Dee Dee is believed to have had a condition known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, forcing Gypsy Rose to undergo unnecessary medical treatments and present with illnesses and disabilities that she did not have. Gypsy Rose has since characterised her mother’s treatment as abuse.
Now, Gypsy Rose is celebrating her freedom and married life with husband Ryan Anderson, whom she wed in 2022 while behind bars. And while her story has previously been documented in Hulu miniseries The Act and the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, Gypsy Rose is now promoting a new Lifetime docuseries called The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
Her father and stepmother have also been involved in her life, and both appear in the new documentary series.
Here’s what you need to know about them and Gypsy Rose’s half-siblings.
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1. Rod Blanchard, Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s father
According to an August 2016 report by BuzzFeed News, Rod Blanchard met Gypsy Rose’s mother Dee Dee while he was still in high school. He was 17 when Dee Dee, 24, became pregnant, and married her.
However, he told BuzzFeed News that he realised on his 18th birthday that he wasn’t meant to be married to her. “I wasn’t in love with her, really. I knew I got married for the wrong reasons,” he said.
Rod went on to marry his current wife Kristy Blanchard, and they had two children. The couple saw Gypsy Rose frequently until she was 10 years old. Rod told BuzzFeed News that he and Kristy attempted to plan trips to visit Gypsy Rose after she and Dee Dee moved to Missouri. “For one reason or another, it would never work out,” he told the publication.
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He also paid Dee Dee US$1,200 in child support monthly, even after Gypsy Rose’s 18th birthday passed, because he believed that she was still not able to care for herself. He told BuzzFeed News that the first time he saw her walk was in news footage. “I was really happy that she was walking,” he said.
Rod became involved in Gypsy Rose’s life again during her time in prison. In 2017, after his daughter’s sentencing, he told People that he and Kristy were still learning about things that had happened while Gypsy Rose was under Dee Dee’s care. At the time, he promised that they would be there for her when she was released.
“She’ll always have a home here,” he said. “We’ll put her on the right path.”
2. Kristy Blanchard, Gypsy Rose’s stepmother
According to The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Kristy Blanchard began dating Rod when Gypsy Rose was six months old.
Kristy told BuzzFeed News she was involved in Gypsy Rose’s life until Dee moved away. She also recalled going on various family outings, including the Special Olympics with Gypsy Rose. Like her husband, she spoke to Gypsy Rose often but never found the chance to plan a visit to Missouri.
Speaking about her stepmother in the Lifetime docuseries, Gypsy Rose called Kristy the “mum that I always wanted to have”, and said she couldn’t imagine life without her.
After her release from prison, Gypsy Rose shared a selfie of her and Kristy with a cat ear Snapchat filter. “Snapchat fun with my stepmum Kristy,” she captioned the photo.
3. Mia Blanchard, Gypsy Rose’s half-sister
Mia Blanchard, 22, is a decade younger than Gypsy. She was born in 2001. Like her parents, she was also involved in the 2017 HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest. She and Gypsy Rose appear to be close because the day after Gypsy Rose was released on parole, she posted an Instagram photo with her younger sister, which she captioned “sister love”.
In the new documentary, Mia said of Gypsy Rose’s sentencing: “I always thought that 10 years was too long.”
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She also expressed her sadness that she and Gypsy Rose had such different upbringings.
“I feel sorry Gypsy didn’t get the life that I got to live,” she said. “I got to grow up with a loving father and a loving mother, I got to grow up going to school with my friends, hanging out with my friends, learning to do all these things and she never had that. That was taken away from her by her mother.”
4. Dylan Blanchard, Gypsy Rose’s half-brother
Through her dad’s second marriage, Gypsy Rose also has a half-brother, Dylan Blanchard. However, unlike the rest of the family, Dylan prefers to keep his life out of the spotlight and has not taken part in public-facing projects about his half-sister.
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