Overview
- Gypsy Rose Blanchard appeared in a short TikTok with influencer Natalie Reynolds and used an X hand gesture and a choking sound to reference serving more than eight years for her role in her mother’s 2015 killing.
- Viewers flooded the comments with criticism and called the tone insensitive, and some claimed the clip sounded like a new confession even though she pleaded guilty years ago.
- Responding in an interview, Blanchard said she did not intend to make light of the crime, apologized to those offended, and explained she used a gesture because words like “homicide” can trigger TikTok’s moderation and lead to takedowns.
- Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016, served roughly eight years of a 10-year sentence, and was released in late 2023, while Nicholas Godejohn, who carried out the stabbing, is serving life in prison.
- Coverage and reaction remain split, with outlets amplifying backlash and others noting defenders who cite long-documented abuse by Dee Dee Blanchard and Blanchard’s efforts to build a post-prison life that includes a reality series and motherhood.