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Blanchard was involved in the murder of her mother after years of abuse in a case that still grips true-crime fans.
True-crime fans were abuzz at the start of 2024. Why? Just a few days earlier, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard had been released from prison.
Blanchard made national news in 2015 when, at 23, she and her then-boyfriend teamed up to kill her mother, who had abused the girl for years. Blanchard’s mother claimed her daughter had a number of medical conditions and subjected her to unnecessary surgeries and treatments. It wasn’t until Blanchard killed her mother that people realized she was not actually ill.
Blanchard served seven years in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder. Since her release, she’s starred in her own reality show, appeared on numerous podcasts and talk shows, and become a social media celebrity. Her life is covered by news outlets with breathless fervor.
There is an interest in this story (and in Blanchard herself) given the unique nature of her crime and the circumstances surrounding it, according to criminology experts.
“It gets a lot of attention because (Munchausen syndrome by proxy) is a rare thing,” said Carlos Cuevas, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University. “A lot of people don’t know about it and they’re struck by the dynamics of that particular problem.”
Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a mental illness in which a caretaker fabricates, exaggerates or induces symptoms of illness for their ward, said Cuevas. This often happens between a parent and child and results in the pair gaining attention and sympathy. It is considered a form of abuse and can be very difficult to diagnose.
In Blanchard’s case, her mother told people her daughter had muscular dystrophy, chromosomal defects, epilepsy and cancer. Her mother also told people Blanchard had the mind of a young child. She kept Blanchard’s head shaved to make her appear ill, forced her to use a wheelchair, lied to her about her age, and had her use a feeding tube well into her 20s.
The Blanchards benefitted from Gypsy-Rose’s alleged illnesses. They received charity trips to Disney, met country singer Miranda Lambert through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and often got help from their local community.
As dire as Blanchard’s case of Munchausen by proxy was, her response was equally extreme, Cuevas said. Most people in these situations do not have their perpetrators killed and speak out about their abuse.
It’s not only the rarity of the situation that draws intrigue, but how it subverts stereotypes, says Kevin Drakulich, associate director and professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University.
Drakulich, a sociologist who is also director of the university’s Race and Justice Lab, says there’s a stereotype that violent crime is often committed by men and people of color. That’s why white women who commit crime, like the Blanchards, draw more attention.
“Some of these (ideas) are changing a little bit, but we still have these sexist and racist norms out there,” Drakulich says. “In our collective minds, white women aren’t supposed to commit serious crimes. If a woman commits a serious violent crime, she’s broken the law. But she’s also violated the gender norm.”
When white women do commit violent crimes, Drakulich says, people offer certain justifications for why this happens, such as doing it in reaction to victimization or as a result of mental illness (sometimes referred to as “mad, not bad”), both of which apply to this case.
“It’s a gendered story we use to let people off the hook,” Drakulich says. “That’s where the public appetite for this comes from. We come up with ways to excuse people, and for Gypsy Rose in particular, the story of her being primarily a victim allows us to be on her side when she takes things into her own hands. The fact that she was a victim and particularly a victim of her own mother (who was) acting in these ‘mad not bad’ ways plays into the ideal types of a media frenzy.”
Blanchard’s story has gotten the “true crime” treatment. Even before her release, it was covered in documentaries like “Mommy Dead and Dearest” and scripted series like “The Act,” which aired on Hulu.
Now 33, Blanchard has a reality series called “Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up” that follows her transition to life out of prison. The eight episodes mainly focus on her romantic ups and downs with her now ex-husband and her ex-fiance turned current boyfriend.
Blanchard is currently pregnant with her boyfriend’s child and outlets like People magazine have covered the updates on her pregnancy that she posts on social media.
The continued fascination that does allow her this level of public attention exists for the same reason people were intrigued by her story in the first place, Drakulich says. She subverts stereotypes while also being the victim of a crime involving a rare illness.
But turning Blanchard into a celebrity and her life into entertainment is not necessarily a good thing, he adds.
Going through something like Munchausen by proxy can impact one’s developmental trajectory, Cuevas says. Blanchard not only missed out on normal experiences and learning how to live independently, but also probably has trust issues given her mother’s abuse.
Her adjustment to the real world is now playing out online and on social media.
“All of the TV shows that are ripped from the headlines are all kind of blurring that line and making you think this isn’t just like mindless entertainment and fun. This is real. These are real things that happened,” Drakulich says. “It becomes this participatory game … (and) adding fan culture to these stories.”