Gypsy-Rose Blanchard Faces Intense Criticism for Controversial TikTok Video
Gypsy-Rose Blanchard has encountered significant public backlash following a controversial TikTok collaboration that many viewers have described as tone-deaf and inappropriate. The former convict participated in a video with fellow disgraced influencer Natalie Reynolds that appeared to make light of the brutal murder of her mother, Clauddine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard.
The Viral TikTok That Sparked Outrage
During the 'We listen and we don't judge' trend last Saturday, the 34-year-old ex-convict stated bluntly: 'I went to prison for eight and a half years because I [unalived] my own mom.' When the 23-year-old Reynolds responded with 'Oh my god,' Blanchard quickly retorted: 'Hey, we listen and we don't judge.'
The video rapidly gained traction, amassing an astonishing 12.5 million views on the platform. Many TikTok users expressed horror at the content, with user @brentsenff receiving 209,000 likes for their pointed comment: 'We listen and we call a judge.'
Background of the Grisly Crime
This controversy emerges just two years after Blanchard's release from Chillicothe Correctional Center, where she served eight years of a ten-year sentence for the second-degree murder of her abusive mother. The crime occurred in 2015 when Blanchard was 48 years old.
The murder involved Blanchard providing her online ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn with duct tape, gloves, and a knife to stab Dee Dee seventeen times in the back while she slept. Godejohn, who has an IQ of 82, is currently serving a life sentence without parole at Missouri's Potosi Correctional Center, plus an additional twenty-five years for armed criminal action.
Following the murder, the conspiring couple stole $4,400 in cash from Dee Dee and mailed the murder weapon back to Godejohn's home in Wisconsin before fleeing by bus. The pair blamed the crime on Dee Dee's undiagnosed Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder where caregivers fabricate or induce illness in those under their care.
Mixed Responses and Apologies
In response to the mounting criticism, Blanchard offered an apology to TMZ on Monday, stating: 'I do deeply apologize to anyone who might have been offended by [the comedic TikTok]. That was never my intention. Like, I was not laughing about it. I don't think it's funny to joke about a heavy topic in my past.'
She continued: 'I apologize because the delivery was wrong on that. I am trying to be my authentic self and if my authentic self is saying, "I did something bad in my past but look at where I am now." That's where I'm coming from with it but I would never joke about my past. So I do apologize if it came off too abrasive.'
However, Blanchard's contrition appeared short-lived. Hours later on TikTok, she adopted a markedly different tone, declaring that 'all together, we did an amazing collab' and suggesting that people had simply 'misunderstood' them. She further commented: 'Some chose to put a negative spin because literally me being on this Earth [irks] their nerves.'
Media Adaptations and Recent Developments
The shocking murder case has inspired multiple media adaptations, including Hulu's eight-part series The Act and Lifetime's television movie Love You to Death, both released in 2019. These productions brought renewed attention to Blanchard's complex story of abuse and subsequent crime.
Recent months have seen additional revelations about the case. Two months ago, Into the Weeds obtained over one hundred previously unseen disturbing video calls between Blanchard and Godejohn through a freedom of information request. These recordings revealed unsettling conversations about their future plans and family expectations.
On the professional front, Lifetime canceled Blanchard's reality series Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up following two seasons last August. Despite this, Blanchard maintains a presence as a New York Times bestselling author and commands $108.90 for personalized messages on Cameo. She also engages in paid partnerships with various brands including Bondi Sands Australia, e.l.f. Cosmetics, and Avia Leggings.
Personal Life Updates
In her personal life, Blanchard has experienced significant changes. She and her fiancé of two years, Ken Urker, are proud parents to fourteen-month-old daughter Aurora Raina Urker. Blanchard surreptitiously rekindled her on-again, off-again romance with the thirty-three-year-old bartender in March 2024, effectively ending her twenty-month marriage to ex-husband Ryan Scott Anderson.
The recent TikTok controversy highlights the ongoing public fascination with Blanchard's story and the delicate balance she navigates between acknowledging her past crimes and building a new life in the public eye. The mixed responses to her social media activity demonstrate the complex public perception of individuals with notorious criminal histories attempting rehabilitation and public engagement.
