However, Gypsy wasn't actually unwell — her mother had been lying about her symptoms. Experts believe
When Gypsy was a child, her mom Dee Dee told her that she suffered from leukemia and a host of other health issues. Gypsy revealed in a 20/20 interview that the only medical condition she actually has is a lazy eye.
Godejohn was diagnosed with autism in grade school, according to his father, Bobby, who spoke out in the “Killer Couples” episode. However, the severity of Godejohn's autism spectrum disorder was called into question by a psychologist brought in by prosecutors at his trial.
In 2010, Dee Dee was telling everyone that Gypsy Rose was 14, but she was actually 19 years old. By then, she knew she wasn't as sick as her mother claimed — as she was well aware that she could walk.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, now 28, is believed to have been a victim of Munchausen by proxy – a form of abuse in which the parent or guardian exaggerates or induces illness in a child for attention and sympathy.
Gypsy never thought she was going to get caught
She was also seen expressing immediate regret at the murder of her mother, and was desperately attempting to cover her up.
In real life, it's unclear if Godejohn, who Gypsy met on ChristianSingles.com, actually has multiple personality disorder (what's now called dissociative identity disorder). But it's true that he and Gypsy talked about having multiple identities when they chatted online and through texts on a secret phone Gypsy had.
But, according to a 2016 BuzzFeed News investigation on the true story, it's unclear whether Gypsy's teeth were rotting because of poor dental hygiene, malnutrition, or the medications she didn't need—or a combination of all three. Gypsy says a medication called Tegretol for epilepsy caused her "teeth to crumble."
The meeting did not go as planned—Dee Dee hated Godejohn—but Gypsy was still able to sneak away and lose her virginity to Godejohn in a bathroom stall, according to her testimony at his trial. According to ABC News, Dee Dee punished Gypsy after the movie theater incident.
Rod and Gypsy have reconnected since she's been in prison.
"It's a hundred times better, honestly," he said. "We email each other. She can call me anytime, and she does. I'm keeping tabs on all of her accomplishments in school.
While not much is known about him personally, he was reportedly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and a low-average IQ. He also had a run-in with the law in 2013 at the age of 23 when he was allegedly caught masturbating while watching pornography at a McDonald's, according to a local report on Patch.com.
The two psychologists examined Godejohn and diagnosed him with autism spectrum disorder, and his attorneys argued that this made it difficult for him to discern what was fantasy versus reality, according to Buzzfeed News. They also noted that he had a problematic upbringing and was isolated socially.
His autism diagnosis
Godejohn was diagnosed with autism in grade school, according to his father Bobby Godejohn. “From the very first day when I was in kindergarten all the way to twelfth grade, every single one of those days I was in special education,” Nick said.
While under the ever-watchful care of her mother, Gypsy was often bald because Dee Dee would regularly shave her hair so her daughter would look sick. Save for the time-hopped finale episode, Infinity doesn't have hair either. There's even a scene in which Nana is seen shaving her head.
Hulu's "The Act" is based on Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence in a Missouri prison. Gypsy will be eligible for parole in 2023, when she's 32 years old. She is currently 27, though her real age was actually a mystery to her for most of her life—her mom Dee Dee kept it a secret from her.
In addition to being told she had leukemia, muscular dystrophy and epilepsy, Gypsy Rose Blanchard never even knew her real age. You'll see in the trailer a fictionalized moment when her mother Dee Dee Blanchard (played by Patricia Arquette) is asked Gypsy's age.
"It is possible that Gypsy Rose presents with puberphonia (high-pitched voice after birth), a class of psychogenic voice disorders," says Jayne Latz, an executive communication coach and president and founder of Corporate Speech Solutions.
For Gypsy, she's made it clear that she no longer has any romantic feelings for Nick in interviews, eventually learning the fairy tale love stories she grew up obsessed with are just that: fairy tales. "In the Disney movies, everything's a fantasy, it's a fairy tale.
Prosecutors cut a deal with Gypsy, however, because of the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother. In exchange for pleading guilty to second-degree murder, Gypsy was sentenced to the minimum of 10 years in prison.
— A woman facing first degree murder charges in the stabbing death of her mother, was back in court Tuesday, opting not to use an insanity defense. Tuesday's pre-trial conference dealt with witnesses for the November trial, and whether Blanchard and Godejohn planned to use an insanity defense.
Let's take a deeper look..
Gypsy Rose was found guilty of killing her mother Dee Dee Blanchard in 2018. Dee Dee was found dead at their home in 2015 and Gypsy Rose was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison.
Dee Dee had pretended to the world that Gypsy Rose was severely physically and mentally ill — perhaps for the attention, sympathy, or so that Gypsy would be more reliant on Dee Dee. Part of that ruse included lying about Gypsy Rose's real age.
Though Dee Dee had physically restrained Gypsy on her bed, it only happened once after she tried to run away. Though Dee Dee did use physical strength and intimidation to control Gypsy, she wasn't frequently tied up as a punishment.
According to Gypsy Rose, she knew she could walk and eat real food, but that was it. Per the fascinating Buzzfeed article that inspired The Act (the author, Michelle Dean, is the co-creator of the show):