Debunking ‘The Act’ — Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Family Tells the True Story of Episode 8

Bonnie & Clyde

While Nick and Gypsy were both kept in Greene County Jail in Missouri, there was no point in time where they were ever together. “I think that was to just drive home this morbid obsession this show has with comparing Gypsy and Nick to Bonnie and Clyde,” Fancy said, “but also how they are perceiving Gypsy turning her back on Nick.”

Getting Gypsy’s Medical Records

Over the years, many unnecessary medical procedures were inflicted on Gypsy, creating a long trail of paperwork that her lawyers could use in her defense. In the show, however, they seem to have trouble getting their hands on the documentation — but in real life, Fancy says they were actually overwhelmed by how much they had. “The defense had hundreds of medical documents pouring in for weeks,” she said. “That guardianship papers were fake. Dee Dee never was able to get those done, so she falsified the ones she had enough to pass at a glance using the letterhead from an attorney she had contacted about it.” Upon further scrutiny, however, the forged paperwork didn’t stand up.

Medical Troubles

They did meet some speed bumps, though. “We still don’t have all the records from Louisiana,” Fancy explained. “They were not lost in Katrina as Dee Dee claimed, but there has been a lot of red tape to see if we can get them all. Currently, we are trying to find out if Dee Dee placed a hold on them, and, [if she did], we would need a court order to get them released to Gypsy. We have someone helping us with this now and expect to have everything soon just so Gypsy knows everything from the beginning, but there was so much documentation in Missouri, it’s staggering. There were several months Gypsy literally saw a doctor of some sort every day.”

That Feeding Tube

In prison, Gypsy didn’t need to see the doctor nearly so often, though she did go have her feeding tube removed as shown in The Act. But Fancy says the medical procedure “was not dramatic” the way that they portrayed it in the show — and she definitely didn’t ask to keep her used feeding tube. “Gross,” the writer said.

No Contact

Once inside prison, Gypsy and Nick never had a moment to talk like their characters did in the yard. “There was no time they saw each other like that,” said Fancy. “In reality, they were ordered to have absolutely no contact.” Gypsy also didn’t turn her back on her boyfriend as abruptly as she’s shown to on-screen. “It took time for Gypsy to realize that Nick wasn’t a good relationship for her. She didn’t just turn on him like the show makes it seem.”

Calling Lacey

When Gypsy reaches out to her only friend, Lacey isn’t sure how to respond, but Aleah was pretty much always supportive in real life. “While everyone was thrown for a loop and had no understanding of what was real and what was Dee Dee’s false narrative [at first], it ended pretty quickly after the medical records began pouring in. Aleah remained and is still supportive of Gypsy. She was even at certain hearings and court appearances that Kristy and Rod could not attend.”

According to Aleah, the one time they spoke on the phone happened after Gypsy was transferred to the Chillicothe Correctional Institute in Ohio. “I spoke to Gypsy on the phone just after she was sent to [there],” Aleah shared. “I’ve always done what I could to help and protect her and that is still my mission even with distance. [Now], I do maintain contact [through] Kristy and make sure to check on how she is doing.”

Meeting Her Father

Gypsy’s real-life reunion with her father, Rod, didn’t happen the way it was shown in The Act. She never needed to be reintroduced to her dad, though they did need to reconnect. “Gypsy called her dad and stepmom [when she was held in] Wisconsin,” Fancy clarified. “She told them not to believe what was being said on the TV. She claimed her innocence and told them there was so much they didn’t know.”

Repressed Memories

Gypsy never forgot how much her father was a part of her life — but Dee Dee made her question his sincerity. “Gypsy thought her dad had abandoned her, [but] she did not have suppressed memories.” In reality, her father was in touch with the family regularly. However, Dee Dee “would tell Gypsy after each phone call that he was only calling because he didn’t want to feel any guilt.” According to Fancy, “It was just another control tactic that Dee Dee employed to keep Gypsy [isolated]. [Dee Dee said] that he really resented her and he didn’t care about her.”

Daddy’s Little Girl

Their reunion was much warmer than the one in the show, too. “[Rod] immediately told her, no matter what, he loved her and that he was going to be there for her. From that first phone call on, they have had a wonderful relationship, and Rod and Kristy have shown her such love and support. At one point, Gypsy asked Kristy if it was okay to call her mom.”

An Involved Father

The actual photos from Gypsy’s childhood paint a different picture from the one told in the show. However, Kristy shared that Gypsy was “groomed” so that she wouldn’t share too much information with them, either. When they called to talk to her, Dee Dee would frequently say she was sleeping and they’d call back so she’d have a few minutes to instruct Gypsy on what to say and how to respond. They also planned trips to visit, though Dee Dee would sabotage the with radio silence at the last minute. “Dee Dee made it impossible, very impossible, for her to reach out,” Kristy said.

Nick and Gypsy in Court

In reality, their cases were handled differently — but it wasn’t just a matter of the prosecution. “Nick [held] onto the fantasy that they had or have a future because it’s part of the delusional thinking associated with his mental capacity,” Fancy explained. “I’m not quite sure any of the gravity of the situation sunk in for him. He was very poorly represented, and I don’t believe the attorneys did a very good job of explaining circumstances, gravity, consequences or any practical ramifications of all of this to him. … I think with a better legal team and more family support we would have seen a different outcome in his trial and sentence.”

Mel Comes to Visit

Though Lacey’s character was clearly based on Aleah, the family believes that Mel’s character was an amalgamation of a couple different people in Gypsy and Dee Dee’s life. And a few of them did come to visit her behind bars. “There have been some who came and were very supportive and others who came and were very upset.”

The Sex Scene

In interview, Gypsy has admitted that she and Nick had sex in her bedroom directly following the murder. But Fancy explains it’s a little more complicated than the euphoria-induced sex tape scene in a previous episode. She claims that Nick told Gypsy over text message that his plan was to kill Dee Dee and then have sex with her body. Uncomfortable with the idea, Gypsy “offered herself up as a sacrifice.” The writer explained, “She really didn’t fully comprehend this when it happened. She now knows this was all a very strange interaction and should have given her pause, but at the time she was doing what she had been conditioned to do all her life: obey and be subservient.”

Following the Plan

The interaction was consensual, despite the clear discomfort on the character’s face, but Fancy said that Gypsy didn’t really understand what she was consenting to do. “That was Nick’s sexual preference, and she went along as a willing participant, but with a limited capacity for seriously understanding it. Now, she realizes why it was so easy for her to accept that role.”

Turning Down the Temperature

After the murder, Gypsy really did turn down the temperature in the house. “Gypsy didn’t want her [mom] to be decomposing,” Fancy explained. “She didn’t say it that way, but, yes, she was trying to preserve her mom’s body.”

Releasing the Guinea Pigs

Fancy explained that in real life, Gypsy and her mother owned cats, not guinea pigs. After the murder, they weren’t left to fend for themselves in the wilderness, but were instead taken in by neighbors.

Gypsy and Nick

Other than Gypsy’s relationship with her father, the episode seemed to follow the broad beats of reality, but Fancy believes that it trivialized what really went down between Nick and Gypsy. “I feel like it made Gypsy look like she was throwing Nick to the wolves of her own accord, when in reality she did what was the best thing at the advising of her council. … [Their] relationship … was all built on a false reality,” she said. “Once all that became clear, she understood, but I think he still fails to. … He has stated in emails that he loved Gypsy, and he’d do it again. Gypsy, on the other hand, has realized that all the events surrounding and leading up to the murder drastically damaged her judgment and if she knew then what she knows now we would have seen a different outcome.”