Gypsy Rose Blanchard's father, Rod Blanchard, is still in her life.
Rod Blanchard will be making an appearance in Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s new Lifetime documentary, "The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard," which is set to be released over three days starting Friday, Jan. 5.
In the doc, he'll talk about his involvement in his daughter's life and his thoughts on his Gypsy Rose Blanchard's trial.
On Dec. 28, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison after serving eight years of a 10-year sentence for her role in the 2015 slaying of her allegedly abusive mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. Gypsy Rose Blanchard pleaded guilty to second degree murder.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is believed to be a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which a caretaker makes someone ill or creates the illusion of them being ill, per the National Institutes of Health,
During her trial, Gypsy Rose Blanchard testified that her mother made her believe she suffered from numerous medical conditions that she did not have, including leukemia and muscular dystrophy.
When asked why Gypsy didn't go to her father for help, she told People that she "didn’t think he would care" because of the alleged lies her mother told her.
“My mother had created that distance there, and she would say so many bad things about him behind his back,” Gypsy Rose Blanchard recalled. “And to me, just telling my head with stories that were troubling, and I felt like he was not a source to go to, not that I even knew his phone number because I didn’t know his address. So that never crossed my mind. It was kind of like, I’m not going to reach out to him because why would he care?”
Read on to learn more about Gypsy Rose Blanchard's father, Rod Blanchard, and their relationship now.
Rod Blanchard had Gypsy Rose Blanchard when he was 18
According to BuzzFeed News, Rod Blanchard met Dee Dee when he was still in high school, and they dated for between four and six months. Dee Dee, then 24, became pregnant with Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Rod Blanchard was 17 at the time.
The couple married, but the romance ended once Rod Blanchard came to terms with his real feelings for his then wife.
“I woke up on my birthday, on my 18th birthday, and realized I wasn’t where I was supposed to be,” he told Buzzfeed News. “I wasn’t in love with her, really. I knew I got married for the wrong reasons.”
Rod Blanchard remarried Gypsy Rose Blanchard's stepmom, Kristy
After he divorced Dee Dee, Rod Blanchard tied the knot with Kristy Blanchard.
According to BuzzFeed News, Rod and Kristy played an active role in Gypsy's life until she was 10. Kristy told the publication that they went to the Special Olympics together and were “all smiles."
After she was released from prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard shared a selfie with her stepmom where they both smiled while using the cat filter on Snapchat.
"Snapchat fun with my stepmom Kristy," she captioned the snap.
Rod Blanchard shared his perspective on his daughter's childhood
Rod Blanchard said Dee Dee Blanchard started taking their daughter to the hospital starting when she was three months old, and she was "convinced" she had sleep apnea, per Buzzfeed News. Then, Dee Dee Blanchard thought her daughter had a "chromosomal defect," Rod Blanchard said.
When he called to congratulate his daughter on her 18th birthday, Rod Blanchard said Dee Dee Blanchard told him, "She thinks she’s 14."
“I think Dee Dee’s problem was she started a web of lies, and there was no escaping after,” Rod said. “She got so wound up in it, it was like a tornado got started, and then once she was in so deep that there was no escaping. One lie had to cover another lie, had to cover another lie, and that was her way of life.”
Where is Rod Blanchard now?
Rod Blanchard is still married to Kristy and together, they share two kids.
While talking about Gypsy Rose Blanchard's role in Dee Dee's murder with Dr. Phil McGraw, Rod Blanchard said “it’s hard to judge” his daughter for what she did.
“I’m never going to question her or ask her why,” he said.
“I feel guilty. How can I let this happen? Why wasn’t I there for Gypsy more?” he added. “I could have built that relationship with her. She wouldn’t have hesitated to call me and say, ‘Daddy, this ain’t right.’”