All About Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Relationship with Her Stepmother Kristy Blanchard

Gypsy Rose Blanchard has a very close relationship with her stepmother, Kristy.

After divorcing Gypsy's mom Dee Dee Blanchard, Gypsy's dad Rod Blanchard married Kristy, with whom he shares two children. 

Both Rod and Kristy maintained a close relationship with Gyspy during her early years, despite the fact that Dee Dee and Rod divorced before Gypsy's birth. However, as Gypsy got older, she and her father became estranged as Dee Dee controlled many aspects of Gypsy’s life, eventually making her undergo years of intense medical treatments that she never needed. Gypsy was a victim of Munchausen by proxy, a form of abuse in which a guardian may seek attention or sympathy by making their child ill or exaggerating their illness. 

Following Dee Dee’s murder in June 2015, for which Gypsy pleaded guilty and served eight years in prison, both Rod and Kristy have shown their support for Gypsy.

In the new Lifetime docuseries, The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Gypsy and Kristy give more glimpses of their close bond as they open up about Gypsy’s early childhood, her murder trial and her time in prison. 

Here’s everything they’ve revealed about their relationship. 

Kristy started dating Rod when Gypsy was 6 months old 

Gypsy’s parents Rod and Dee Dee first met when he was in high school, and dated for three months before Dee Dee revealed she was pregnant. Though they eventually got married, their relationship was short-lived as they separated before Gypsy was born. 

In the docuseries, Kristy says she and Rod began dating when Gypsy was 6 months old. During the early years of Gypsy’s life, both Rod and Kristy maintained a close relationship with Gypsy, often going to events together, including the Special Olympics.

She appeared in Mommy Dead and Dearest alongside her husband Rod

In addition to telling her side of the story in the new Lifetime docuseries, Kristy previously appeared in the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest alongside her husband. Rod, Kristy and their daughter Mia were also in attendance at the New York premiere of the documentary. 

She wasn’t happy with Hulu’s series The Act

Though Kristy did appear in Mommy Dead and Dearest, one project about Gypsy’s life she wasn’t particularly happy with was Hulu’s limited series The Act, which starred Joey King and Patricia Arquette and was co-created and co-produced by Michelle Dean. 

In an interview with Vulture, Kristy claimed that she previously had discussions with Dean about the project and the family's involvement. "When we first talked about [The Act], she had told me she was going to talk to the producers because she wanted us to be included," Kristy told the publication. 

It wasn’t until the media announced that The Act was moving forward that Dean reached out again. "She called me a couple of days after the fact and said that the producers — and she didn’t say who they were — did not want us to interact,” Kristy explained. 

Following the show’s release, Kristy told Vulture the show wasn't completely accurate, particularly taking issue with the portrayal of the character Lacey, who was meant to represent Gypsy’s friend and neighbor, Aleah Woodmansee. "She is the total opposite of that," Kristy told Vulture. "It hurts Aleah because she lives in Springfield, and people are going to look at her differently and she’s scared that it affects her job and reputation."

Gypsy calls Kristy the mom she “always wanted to have” 

Speaking about her stepmother’s continued support in her Lifetime docuseries, Gypsy calls Kristy the “mom that I always wanted to have,” adding that she can’t imagine life without her. 

Gypsy has been very open to Kristy about her past struggles

During the docuseries, Kristy reveals that Gypsy confided in her about some personal struggles over the years. She recalls one phone call with Gypsy in prison when she alleged that her grandfather Claude Pitre molested her. 

Her grandfather says the incident never happened, alleging that she was the one who would try to touch him. Gypsy reiterated her claim that she was abused by her grandfather in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, and said the sexual abuse went on for about a year. Claude did not respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.

“I told her, ‘I love you and I’m always gonna love you. I support you,’ ” Kristy recalls in the docuseries of what she told Gypsy during the phone call.  

Gypsy also dealt with drug addiction in prison; in the series she recalls one point when she lied to her stepmother in order to pay someone back for drugs. “I told her that I accidentally broke this girl’s CD player and if she could please send $50,” Gypsy says.

She adds that she later came clean to her stepmother about the ordeal and she’s currently sober. “It has been eating at me for years that I lied to Kristy,” she says. 

Though Kristy was initially upset about the news, she says she was ultimately glad that Gypsy told her the truth. “I was really happy that I can tell Kristy anything,” Gypsy adds. 

Kristy attended Gypsy’s parole hearing 

Though Rod couldn’t attend Gypsy’s parole hearing, Kristy made sure to support her stepdaughter. During a phone call with Rod shown during the Lifetime docuseries, Kristy reveals that she also spoke on Gypsy’s behalf during the hearing. 

“I told the parole board that look I don’t condone what Gypsy did, not at all. I understand why she did it,” she recalls to producers of what she said during the hearing. 

Kristy told Gypsy she would always love her when she went to prison

After Gypsy’s court hearing, Kristy recalls how she visited her stepdaughter in jail, put her hand on the glass and told her, “I’m always gonna love you. If you need me, I’m here.”

Kristy didn’t want Gypsy to get married to Ryan at first

During the Lifetime docuseries, Kristy recalls when Gypsy first told her about her relationship with her now-husband Ryan Scott Anderson. Though she was happy for Gypsy at first, she became hesitant about their romance when Gypsy announced they were engaged, not wanting Gypsy to rush into marriage. 

Though Gypsy and Ryan did follow through with their marriage, they later had a major disagreement which led to them briefly separating. Afterward, Gypsy reached out to her stepmother for advice, and she encouraged her to seek an annulment. However, Gypsy and Ryan were eventually able to work through their issues.