Gypsy Rose Blanchard Gets Candid About Her Plans After Release From Prison
Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was only recently granted parole, but she already has big plans for the days ahead.
"I feel like I have been blessed with that ability to possibly create change," Gypsy told People in an interview published on Sunday, Dec. 31. "And that is what I'm trying to do."
The now-32-year-old, who qualified for early release earlier this year, got her first taste of freedom on Thursday, Dec. 28, after serving seven years for her involvement in the 2015 death of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard.
After confessing that she orchestrated the harrowing ordeal—where she convinced her boyfriend at the time to stab her mom in her sleep—Blanchard was initially sentenced to 10 years in a 2016. The plea deal came when attorneys discovered the extreme mental and physical abuse she endured throughout her entire life at the hands of Dee Dee, according to CNN.
Her case soon garnered national attention and became the topic of countless documentaries, TV movies and series, as well as shifted the public's understanding of abuse at the hand of mental illness (namely Munchausen by proxy). But "infamy" was not what she sought out—then or now.
"I was never one of those children that wanted to be famous," she told People. "I didn't want to be a singer. I didn't want to be an actress. I wanted to be something that made a difference."
But with that attention and internet access, Blanchard has gained over 4.7 million followers on Instagram and an additional 1.7 million on TikTok. And despite fans going wild over Blanchard's "first selfie of freedom," she explained that her social media will be used to, hopefully, "create change" and advocate for other victims and survivors of Munchausen by proxy.
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"I feel like I have been blessed with a platform and the ability to possibly create change," she shared. "And that is what I'm trying to do."
Blanchard's social media bios self-describe her as a "Public Figure/Speaker, Author, Advocating Awareness of Munchausen by Proxy."
"The choice that I made to commit murder was never the right choice," she continued, "So my mission now is to take what I've done and what [my mom] did and make it worth something."
She added, "I think it's really important for me to get out as much awareness about Munchausen by proxy as I can and really try to focus in on mental health."
In addition to utilizing her social media platform, Blanchard previously shed light on her case while appearing on Dr. Phil in 2017. She is also set to release a new ebook titled Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom, as well as tell her own story in the new Lifetime docuseries, The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, premiering Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
