She is finally free and enters the age of influencer.
Gypsy's Rose Blanchard gave fans a look at life after prison after serving a 10-year sentence for the second-degree murder of her abusive mother. Days after her release on December 28, she gained more than 10 million followers on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.
The 32-year-old, who became a star thanks to the 2017 HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, is now aiming to reinvent himself on social media. tell people She hopes to use her platform to “make a difference.”
She published a book called “Release: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom'' on January 9th, and a three-part Lifetime special “Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Prison Confessions'' will premiere on Friday. be done.
And experts say she could earn up to $100,000 per social media post through endorsement deals, brand partnerships and speaking engagements.
“If she has a community that wants to listen to her podcasts, buy her books, etc., she could make millions of dollars this year,” said Olivia Rudensky, CEO of a digital marketing company. fan madehe told the Post.
“She has a unique built-in audience that wants to hear more, wants more answers, and that's where the money comes in,” said Rudensky, whose company has worked with celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Hailey Bieber. It's clear that there will be a change,” he said.
“The internet loves buying meme merch. People are watching her every move…There are so many different content deals going on.”
The hashtag #GypsyRoseBlanchard has been viewed 2 billion times on TikTok, and fans have flocked to Blanchard's Instagram account since she was released from a Missouri prison last Friday. 's first selfie!'' she shared with a smile.
“You served. Now it's time to kill,” one fan commented.
Some praised Blanchard's commitment to mental health. “You're a lovely girl! I hope you take the time you need to adjust. Treat yourself with kindness and know that many of you wish me the best of luck in this new chapter.” Please know,” one commenter wrote.
By Friday, she was promoting her new Lifetime series with the hashtag #ThePrisonConfessionsofGypsyRoseBlanchard, sharing a photo of herself locking lips with new husband Ryan Anderson, whom she met while writing letters in prison in 2020. Ta.
By Saturday, she had amassed 1.2 million followers on TikTok, whose bio describes her as a “public figure, speaker, and author who advocates for the recognition of Munchausen by proxy.”
Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a mental illness in which parents exaggerate or fabricate their child's illness to gain attention and sympathy.
Ms. Blanchard suffered years of child abuse at the hands of her mother, Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. Despite his good health, he was confined to a wheelchair and forced to use a feeding tube.
As a girl and young woman, Blanchard was made to believe that she had muscular dystrophy and leukemia, and her mother told her that she had brain damage because she was born prematurely.
“People are looking for commentators on Tiktok, and they're being given algorithms for all those areas,” Claudia Villarreal, FunMade's head of creative and co-founder, told the Post.
“You can catch up quickly. It's rare to have this much backstory. Everyone wants to talk about it.
“There’s a big difference between a social media influencer saying, ‘Buy this product,’ and Gypsy. She doesn’t need to sell anything to get her audience interested. Being yourself sells.”
On Sunday, Blanchard shared an avatar of herself wearing a crop top on her new Snapchat handle. A photo of her wedding ring posted on Instagram received over 11,000 comments. That included a “Yes Diva” comment from singer (Miley's sister) Noah Cyrus and an offer from a New York City-based designer to make her a wedding dress.
“The true crime community has very little to be happy about. This is interesting,” Villarreal said.
She cited former Nickelodeon star Janet McCurdy's memoir “I'm Glad Mommy Died,” adding that there's a niche market for dark parenting survival stories.
“Mr. McCurdy has built a platform to talk about the challenges of living with his mother, surviving, and getting a book deal as well,” she said.
Arlie Banner, CEO of lifestyle marketing and partnership agency Collaboration, told the Post that Ms. Blanchard will have to work hard to create an image that goes beyond the crime to capture the attention of her followers. He said he was deaf.
“Beyond the shock factor of her story, it's important to create a brand image for her. The key is to attract new followers and keep them interested in her daily activities, opinions, and product recommendations.” , and fostering deeper connections,” Banner said.
Some have criticized Blanchard's newfound influencer status, accusing her of trying to monetize a crime, with one poster saying, “Somebody dies, somebody else gets a life sentence.'' “No one should be celebrating this situation.”
But Monique Lewis, an expert in crisis communications, said Blanchard's story will ultimately sell. Bad news will attract far more people than good news. ”
