Gypsy Rose Blanchard Says 'The Act' Is Not Based On Facts

Gypsy Rose Blanchard made national headlines when she manipulated her mentally ill boyfriend, Nick Godejohn into murdering her mother, DeeDee Blanchard. She convinced him, if he wanted them to be together, her mother had to die. 

DeeDee was far from perfect. She convinced her daughter she had cancer, epilepsy, and a host of other terminal illness. She used Gypsy fake illness to scam organizations and kindhearted people out of money. 

Even so, Gyspy didn't have to have her mother killed. She was an adult and could leave. She could have left in the middle of the night and take money to create a new life. She knew where her mother kept the cash.

Instead, she convinced Nick to do the deed. She let him in the house and handed him the murder weapon. She claims she hid in the closet because her mother's cries were too much for her. 

Hulu's The Act

In 2019, Hulu released The Act, with Joey King playing the role of Gypsy. The limited series was interesting, and did not depict Gypsy as the victim. Sure, it showed the medical abuse she suffered, but they didn't shy away from showing the depths of Gypsy's manipulation with Nick. 

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, Gypsy wasn't a fan of the show. According to Bustle, she admitted she hadn't watched it. In prison, she can't watch any streaming services. But she had a lot to say about the show. 

"I am unable to watch The Act. However, I feel it is very unfair and unprofessional that producers and co-producer Michelle Dean has used my actual name and story without my consent, and the life rights to do so. Therefore, there will be legal action taken [SIC] against the show's creators," Gypsy said. 

"I want to share my story and bring awareness about Munchausen by proxy, in the hopes that I can encourage those who might be experiencing abuse to speak up, because someone WILL listen. No child should ever be abused especially from their parent."

It is admirable she wants to be the voice of Munchausen by proxy and help others in need. She must take a good look at herself. Nick did not act alone. Many forget that. Gypsy pushed him to commit murder. She saw him as a way out and exploited his desire to be with her. 

Joey King Sounds Off About Gypsy

The actress who played Gypsy said she couldn't talk to the murderer before filming. She wasn't sure why, but she made it work. Instead of talking to her on the phone to get her story, she watched everything she could to understand the case better. 

"I watched the documentary countless times. I found any interviews, any home videos I could scramble on the internet. It was really helpful to have Michelle Dean on our show because I would go to her a lot. I would call her up a lot just for stories and information," King said. 

"What we tried to do was really just accurately represent what happened and who these people were," King said. "It is nerve-racking cause I was thinking about if she sees it one day, I think it will be really really, really hard for her to watch. I think it will be hard for them to watch other people play them number one, and also this is like reliving your truth. And so I can't even imagine what that would be like if [she] saw it."

As for Gypsy family, they want people to stop making shows and movies about the case. They want Gypsy to build a life for herself, and they say that will not be easy if the public doesn't end their obsession with the case. 

The one detail often forgotten about this case is Gypsy will be a free woman in less than two years. Nick isn't so lucky, as his sentence was life in prison with no parole. Something about that seems unfair.

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Originally published on Medium.