At the end of 2023, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison. Lifetime’s new docuseries The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard tells the complicated story from her perspective.
In 2015, Blanchard’s story became headline news when her mother was found dead. Unbeknownst to their friends and family, Blanchard’s mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, is believed to have had undiagnosed Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and abused Gypsy Rose. For most of Gypsy Rose’s life, as explored in the 2017 documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, Dee Dee convinced everyone around them that her daughter suffered from several debilitating genetic illnesses.
However, Gypsy Rose never had the severe illnesses her mother claimed. Blanchard’s mother petitioned for feeding tubes for Gypsy Rose, even though they were unnecessary; she claimed Gypsy Rose had leukemia, confined Gypsy Rose to a wheelchair, and shaved her head to maintain an illusion of illness.
The complicated story of the Blanchards
When physicians questioned Gypsy Rose’s medical history, Dee Dee told them her daughter’s records were lost during Hurricane Katrina. Gypsy Rose’s supposed illnesses defined the lives of the Blanchards. This included having wishes fulfilled through the Make-A-Wish foundation, appearing on talk shows, and living in a house provided by Habitat for Humanity.
Blanchard felt the only way she could escape her mother’s hold was if her mother died. After meeting Nicholas Godejohn in an online chatroom, Blanchard asked Godejohn to kill her mother. The two carried out the murder plot and were arrested shortly after. In 2016, a judge sentenced Blanchard to 10 years in prison. The parole board released her after Blanchard served eight years. (Godejohn is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.)
Gypsy Rose Blanchard has given brief interviews over the years, but the new docuseries, The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, is the first in-depth look at Blanchard’s version of the story. The interview took place over Blanchard’s final 18 months in prison. In the opening scene of the series, the filmmakers speak with Blanchard the day before the parole hearing that led to her ultimate release. Over six episodes, Blanchard and other family members disclose the abuse she faced and how her time in prison actually helped her grow as a person.
Where to watch The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard
The first episode of The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard premiered January 5 on the Lifetime network and is available to watch On Demand through a cable provider. If you don’t have cable, there are still other options to see the show. Most streaming services with live TV packages, such as Hulu+ Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream, include Lifetime.
Lifetime will stream a few episodes of the series on its website and official app. You will need a cable TV login to watch all six episodes through Lifetime’s website.
(featured image: Lifetime / A&E Networks)
