If you haven’t watched the hit series The Act on Hulu, or don’t own a device with TikTok downloaded, you may have not heard of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
Gypsy Rose is an activist for Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a form of child abuse where a caretaker fabricates the ill health of their child to receive praise and attention. The Hulu series follows what it was like growing up for Gypsy with her mother, Dee Dee, and how the world saw a disabled, terminally ill child. The catch, though, was that Gypsy was perfectly healthy the entire time and had no idea. At the age of eight, Dee Dee convinced doctors that Gypsy had leukemia and muscle dystrophy and that she required a wheelchair and a feeding tube claiming that Hurricane Katrina destroyed her medical records. She underwent countless surgeries, including the removal of her salivary glands. She was also under the impression that she had the mind of a seven-year-old, due to her mother. When Gypsy realized she could walk, eat, and wasn’t mentally challenged, she plotted with her secret boyfriend to end her mother’s life and gain freedom. She was sentenced to ten years in prison back in 2016 for the part she played in orchestrating her mother’s murder.
Why is this relevant today? Well, after serving 85% of her sentence, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison on December 28th, 2023. After being released, Gypsy rose to fame. She was praised and idolized, gaining millions of followers online and featuring in countless interviews. She wrote a biography, Conversations On The Eve of Freedom, while in prison, but her popularity grew due to social media platforms like TikTok. Now that she is free, she commented on the Hulu series, calling it “dramatic” and “inaccurate”. She says she wants to use her platform to “create change” and “advocate awareness” for Munchausen syndrome by proxy. However, being that she was convicted of second-degree murder, she is receiving backlash for being active online and being made famous.
References:
https://www.biography.com/crime/gypsy-rose-blanchard-mother-dee-dee-murder?scrlybrkr=ac91d8f9
https://www.today.com/news/gypsy-rose-blanchard-now-rcna118124?scrlybrkr=ac91d8f9
