Gypsy Rose Blanchard speaks out in 1st TV interview since announcing pregnancy
Gypsy Rose Blanchard says a doctor warned her about fertility issues, so the recent news of her pregnancy came as a shock, the latest twist that has emerged in her sensational life.
But in her first TV interview since she announced her pregnancy, the 32-year-old said on “Good Morning America” that she is feeling “excited” about her next chapter.
“I'm excited. At first, I was very nervous. But I'm very excited,” Blanchard told ABC News’ Juju Chang, adding, “The mood swings are wicked.”
Blanchard spent more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for plotting to have her mother, Clauddinnea "Dee Dee" Blanchard, killed after years of abuse. Her mother had forced her to undergo unnecessary surgeries, shaved her head and kept her in a wheelchair with a feeding tube for much of her childhood.
She was released on Dec. 28, 2023 and since then, has embraced her freedom. Blanchard’s life in the six months since her release was captured on camera for a Lifetime docuseries titled “Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup.”
Blanchard has had her teeth fixed, underwent a nose job and filed for divorce from Ryan Anderson. And while Blanchard lives with her dad Rod and stepmom Kristy, she has also rekindled a relationship with her former fiancé Ken Urker.
“It was mid March when I left Ryan. So, this is absolutely 100% Ken's baby,” Blanchard said. “There was never any question of paternity.”
Blanchard said her main focus now is on her pregnancy.
“I'm hoping that [Anderson] is okay emotionally. And I wish him the best emotionally. But right now, I have not even had a moment to stop and think about anybody else except for, ‘Am I taking my prenatals in the morning? Am I drinking enough water?’” she said. “Like, I have so much to focus on, making sure that I'm healthy for this baby.”
Because of her childhood, Blanchard said she knows motherhood for her will be a fraught experience.
“I understand that with my past, there's gonna be a lot of people that kind of question if I even should be a mother or even have children in my care,” Blanchard said.
“I know that I'm not perfect. I know that I have made mistakes in the past. And I will probably make minor mistakes going forward,” she continued. “But at the same time, I do know right from wrong. And learning from past mistakes is a growth that comes with time.”
In a YouTube video announcing her pregnancy, Blanchard said, “All the things that I wanted in a mother, I want to give to this baby … And I just want to be a good mother for my child. I want to be everything my mother wasn't.”
It was the same sentiment Blanchard told Chang.
“My mother did not want to see me meet those milestones that every child should have, like going on a first date, a prom, you know, a bike ride. All of those little milestone moments that make life worth living, I didn't get to have that,” she said. “And so I want my child to have all of the things that he or she could ever want in life."
And despite what happened in the past, Blanchard also said she is open to talking to her child about her own childhood and the role she had in her mother’s murder.
“That question has plagued my mind for a long time. And I've come to a point where I understand that that question is going to be asked by my child someday,” she said. “So I feel like when that time comes, Ken and I will sit down and have that conversation and I will explain in the most honest way possible.”
Blanchard also hasn’t ruled out another future docuseries.
“I don't know yet. You never know what the future holds with that,” she said.
But Blanchard, who has unexpectedly become a social media personality in her own right, has already made one major decision for her child.
“Once the baby's born, I really feel strongly that I don't want my baby to be in front of a camera, unless it's for, like, home movies,” Blanchard said. “I will not be putting my child in the media at all.”
“This world is so cruel and unsafe that there is a level of responsibility that I have to make sure that my child is protected,” she added.
Tune into "Nightline" tonight at 12:35 a.m., EDT, to watch more of Juju Chang's interview with Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
