Just After Her Prison Release, Lifetime to Air 3 Night Event "The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard".
Just days after her release from prison, Lifetime will air a three night, six-part, series entitled "The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard". If you're out of the loop, here's a bit of the backstory:
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was the victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Her mother Dee Dee had a mental health condition called Factitious disorder imposed on another, also known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which is when a caregiver repeatedly seeks medical attention for the false, exaggerated, or inflicted illness of another person.
Blanchard, along with her boyfriend, conspired to kill her mother so that she could be free of her abuse. Blanchard pled guilty to the second-degree murder of her mother, Clauddine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard, in July 2016. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while her ex-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, was convicted of first degree murder for carrying out the slaying, and received a life sentence. Now, after serving 85% of her sentence according to Missouri state law, Gypsy Rose is set to be released from prison on Dec. 28.
While she was imprisoned, Blanchard did a series of interviews with Lifetime camera crews that are now set to be released and tell her side of the story.
A truly ripped from the headlines story, the documentary features Gypsy in prison on the eve of her parole hearing as she recounts her emotional journey of being forced to remain a child, held prisoner by her own mother and the unfathomable choice she made in order to survive. The doc also follows the road to Gypsy’s prison wedding and reveals Ryan, her fiancé, for the first time. From prison, Gypsy delves into her account of the secrets, lies and manipulation that were constant in her life. Dee Dee was believed to have the mental disorder Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and beginning at Gypsy’s infancy, her mother told people Gypsy was sick in order to position herself as the selfless caregiver.
Outwardly, Dee Dee was a loving mother who would do anything for her daughter whose list of ailments grew from leukemia, to muscular dystrophy and much more, but behind closed doors, Gypsy was living a nightmare, forced to be wheelchair bound and given a feeding tube for illnesses she never had. The truth eventually came out with the shocking murder of Dee Dee by Gypsy’s boyfriend she met online. The doc features fascinating yet troubling tales of Gypsy’s attempted escapes, secret love life and the depths of the psychological control her mother had on her. With remarkable access to insiders, the doc includes exclusive interviews with Gypsy’s family and those closest to the case. Never-before-seen photos, medical records, videos, and evidence, also bring hidden secrets to the surface and add new insights to this complex story, including Gypsy’s life now, as a married woman.
The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard joins Lifetime’s roster of award-winning, top tier documentaries including Surviving R. Kelly, Janet Jackson., Wendy Williams: What a Mess, Aly Raisman: From Darkness to Light and many others.
The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard is a Category 6 Media™ production, part of the A+E Factual StudiosTM group, with Sharon Scott, Laura Fleury, Carolyn B. Day and Melissa Moore executive producing. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Brie Miranda Bryant and Nicole Vogel Executive Produce for Lifetime. A+E Networks has worldwide distribution rights.
The three night series will air January 5-7 at 8p/7c.
