"There’s Absolutely No Ill Will": Joey King And Gypsy-Rose Blanchard Had A "Private Conversation" Following Gypsy's Release From Prison
Back in 2019, Joey King earned critical praise for her portrayal as Gypsy-Rose Blanchard in the Hulu miniseries The Act.
Joey was nominated for an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for her performance in the series in which she starred alongside Patricia Arquette.
The series was based on the true story of Gypsy Blanchard, who was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of her mother Dee Dee Blanchard. Throughout her life, Dee Dee made false claims about Gypsy's health, which has since led many, including Gypsy herself, to believe Dee Dee was suffering from Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Munchausen syndrome is when "a person with the syndrome either feigns or induces physical and psychological symptoms for no obvious benefit other than attention and sympathy. If the person does this to themselves, it’s plain Munchausen syndrome; when the symptoms are feigned or induced in others, it’s called Munchausen by proxy."
At the time of her conviction, Gypsy-Rose was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and was recently released on parole in December 2023.
Gypsy conspired with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to carry out the murder. At the same time, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Since her release, Gypsy has done a number of interviews about her experience in prison, and revealed that she has not watched The Act, and probably never will. "I lived it," she explained. "For me, looking for things that weren't correct or that were inaccurate, that's neither here nor there."
Gypsy also shared that she was never approached by the team behind the series or paid for the use of her life story, which led to rumors online about a "feud" between Gypsy and Joey King. However, in a recent interview with Variety, Joey wanted to dispel the “hate-fueled rumors [online] that there’s a beef between” the two, and shared that she and Gypsy had a "private conversation."
Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images, Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images
“Having that private conversation with her was really lovely,” Joey said. “We both know that there’s absolutely no ill will towards one another. I really appreciated that we got to say those things to each other that were just really sweet and supportive because people are stupid and people assume whatever they want, and people are just going to make up stuff because it’s funny to them."
“There was no air to clear at all. There was nothing wrong. But it was nice to just connect for a minute,” she added.
“I think it’s so great that she’s free and she can really start her life now,” she said.
In January, shortly after Gypsy's release from prison, Joey was approached by paparazzi asking her thoughts about the entire situation. Joey replied by saying, "I'm so happy that she's released. I'm so happy for her. She deserves freedom."
If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.
