Content Warning (CW): this article mentions topics of child abuse and homicide.
Surely Gypsy is experiencing some sort of whiplash from all of this, right?
It has been exactly one month since Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison after serving eight years of her 10-year sentence. Leading up to her release on Dec. 28, 2023, a social media frenzy was already in full swing. Tiktok had established “I’M THAT GIRL” by Beyonce as Blanchard’s official song, and videos with that audio and a picture of her face emerging from behind bars were everywhere. Everyone was obsessed with Blanchard; the comments on her fan videos were full of people saying, “Queen!” and “Mother!” (ironically). They all loved her…until they didn’t. You can go from being the number one most adored person on the internet to being completely dragged and canceled at the drop of a hat.
Blanchard’s launch into the world of social media, specifically Tiktok, was nothing short of chaotic. In the last month, Blanchard has done on-screen interviews with The View and Lifetime and various podcast episodes. One podcast, The Viall Files, had a short clip of Blanchard go viral, which may have sparked some controversy amongst the Gypsy Rose fan club.
During the episode, she brought up how, in a recent interview, the interviewer called her a murderer. She acknowledged that this topic is something she is going to have to address since her comments will include things like, “Why are we glorifying a murderer?” To which she responded:
I don’t want to have to remind people every single time that I’m not the one who committed the act of the kill.”
– Gypsy Rose Blanchard, The Viall Files
Blanchard explained how in Missouri, there is no such thing as “accessory to murder;” therefore, they couldn’t charge her with accessory, resulting in a second-degree murder charge instead.
Blanchard’s comments sent TikTok into yet another frenzy. Many people interpreted her defense as a complete lack of accountability. The tides started to turn in less than three weeks following her release.
TikTok user @dazeemaee shares a storytime about her mother being in the same prison as Blanchard during her sentence. Apparently, her mother believed Blanchard received “too much” attention and thought she was lame. The user states that she empathizes with Blanchard’s abuse, but as someone who also underwent an abusive childhood, she never once thought, “my mother’s life needs to end.” She goes on to question the morality of forgiveness regarding murder.
“Is murder one of those mistakes we forgive? Is someone ending someone’s life something someone can come back from in all regards and all aspects? If so, there are a lot of other cases we need to look at.”
– @dazeemaee on Tik Tok
TikTok user @_annieelise is another creator who helped spark this conversation when she posted a video questioning whether or not Blanchard is a “master manipulator.” In the video, she directly responds to Blanchard’s comments about how she is “not a murderer,” since Nick Godejohn was the one who committed the act.
“But, you are kind of the one who relentlessly messaged him and so kind of forced his hand into doing it when he said he didn’t want to, so why aren’t you taking any accountability for it?”
– @_annieelise on Tik Tok
Elise prefaced her response by stating that Blanchard has admitted in the past to pulling the trigger of a BB gun directed at Dee Dee before she realized it was not a real gun.
Elise is not alone in thinking Blanchard is more guilty than she admits to. The comment section of the video is full of comments stating things like, “Charles Manson didn’t kill anybody, yet he was in prison for life. I don’t get it,” and “Her relationship with her own reality is something none of us will ever understand.“
Further along in The Viall Files interview, Blanchard went in-depth about the work she completed during her sentence. She attended a three-month-long “Impact of Crime on Victims” class, which centered around taking accountability for an individual’s part in a crime. As a student, the class offered a space where she could reflect on the choices she made that led her to prison. She was able to work through some pain and guilt, and ended up later teaching the class! However, it is apparent that healing is a life-long process. Blanchard mentioned that she has reoccurring nightmares where she is back in her mother’s bathroom, hearing her scream as she’s getting stabbed. I’m unsure if those criticizing Blanchard listened to the full interview to receive the context of her comments.
It’s not all bad, though. Some users were expecting opinions to change quickly and drastically as time went on due to everyone’s obsession with Blanchard.
TikTok user @brittni_pristine offers a more empathetic approach towards Blanchard. She explains how Blanchard was a victim and that blaming victims in domestic violence situations for not “leaving sooner” is ridiculous. When acknowledging the comparison between Blanchard and Charles Manson, she responds with:
“Does your arm hurt from reaching that hard? One is a victim of lifelong child abuse, and the other is a cult leader.”
– @brittni_pristine on Tik Tok
Pristine also goes on to rant about the predicted “cancelation” of Blanchard. “Cancel culture didn’t exist before she went to prison; prison was being canceled.” She urges people to give Blanchard more grace regarding social media etiquette when Blanchard made a TikTok telling “age-appropriate” girls to slide into her 16-year-old cousin’s DMs. “This is not what I’m canceling Gypsy Rose over. If Gypsy Rose came out as a Trump supporter, I would change my mind. But otherwise, give the girl a second to adjust to having a fucking monstrous platform.”
So, what do you think? Victim, murderer, both or neither?