Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a figure who has captivated public interest through various media portrayals, is now embarking on a new chapter in her life. Recently released from prison, Blanchard has announced that she is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Ken Urker. The news came via a YouTube video titled “I’m Pregnant, My Journey So Far,” where Blanchard, 32, shared that she is 11 weeks pregnant and is due in January 2025.
“This was not planned at all. This was completely unexpected, but we’re both very excited to take on this new journey of parenthood,” Blanchard said in the video. She acknowledged that some might question her readiness for motherhood, especially given her recent release from prison after serving a 10-year sentence for her involvement in the murder of her mother, Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. “I know that there are going to be people who feel like I’m not ready to be a mother,” she admitted. “I don’t know if anyone’s really ready to be a mother. I just want to be a good mother for my child. I want to be everything my mother wasn’t.”
Blanchard also shared photos from a pregnancy announcement photoshoot with Urker on Instagram. The couple is seen embracing, holding ultrasound pictures, and cradling her growing baby bump. “We are proud to announce we are expecting our first child in January 2025,” she wrote in the caption, expressing her gratitude to the photographer.
Since her release from prison in December 2023, Blanchard has been active on social media, sharing updates about her life and her journey to freedom. On December 31, 2023, she posted a now-deleted video on Instagram celebrating her parole, saying, “Hey everyone, this is Gypsy. I’m finally free!” Her newfound freedom has also been documented in the Lifetime series “Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up,” which explores her life post-incarceration.
Blanchard’s story has been the subject of multiple documentaries and dramatizations, shedding light on the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, who is believed to have had Munchausen syndrome by proxy. This psychological disorder involves a caretaker making someone else ill to gain attention and sympathy. In 2015, Blanchard’s then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, killed her mother while Blanchard hid in another room. Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The latest documentary, “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard,” offers an inside look at her life in Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri. The six-episode series features interviews with Blanchard, her family, doctors, and officials involved in her case. It delves into her childhood, her mother’s manipulations, and her plot with Godejohn to kill her mother. The series also touches on her marriage to Ryan Scott Anderson, whom she wed while in prison in 2022. They announced their split in March 2023.
Other notable portrayals of Blanchard’s story include the HBO documentary “Mommy Dead and Dearest,” which uses home videos and interviews to show how Dee Dee Blanchard deceived medical providers and others about her daughter’s health. The film transitions into the plot to kill Dee Dee and the aftermath, concluding with the prison sentences of Blanchard and Godejohn.
“The Act,” a dramatized true-crime series on Hulu, stars Joey King as Gypsy Rose and Patricia Arquette as Dee Dee. The series depicts Dee Dee’s manipulations and eventual murder, earning Arquette an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal. Investigation Discovery’s “Gypsy’s Revenge” and Oxygen’s “Gypsy Rose and Nick: A Love to Kill For” also explore the case, offering interviews with those involved, including Godejohn.
Blanchard’s Lifetime series, “Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up,” premiered on June 3 and has shown her navigating her newfound freedom and independence. The series also addresses her marriage struggles with Anderson and the death threats she has received on social media. The show teases her journey as a first-time mom and her rekindled romance with Urker, whom she was previously engaged to.
As Blanchard prepares for motherhood, she continues to share her story and experiences with her followers. Her journey from a life of manipulation and abuse to one of freedom and new beginnings is a testament to her resilience and determination to create a better future for herself and her child.
Source: TODAY.com, Lifetime, HBO, Hulu, Investigation Discovery, Oxygen
