'The Act' Cast in Real Life: Photos of Gypsy Blanchard, Dee Dee & Rod Then & Now (2024)

FacebookGypsy Rose & Dee Dee Blanchard

Hulu’s true crime series,The Act, focused its first season on the horrific story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Dee Dee Blanchard. Dee Dee, who likely hadMunchausen By Proxy syndrome, pretended Gypsy was younger than she was and suffering from numerous ailments so she could have unnecessary medications and surgeries prescribed for her daughter. Gypsy was ultimately on a feeding tube and had her teeth removed. Her boyfriend Nick Godejohn, whom she met online, killed her mother in a horrific stabbing, at Gypsy’s request, because they feared it was the only way Gypsy would be free from her mother. They are both now serving jail time.

Much of this horrifying story is accurate, but not all of itaccording to Gypsy Blanchard’s family. Some names and personalities were changed for the narrative. But the overall story — the part where Dee Dee subjected her daughter to horrific treatments she didn’t need and the subsequent murder of Dee Dee — were all very true.

Dee Dee was found stabbed in 2015 and Gypsy Rose pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. It’s been a few years since the murder, and Gypsy Rose has said that she’s actually gained weight in prison because her mother had kept her so undernourished in order to try to keep her looking young and sick.

Here are photos of Gypsy Rose, Dee Dee, Gypsy’s then-boyfriend Nick Godejohn, Gypsy’s father, and others connected to the case in real life.

NOTE: To see Gypsy Rose’s Facebook pages, including archives of pages no longer online, see Heavy’s story here.

Dee Dee Blanchard Photos

Dee Dee Blanchard and Gypsy Rose are pictured below in one of many photos from Dee Dee’s Facebook page, which is still up today. The photo below was shared by neighbors when they thought Gypsy Rose was missing.

This photo was shared by a car dealership on Facebook just months before Dee Dee was killed:

A Facebook group called Free_Gypsy_rose_blanchard shared a message from Chanel Marie. The post reads: “I’m from their home town in Louisiana. My mom was friends with DeeDee growing up, and her mom did some of the same things that she did to Gypsy. Everyone in this area just keeps their mouths shut and walks away when someone is abused, so the cycle of abuse just keeps on going. Not a single person here is sad that DeeDee is gone. We all support Gypsy. She was doped up on meds given to her by DeeDee at the time of the crime…”

Gypsy Rose Blanchard Photos: Then & Now

Here are more photos that were shared on Facebook just before Dee Dee’s murder:

This was Gypsy’s mugshot in 2015:

Here is a video of Gypsy Rose testifying at Dee Dee Blanchard’s murder trial.

Today, Gypsy is 27.

Today Gypsy Rose is serving a 10-year sentence for her mother Dee Dee Blanchard’s murder.A 2018 interviewwith her stepmother, Kristy, revealed that she’s thriving in prison. And just a month beforeThe Actreleased,her stepmom confirmedthat she was still doing “really well.” She said Gypsy was attending classes, learning photography, and had a job.

Here’s part of Gypsy’s 2017 interview withDr. Phil:

Gypsy Rose will be eligible for parole in five years, in 2024 when she’s 32.

Nicholas Godejohn Photos

Here are more recent mugshot photos of Nicholas Godejohn and Gypsy Blanchard.

Compared to the first mugshots shared of them:

Nick and Gypsy met on a Christian dating site in 2012, and Nicholas murdered Dee Dee Blanchard in 2015, just a few months after they first met in person.

Ozarks First reportedthat Nick said about the murder: “She needed someone to understand her enough to be willing to basically risk their life for her.” Godejohn said that Gypsy might have just been using him, but he felt it was real love at the time.

In February 2019,Godejohn was sentencedto life in prison. He was 29 at the time of the sentencing. He was denied a motion for a new trial, and a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. He was also found guilty of armed criminal action and was sentenced to a concurrent 25 years in prison.

Rod Blanchard, Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Father

Rod Blanchard, Gypsy Rose’s father, said that Dee Dee tricked him into believing that Gypsy Rose was sick too. He shared his story on a Change.org petition that he started, seeking to have Gypsy Rose released early from prison. He published the petition following HBO’s documentary about the case. He said he’d like to have Gypsy relocated to a mental facility so she can get better help.

He saidthat Dee Dee would insist on being with Gypsy 24-7 because of her illness, so he didn’t get time to bond with her and spend time alone with his daughter. Dee Dee had full custody.

Rod Blanchard is a bigger part of his daughter’s life today. Hetold Crime Feedthat Gypsy Rose was doing very well in prison. “She’s doing really well,” he said. “She’s happy and healthy.”

He’s married to Kristy Blanchard, who is close to Gypsy.

Rod Blanchard doesn’t mince words when it comes to his ex-wife.Newsweek reportedthat he once said Dee Dee got what she asked for.

She was just a bad mother. You can call it Munchausen by proxy or whatever, but you can’t keep somebody like that all their lives. It’s just part of nature, to want to be free. If you think you can manipulate someone all their lives and for them not to bite back at one point when they had enough, then you’re completely mistaken… I think she asked for what she got.”

Kristy and Rod both say that Gypsy is doing well in prison and faring much better than when she was with her mother.