not murder their parents.”
Gypsy Rose Blanchard will further explain her life in a six-part docuseries titled The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, which premieres tonight (Jan. 5) on Lifetime.