Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison on December 28, 2023, sparking a fresh wave of interest in her case. After all, it’s an absolutely harrowing story, one that will probably linger in the public consciousness for a very long time.
Blanchard had a nightmarish childhood. She was seriously ill and medically fragile … or so she’d been led to believe. In truth, her mother Dee Dee was lying about her illnesses to keep Blanchard under tight control, and manipulating all those around her into believing she was the saintly caregiver for a disabled child. Gypsy Rose is considered a victim of her mother’s “Munchausen syndrome by proxy,” which psychiatrist Dr. Marc Feldman explained to Today.com is a psychological disorder where the “caregiver feigns, exaggerates or induces illness in (another person) with the primary goal being to get attention, sympathy and praise.”
This all came to a horrible end when Blanchard and her now ex-boyfriend, a man she’d met online named Nicholas Godejohn, killed Dee Dee. Once they were caught, and it turned out Blanchard never had any disabilities, people were deeply shocked and wanted to know more.
As a result, there’s been multiple documentaries about the Blanchard case, as well as one narrativized account that was met with critical acclaim. Here they are in order of release date.
Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)
Two years after the murder, this detailed documentary dropped on HBO. In Mommy Dead and Dearest, we heard from members of Dee Dee’s family—who shared the horrible detail that they flushed her ashes down the toilet—and Blanchard herself.
Director Erin Lee Carr thoroughly believed in her subject, the clearly very vulnerable Blanchard. “My gut and my instinct as a filmmaker? I trusted her,” she told Rolling Stone. “She was a victim. I always had empathy for her, and I continue to have empathy for her. Her story was complex, but it was fairly consistent.”
20/20: The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard (2018)
Blanchard gave audiences a glimpse into her state of mind in this 20/20 episode, speaking from prison. She indicated that she’d simply swapped one kind of incarceration for another. “The prison that I was living in before, with my mom, it’s like, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t have friends. I couldn’t go outside, you know, and play with friends or anything,” she said. “Over here, I feel like I’m freer in prison, than with living with my mom.” It’s unsettling stuff.
Gypsy’s Revenge (2018)
The documentary Gypsy’s Revenge features more of Blanchard herself speaking out. “Gypsy initially turned down our request for an interview, but after a few months of corresponding with her family and them getting to know us and our intentions, she gradually started opening up to the idea and agreed to the interview,” documentary contributor Jesse Vile told Hollywood Soapbox. “In fact, it wasn’t until after we met and interviewed her father that she finally agreed to it.” The show examines exactly what happened to Blanchard and how it affected her.
The Act (2019)
The Act is the fictionalized version of the Blanchard story. Patricia Arquette played Dee Dee in an Emmy-winning performance, and Joey King played Gypsy Rose. Later it transpired that Gypsy Rose Blanchard herself wasn’t impressed with the show and how it had been constructed.
In her 2024 e-book, Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom, Blanchard wrote, “I was not consulted or compensated for a show that made actor Joey King a household name … The Act brought an onslaught of emails from strangers all over the world. The corrections officers looked at me differently. Inmates wanted my autograph; others asked me for money, assuming being on television means you’re rich.” It was a well-made show, but it negatively impacted its subject.
Snapped: Gypsy Rose and Nick – A Love To Kill For (2019)
The Oxygen series Snapped took a look at the relationship between Blanchard and Godejohn, and also featured a prison interview with Godejohn in this two-hour special. Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison in February 2019 and hearing him speak for himself about the twisted love he had for Gypsy Rose Blanchard, and what he would do differently if given the chance, may send shivers down your spine. This episode isn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.
Killer Cases: Killing Momma (2021)
A&E covered the Gypsy Rose Blanchard story on the show Killer Cases. You can catch it on Tubi if you’re in the U.S. There’s a clip of the episode on YouTube, but it doesn’t seem to be approved of by people who’ve been following the case, with lots of comments stating that the show is unfair to Blanchard. If you can get hold of the episode, judge for yourself.
The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard (2024)
The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard aired on Lifetime after Blanchard was released from prison, and it gives us a look at previously unknown aspects of the story in Blanchard’s own words. Audiences get to see what prison life was like for her and what her plans are for the future. It’s weirdly touching how much Blanchard enjoyed prison and how she felt her life truly changed when she went inside. Definitely a must-watch if you’ve been keeping up with the case all these years.
(featured image: Lifetime)
