Gypsy Rose Blanchard Got Married in Prison, but When Does She Get Released?

The Gist:

• Gypsy Rose Blanchard was handed a 10-year prison sentence in 2016 after she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
• Gypsy Rose was only 25 years old at the time she went to prison.
• She is now 32 years old and is scheduled to be released from prison in December 2023.

The case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard is stranger than fiction. Ever since she was found guilty of plotting to murder her mother — who fooled the world into thinking Gypsy Rose had epilepsy, cancer, and a myriad of diseases that left her wheelchair-bound and feeding-tube-dependent — there has been no shortage of material written about her story.

First, there was the viral long-form piece that brought her case into the public eye. Then, there was the HBO documentary, Mommy Dead and Dearest, which was followed by countless investigative reports on Investigation Discovery and 20/20. Her story has even been turned into a limited fictional series on Hulu by the name of The Act.

While we all know her story quite well, many are now concerned with her release from prison. So, what is Gypsy Rose's release date? Here's what we know.

After killing her mother, Dee Dee, Gypsy Rose pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016. She was sentenced to 10 years at Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri. While she was initially expected to be released in 2026, she became eligible for parole in September 2023, just a few months before her 33rd birthday.

Gypsy's father and stepmom were hopeful for an earlier release, as were many members of her community — as well as others sympathetic to her story. Some even went as far as signing petitions for her to get out sooner and pressuring the Missouri governor to pardon her altogether. And it seems the efforts may have paid off as Gypsy Rose is scheduled to be released from prison on Dec. 28, 2023, nearly three years early.

Meanwhile, Gypsy Rose reportedly thrives in jail — much more so than she ever did on the outside, considering her mother, who suffered from an intense form of Munchausen-by-proxy syndrome, kept her severely ill and wheelchair-bound, and never allowed her contact with peers of her own age.

"Despite everything, she still tells me that she's happier now than with her mom," Gypsy Rose's stepmom told the Springfield News-Leader. "And that if she had a choice to either be in jail, or back with her mom, she would rather be in jail. For Gypsy, it's a lot of freedom."

While behind bars, Gypsy worked toward her GED and even forging new friendships through the prison's pen pal program. Most notable of all of her pen pals is the unnamed man she married (more on that down below).

Some new details have surfaced surrounding Gypsy Rose since her story went public. For one, she opened up to Bustle about her thoughts on the fictionalized show. "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," she said in a written statement.

Another surprising update to her story is the fact that Gypsy Rose got engaged and married to a man she found love with while behind bars. Especially now, many who are fascinated by her case are bubbling with questions. Like, who did she marry and whatever happened to her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn, who conspired to murder Gypsy Rose's mother?

Possibly as a result of all the attention she's been receiving, Gypsy Rose was careful about sharing details of her relationship. Family friend Fancy Macelli initially told In Touch that Gypsy is choosing to keep "him very private. We're not going to release his name or anything like that, but she does have a fiancé. That's something she wouldn't have ever been able to do with her mom: be engaged."

Gypsy Rose's fiancé started writing to her after he watched Mommy Dead and Dearest. Riddled with pity and empathy for Gypsy Rose, he reached out with some words of encouragement. Well, that turned into a relationship through email — and if we know anything about Gypsy Rose, it's that she's no stranger to online relationships.

The emails turned into visits, which turned into a friendship that later turned into more than a friendship. "At the beginning of this year," says Fancy, "they decided to get engaged."

According to Ozarks First, Gypsy Rose said "I do" to Ryan Scott Anderson in July 2022. There's not too much else that's known about the marriage, but given that she'll be getting out of prison on Dec. 28, 2023, the couple will finally be able to build a life together.

While in jail, Gypsy and Ryan reportedly talked on the phone several times a week and had occasional supervised visits. It sure seems like she's moved on from her ex, who helped kill her mom. So, whatever happened to that guy?

Unlike her relationship with Nicholas Godejohn, Gypsy Rose no longer has to keep her relationship a secret. This means that many members of her family can also be more involved and look out for Gypsy Rose's best interest. Indeed, her father and stepmother were in regular contact with the young man through phone calls and emails when they began dating.

As for Godejohn, whose trial was delayed several times, Gypsy Rose's conspirator finally got his day in court in November of last year. Unlike Gypsy Rose, Godejohn tried to plead not guilty on the grounds of being a "low-functioning person with autism" who had been manipulated by his girlfriend, but the jury was not having it. They found him guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Feb. 2019.

Before his sentencing, Godejohn told the court that all he wanted was to be with Gypsy Rose, having never had a close relationship with any woman or even known motherly love. "It's missing. It's always been a missing link," he said. "That's the reason why, I guess when I got so deep into this situation where I fell in love so deeply ... I admit it; I was blind in love."

Now that he's had some time to think about what happened and his relationship with Gypsy Rose, he told 20/20, "As far as I'm concerned, she's as guilty as I am. I believe she needed to serve some time for what she made me do."

But while remorseful of his part in the crime, he does admit to still loving her. "There is a part of me that will probably always love her, but she's hurt me so badly. I guess you could say my feelings got the best of me," he said. "I ended up loving someone way too much."