Ever since Gypsy Rose first made news, her case has become the focus of multiple documentaries and TV shows. These works chronicle the abuse she endured at the hands of her mother Dee Dee Blanchard, who suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Gypsy’s story is about abuse and Dee Dee’s murder by her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn. They both received prison time for the crime.
A few of these acclaimed Gypsy Rose documentaries and shows include HBO’s Mommy Dead and Dearest, Gypsy’s Revenge, and Hulu drama The Act. Reportedly, Gypsy was in prison when most of these projects premiered, and she is now a free woman. Her prison release came in December 2023 after serving nearly eight years. Moreover, the ex-convict has since participated in two Lifetime documentaries — The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up.
Mommy Dead and Dearest
HBO’s Mommy Dead and Dearest, which premiered in 2017, is one of the first Gypsy Rose documentaries. The film, a work from director Erin Lee Carr, consists of archival footage from Gypsy’s house alongside interviews with her family. It examines Dee Dee Blanchard’s Munchausen syndrome by proxy and delves into her daughter’s mental and physical abuse.
According to TODAY, the documentary offers a detailed look into the act that Dee Dee orchestrated while deceiving doctors about Gypsy Rose’s fake illnesses. She also manipulated Gypsy’s medical records and convinced her daughter that she was wheelchair-bound. The documentary also looks into the vicious plot that Gypsy and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, orchestrated to commit Dee Dee’s murder.
Mommy Dead and Dearest is now streaming on Max.
Gypsy’s Revenge
Investigation Discovery’s Gypsy’s Revenge joined the growing list of Gypsy Rose documentaries and shows. The documentary premiered in 2018 and details Dee Dee Blanchard’s years-long deception. With a similar theme to Mommy Dead and Dearest, director Jesse Vile took an interesting approach by involving pediatric neurologist Dr. Bernardo Flasterstein in the film. Dr. Flasterstein treated Gypsy but claimed he was unaware of the abuse.
Gypsy’s Revenge is one of the first documentaries to include interviews with Gypsy Rose’s ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn. Several others close to Gypsy and the case also spoke out in the film, which is now streaming on Discovery Plus and Hulu.
The Act
Hulu’s acclaimed show The Act stars Joey King in the lead role as Gypsy Rose Blanchard in a dramatized version of the story. The eight-part limited series premiered in 2019 and chronicles Dee Dee Blanchard’s mental and physical abuse of Gypsy. Patricia Arquette stars as Gypsy’s mother, Dee Dee, in the show and bagged an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Arquette also won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for the same role.
The Act is now streaming on Hulu.
The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard
The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard is one of the latest documentaries that covers the sensational case. Lifetime’s six-part documentary series premiered earlier this year in January, days after Gypsy’s prison release. It looks into the former inmate’s life inside Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri. She served nearly eight years in prison before her release on December 28, 2023.
In the limited series, Gyspy appears in interviews before her parole hearing and claims she will “share (her) story the way that it should be shared.” It also comprises interviews with her father, Rod Blanchard, her sister Mia, and her stepmother Kristy. Additionally, Gypsy discloses crucial details from her childhood and the plot she and Nicholas Godejohn orchestrated to murder Dee Dee.
The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard is now streaming on Lifetime.
Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up
The latest addition to the list of documentaries, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up, is an ongoing Lifetime project. The four-part series premiered earlier this June and chronicles Gypsy’s life since her prison release. Gypsy Rose’s now estranged husband, Ryan Scott Anderson, and her new boyfriend, Ken Urker, have also participated in the project. It also chronicles Gypsy’s fame and the struggles she has been facing as an ex-convict.
Anderson talks about the first moments he and Gypsy spent together since her release and their subsequent divorce. Meanwhile, Urker, Gypsy’s former fiancé, discusses their previous breakup and how they reconnected after the former inmate split with her husband.
The final episode of Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up airs on Monday, June 24, 2024.
