Gypsy Rose Blanchard visited “The View” on Friday and had to deal with a pretty awkward on-air moment with co-host Joy Behar.
Blanchard, 32, was released from prison last week after spending nearly a decade behind bars on second-degree murder charges in the 2015 death of her abusive mother. During her interview, Blanchard talked about her future plans, which include advocacy for other abuse victims. Then she turned to the camera.
“If there's anyone out there watching right now, please listen to me, heed my words so you're not alone in this situation,” she said. “There are other ways out. I did it wrong, um, so…”
“No, no, honey, no,” Behar said, interrupting Blanchard. “Do not say that.”
“Well, I did…” Blanchard said.
“They had no choice,” Behar said.
“I did something wrong,” Blanchard said. “And I paid my dues for it.”
“Oh, you mean that part,” Behar said with a sheepish smile and began to back away.
“Yes,” Blanchard said. “That part of it.”
“Where are you going with this, Joy?” one of Behar's co-hosts shouted off-camera.
“Murder is wrong, Joy,” said co-host Ana Navarro, mock patient.
“Yes, murder is wrong,” Blanchard said with an embarrassed laugh.
A clip of the moment made its way to X, formerly Twitter, where users certainly found humor in Behar's apparent suggestion that murder is sometimes okay.
But many others agreed with Behar — who was likely referring to the horrific abuse Blanchard endured. Some people said the circumstances of Blanchard's case made them understand her actions.
Blanchard's mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, lied to her about her health since early childhood, leading her to believe she had several diseases and conditions that she did not, including leukemia, muscular dystrophy, brain damage and an unspecified chromosomal disorder.
To sell the scam, Clauddine Blanchard forced her daughter to use a wheelchair, shaved her head and had a doctor insert a feeding tube into her stomach. Clauddine, who was also physically abused, exploited Gypsy Rose's fake illnesses for personal gain and convinced her community that the charade was authentic – keeping her daughter isolated and in a state of developmental delay.
Gypsy Rose realized later in life that she was not ill at all, and at the age of 19, she conspired with her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to kill her mother. Godejohn was found guilty of first-degree murder after stabbing Clauddine Blanchard to death at her home in Springfield, Missouri, in 2015. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
During her appearance on The View, Gypsy Rose was asked about her critics who claim she is using her fame for financial gain. She explained her reasons for being so public now that her sentence is up.
“I’m a very private person and I don’t like fame,” Blanchard said. “But the only thing I can do with it is something good. So it's not about fame or fortune for me. My story is important to me, it happened to me, and I just want to be an advocate. I want to be someone who can help others. That’s seriously all I want.”
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