More than eight years after she plotted to kill her mother in a bizarre Munchausen syndrome by proxy case that grabbed national attention, Gypsy Rose Blanchard is now out of prison and sharing her side of the story. The 32-year-old has already offered her perspective through a major TV interview and a Lifetime docuseries and now has revealed plans for an upcoming book.
On Monday, Blanchard, who published a separate e-book shortly after her release, shared details of her new memoir My Time to Stand—set to debut in January 2025—with People. Gypsy Rose promises the book, co-written with authors Melissa Moore and Michele Matrisciani, will “engage readers by describing my journey" instead of simply explaining it as she has through other projects.
“I am in love with the title of my book not only because it addresses the question I get most, but because in our pain and struggle, we can find what it is that we want to stand for,” Blanchard said. “That inside our stories, if we dare to sit in the stillness of them, our purpose can be revealed. And we all have a purpose. That’s what I hope people will take away from my book.”
The new memoir is the latest in a flurry of activity for Blanchard, the subject of another Lifetime docuseries currently in production. She has also made headlines for her personal life after filing for divorce from her husband, Ryan Anderson, in April.
Here’s what to know about Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s life now.
Gypsy was released from prison in December 2023
According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Blanchard was released on parole from the Chillicothe Correctional Center at around 3:30 a.m. on December 28, 2023, after serving 85 percent of her 10-year sentence for second-degree murder. “I’m ready for freedom,” she told People in an interview just before her release. “I’m ready to expand, and I think that goes for every facet of my life.”
Blanchard conspired with an ex-boyfriend to kill her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, in June 2015 after suffering years of abuse. Experts have surmised that Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental disorder in which a caretaker makes someone sick or gives the illusion of being ill to garner attention. She led doctors and the community to believe that Gypsy Rose suffered from an array of fake illnesses, such as asthma, leukemia, and muscular dystrophy, subjecting her to unnecessary treatments and procedures.
In 2021, Gypsy Rose told The Springfield News-Leader she hoped to rebuild relationships with the rest of her family upon her eventual release. Her stepmother, Kristy Blanchard, told NewsNation host Ashleigh Banfield she looked forward to belatedly celebrating Christmas with Gypsy Rose upon her release and also planned a spa day for her.
She wants people to learn from her mistake
In an interview with People, Blanchard expressed remorse about her mother’s murder and the events that preceded it.
Blanchard testified she met ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on a Christian dating website in 2012, and they initially carried out a secret relationship. They met in person for the first time in March 2015 and, shortly after, began plotting to kill her mother. Godejohn stabbed Dee Dee 17 times inside her home in June 2015. Gypsy said in 2018, she “talked him into it” because she wanted to be free from her mother. Godejohn was eventually found guilty of first-degree murder in 2018 and sentenced to life in prison.
“If I had another chance to redo everything, I don’t know if I would go back to when I was a child and tell my aunts and uncles that I’m not sick and mommy makes me sick. Or, if I would travel back to just the point of that conversation with Nick and tell him, ‘You know what, I’m going to go tell the police everything.’ I kind of struggle with that,” she told People in December 2023.
Gypsy Rose wants to use her story to help people in abusive relationships. No matter how dire the circumstances, she wants to make sure they don’t resort to murder. “It may seem like every avenue is closed off, but there is always another way. Do anything, but don’t take this course of action,” she said.
Gypsy published her first book in January 2024
Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom
Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom
Hoping to be an advocate for other victims of Munchausen by proxy, Blanchard first told The News-Leader in 2021 that she was writing a book detailing the years-long abuse by Dee Dee and her incarceration.
True to her word, Blanchard published an e-book titled Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom in January 2024. The book includes exclusive information about Blanchard’s time in prison and personal photos, drawings, and illustrations from her past.
Even before the book’s release, Blanchard had already opened up about the effect of her incarceration on her life. “I’m the type of person that, I will make a mistake, learn from it and move on, and hopefully never make it again,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “So I definitely think that that level of maturity kicked in, and you can see the transformation from when I first got to prison to me actually walking out of prison and feeling, as a confident woman like I could stand my ground, say no when I need to, be my best advocate.”
On April 29, 2024, Blanchard revealed plans for her next writing project—a full memoir titled My Time to Stand—set for publication in January 2025. “Now, I can stand with other victims as they take steps toward doing whatever work is necessary to stand for themselves. My Time to Stand is about reclaiming my footing so others can be inspired to walk a life of purpose and meaning and build a future sturdy enough so others can stand for something, too,” she told People.
After joining social media, Gypsy deleted her accounts
Blanchard had amassed as many as 7.8 million followers on her public Instagram account (@gypsyrose_a_blanchard) following her release but recently deleted that page—as well as several others on social media, including her X (@GypsyRose_B) and TikTok accounts (gypsyroseblanchard727).
Shortly before logging out of TikTok in March 2024, she explained in a series of videos that her father, Rod Blanchard, offered advice that sparked the decision. “That guidance was to show me that real life is something you can touch, something you can feel, people you can actually hug,” she said, according to Rolling Stone. “And with the public scrutiny as bad as it is, I just don’t want to live my life under a microscope.”
She continued: “I do my best to live my authentic life, and what’s real to me, and what’s not real is social media. Social media is literally a doorway to hell.”
Her words sharply depart from an initial flurry of posts celebrating her release. Only one day after leaving prison, Blanchard posted a photo to Instagram with a celebratory caption: “First selfie of freedom!” Then, on New Year’s Eve, she revealed via TikTok that she was celebrating with family members—including her father, her stepmother, Kristy, and her husband, Ryan—and had joined Snapchat (gr_blanchard).
Gypsy Rose isn’t totally gone from social media, though. In her announcement on TikTok, she shared she set up a private verified Instagram account.
Gypsy filed for divorce from her husband
Years removed from her relationship with Godejohn, Blanchard found love while imprisoned. She married Ryan Scott Anderson, a teacher from Louisiana, in June 2022. According to People, Anderson, now 37, picked up Blanchard from prison when she was released.
Before gaining her freedom, Gypsy Rose told People, “When I’m at home with my family, with my husband’s arms around me and I’m surrounded by my loved ones, that is when I will be happy.” However, she had an apparent change of heart. Blanchard announced in a March 2024 post to Facebook she had moved in with her father and stepmother in Louisiana amid a separation from Anderson and, on April 8, filed for divorce, according to Louisiana court records. The legal grounds for the filing were not made public.
Anderson later told Daily Mail.com the pair separated over Blanchard’s relationship with her ex-fiancé, Ken Urker. “I’m not doing well with it. For me it just came out of the blue,” Anderson said.
TMZ reported on April 30 that Blanchard and Urker were an official couple, with her telling the outlet, “After reconnecting earlier this month, we realized that our love for each other is simply undeniable, and life is too short to not take a chance.” They have repeatedly appeared in public together and were spotted with matching tattoos.
Gypsy Rose will star in a new reality series
After airing the three-night docuseries The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard in January 2024, the Lifetime network announced in February that Blanchard will be featured in a new series chronicling her life outside prison. The new unscripted show will begin in the days leading up to her release on December 28. A premiere date hasn’t been announced.
Prison Confessions was a major hit for the network, averaging 1.1 million viewers with three days of delayed viewing, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Millions have followed Gypsy’s story and are invested in seeing what is in store for her next,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for Lifetime.
Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.