Gypsy Rose Blanchard talks cosmetic surgery, social media, her marriage and more
Blanchard also discussed the "hate" she says she's received since her release.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is speaking out about her life months after being released from prison, where she served time for the murder of her mother, Clauddinnea "Dee Dee" Blanchard, in 2015.
In an interview with ABC News, which aired on Thursday, Gypsy Rose Blanchard opened up to Juju Chang about her transition into normal life since her release from the Chillicothe Correctional Center on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023.
The controversial and complicated figure has amassed nearly 10 million followers on TikTok alone since stepping out of prison, where she gives an insight into her life -- from filming makeup tutorials to sharing her secret prison recipes.
Asked about her decision to stay in the limelight, she told Chang, "Sometimes I kind of feel like I have no choice."
"I mean, I think that with social media is concerned, I think that I wanted to be like everyone else -- and have that right of freedom to have social media and interact with my friends online," she said. "I had no idea that I would have 9.8 million followers."
In addition to gaining attention on social media, Gypsy Rose Blanchard also gained a new look, having had a nose job.
"I wanted to do it for myself, my self-esteem, what would make me feel beautiful about myself," she shared of her decision, noting that she has always been very self-conscious about her nose.
During the conversation, Gypsy Rose Blanchard agreed when Chang said she is often portrayed either as "the victim of Munchausen or the murderer."
Gypsy Rose Blanchard also discussed what she felt was the public's reaction to her freedom.
"Quite honestly, I'm starting to feel like they want a perfect victim and there is no such thing as a perfect victim," she explained. "In their mind, the perfect victim would've died. And so now that I survived and the perpetrator of the abuse is the one that died, then I'm getting the hate."
Tune in to "Nightline" at 12:35 a.m. ET for more of the interview.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, were arrested in 2015 for the murder of "Dee Dee" Blanchard, who was found stabbed to death in her Springfield home.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and spent nearly nine years behind bars for her participation in orchestrating the murder of her mother. Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison after his conviction on first-degree murder and is still serving time behind bars.
"Dee Dee" Blanchard allegedly abused her daughter by convincing her she was sick for years when she wasn't.
"Dee Dee" Blanchard portrayed Gypsy Rose Blanchard to the public as a frail, disabled child who suffered from multiple illnesses including leukemia and muscular dystrophy, subjecting her to a life in a wheelchair, a feeding tube and unnecessary surgeries.
Based on an assessment by professionals, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was deemed a victim of her mother's psychological disorder, commonly known as "Munchausen syndrome by proxy," where a parent seeks sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children.
As for her personal life, while still being incarcerated in 2022, she married Ryan Anderson, who waited outside the prison after her release. Anderson wrote to Gypsy Rose Blanchard during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, their relationship fell apart after Gypsy Rose Blanchard filed for divorce in April.
Touching on the subject, she said, "I think people need to understand that Ryan and I had been in a relationship for three years. And in those three years, we had been through a lot of ups and downs. And sometimes relationships just take its course."
Asked if there is any truth to reports about her being afraid of Anderson, she replied, "I'm not afraid of Ryan."
"I think that there are some things that happened that I think we both wish wouldn't have," she continued, adding that she did not regret the relationship but she regretted getting married while she was still in prison.
Meanwhile, in a statement to ABC News, Anderson’s attorney said, "Any allegations of abuse leveled against Mr. Anderson are false and adamantly denied, and we consider any such allegations to be defamatory in nature."
In January, Gypsy Rose Blanchard shared more details on her life in a Lifetime docuseries entitled "The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard."
On the heels of the documentary, Lifetime announced the air date for a new eight-episode docuseries called "Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up," which will premiere on June 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The new series follows Gypsy Rose Blanchard as she experiences life as a free woman, including reconnecting with family and finally living with Anderson for the first time, according to a press release from the network.
Moving forward, she is focusing on making her peace with her past including with her late mother.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard received backlash after mentioning her mother "Dee Dee" Blanchard in a celebration post for Mother’s Day.
In the post that has now been deleted, she said, "It does not go without notice that my own biological mother is not here."
Discussing the event with "GMA," Gypsy Rose Blanchard said, "I wanted to honor her memory. And if I got hate for that, then so be it."
Agreeing that she would always be thought of as somebody who helped murder her mother, she explained, "I go through my own guilt on a daily basis. And so it's not like I could ever hide from that."
"But I don't know if people want me to crawl up in a ball and just start crying all the time. I can't live that way. I have to heal myself," she added.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard has also moved back to live with her dad and stepmom, Kristy Blanchard, whom she referred to as her mom.
Gushing over her, she said Kristy Blanchard "has been the one person that I know without a doubt has my best interests at heart."
In an interview with "GMA," Kristy Blanchard echoed a similar sentiment about her stepdaughter, saying that Gypsy Rose Blanchard has "come a long way" and that "she's not the little, meek girl anymore."
As for the motherly advice she would give her stepdaughter, she shared, "What you don't know doesn't hurt you."
"What people say about her shows their character pretty much," Kristy Blanchard said. "And just know in her heart that the people that know her and love her, know the truth."
Elaborating on her statement, Kristy Blanchard added, "The truth is that she is remarkable."
"Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up" premieres June 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.
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