We’re only three days into 2024 and Gen Z already have a new commander-in-chief. And before you say anything, no it’s not Barry Keoghan—he’s far too busy having fun with graves. In actuality, we’ve seemingly crowned a convict, Miss Gypsy Rose Blanchard herself.
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok recently you will have likely come across deep dives, compilations, thirst traps, and overall adoration for Blanchard, whose release from prison has become one of the most documented moments online.
The 32-year-old, who was released on 28 December 2023 after serving eight years in prison for second-degree murder, has become a literal internet sensation. Blanchard has single-handedly taken over gay X, formerly Twitter, and TikTok—even being invited into Nicki Minaj’s pink wonderland, Gag City.
gag city welcomes its new resident gypsy rose blanchard ! pic.twitter.com/FpPw6pBRM3
— katrina (@Popbase23) December 28, 2023
With Gypsy Rose out and clearly excited to embrace the limelight, let’s delve into everything a novice might need to know about the former prisoner/present-day socialite.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was arrested in 2015 for the murder of her mother Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. 23 at the time, Gypsy Rose had conspired with her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to murder Dee Dee.
From a very young age, Blanchard had been a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP) by Dee Dee. This is a form of abuse wherein a parent or guardian either makes their child ill or exaggerates their illness to gain attention and sympathy from others. Often these individuals will force their children to live incredibly sheltered lives, convincing both the child and everyone around them that medical professionals have demanded it.
Some of you might recall the term Munchausen from that one iconic season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills wherein some of the cast accused Yolanda Hadid of faking having Lyme disease. Oopsie.
Either way, the case gained even more attention when Hulu produced a show about the Blanchards called The Act starring Joey King.
It’s no secret that Gen Z has a potentially unhealthy obsession with true crime. I mean, the fact that I consistently spend time watching mega-twisted Netflix serial killer documentaries but then don’t seem to understand why I’m way too scared to go to sleep or be in my room without a chain lock says it all.
Just think about how completely consumed we all were with Evan Peters in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. It took the victims’ families coming out with statements of disgust over the fetishisation of Dahmer to really shake people out of their serial killer fantasies.
With Blanchard, things have played out similarly. However, in this case, it feels as though we’ve collectively decided that Gypsy Rose is now a fierce icon? You only have to do a quick search of her name on TikTok to see people fawning over her and gagging at the fact that she already has a fresh set of nails and lashes:
@flynnwest Icon 💅🏼 #gyspyroseblanchard #celebritynews #fypシ #flynnwest
♬ sonido original - NOT ACTIVE
Oh, she’s also now “mother”:
And let’s make something clear, I have no issue with these videos—they are honestly getting me through the January slump. But it is kind of wild how we fixate on criminals because slay has a whole new meaning for our girl Gypsy Rose.
@smexyxgoodxeditss4iife SLAYED MAMA!! #gypsyrose #gypsyroseblanchard #gypsyroseedit #fyp #foryoupage #edit #capcut #goodday #sza
♬ original sound - stranger things fan
Blanchard is wasting no time getting herself out there either. Shortly after her release, she began consistently posting on both her Instagram and TikTok.
In her first video post-release, the 32-year-old stated: “I’m finally free!” before going on to say that she was planning on telling her side of the story in a new docu-series called The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard which will premiere on Friday 5 January.
Blanchard will also be releasing an e-book titled Released: Confessions on the Eve of Freedom. Speaking about the book, Blanchard revealed: “It’s not a rehashing of everything that happened. It’s more of my reflection of everything that I have learned and experienced in the last eight and a half years.”
One aspect of Blanchard’s life that is still somewhat of a mystery is her relationship with her husband Ryan Anderson. The pair first connected in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic after Anderson sent Blanchard a letter while she was still behind bars. In an interview with People, Anderson revealed that he was prompted to write the letter after his co-worker told him that she wanted to write to Tiger King star, Joe Exotic.
“I said, ‘I’ll tell you what, if you write him, I’ll write [to] Gypsy Rose Blanchard.’ And I had watched her documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, like three years before that,” he recalled.
The pair began exchanging emails and were eventually married in 2022 in a small prison ceremony with no guests. Blanchard told People: “I would say that he is probably the most compassionate soul that I’ve ever met, and the most patient, God knows, he’s so patient with me because I could be a little bit of a lot to handle. I could be a handful, an emotional handful.”
The couple are keen to start their own family now that Blanchard has been released.
There have been rumours circulating that Blanchard might be on the lookout for a new bestie, and who better to choose than Kim Kardashian? According to TMZ—so maybe take this with a pinch of salt—sources close to Gypsy Rose have revealed that she wants to meet with Kardashian to discuss prison reform. Supposedly, Blanchard feels would be a good fit because of her experience with the justice system and the reality TV star’s work on prison reform.
This is, of course, all speculation, but I will say, now that would be an iconic duo no one could’ve predicted for 2024.