Gypsy Rose Blanchard is expecting a baby with her boyfriend (and former fiancè) Ken Urker.
The couple’s rocky past was documented in Lifetime’s reality show Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup which initially started with Gypsy being married to a different man named Ryan Anderson.
Cameras were on location to capture Gypsy and her family question if she made the right choice to marry Ryan over her first fiancè, Ken Urker.
As viewers know, she eventually filed for divorce against Ryan and is now dating and expecting her first baby with Ken Urker.
This article will break down Gypsy’s baby announcement and past with Ken Urker. Then, it will give an inside look at why her marriage with Ryan Anderson went south.
Who Is Ken Urker?
Ken Urker wrote Blanchard a letter after the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest came out in 2017.
In the Lifetime docuseries, Ken said his initial letter was to let Gypsy know she had “support” outside of prison. Eventually, they started talking on the phone for hours at a time, and he kissed her the first time he saw her in prison.
In October 2018, he asked her to marry him but eventually broke up a year later. According to her docuseries, Ken wanted to give Gypsy time to find herself and didn’t think that she would move on with Ryan Anderson so fast and marry him in June 2022.
As viewers know, her romance with Ryan, a special education teacher, did not last outside of prison bars. In the early days of her freedom, cameras for her docuseries were rolling as she accused him of hoarding, “hovering,” treating her like an “idiot” and being controlling.
Fans noticed a series of red flags in the first few episodes of the docuseries and say Ryan’s behavior gave them the “ick.” In one scene, he made a comment alleging Gypsy was hormonal because she wanted space from him.
One viewer on TikTok reacted to the scene, writing “I would have smacked him” for that comment and added “no wonder she left him.”
Another viewer on social media questioned if his “primary focus” was just to be physical with her and treat Gypsy as an “object or prize,” according to Yahoo Entertainment.
During the season of the docuseries, Ryan also didn’t want Gypsy confiding in her sister about their relationship and the fact that they had unprotected intercourse. When her sister discovered this, she took her to the store to get a Plan B pill.
Gypsy eventually filed for divorce in April 2024.
Ryan went on TikTok on June 27, 2024 and said it’s “very difficult” for him to stay respectful on social media. He even said a week prior she called him saying she missed him as well as “a lot of other things too.” He said Gypsy had “no respect” for him and he has “receipts” but would rather have “the Lord” handle what comes next.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Announces Pregnancy
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who was convicted of helping murder her abusive mother, announced she is expecting her first child with boyfriend (and ex-fiancè) Ken Urker in a YouTube video posted July 9, 2024.
We’re both very excited. This was not planned at all. It was completely unexpected.
According to her announcement on YouTube titled “I’m Pregnant, My Journey So Far,” Gypsy said her first symptom was “the cravings” and wanted orange juice even though she didn’t drink it much. Then she noticed a “hunger” to eat everything.
Gypsy said when she missed her period she thought that she was just having ongoing issues with ovulation, but realized she was pregnant when she took a test.
Gypsy revealed on YouTube that she’s experiencing “crazy mood swings” and feels bad that Ken has to deal with them.
I’ve been actually very blessed to not have major morning sickness. That’s been amazing. So far, pregnancy has been a breeze as far as symptoms. I find the tiredness is starting to wear off a little bit. That was like the biggest symptom.
Her focus moving forward will be on her “happy” and “healthy” baby. She plans to avoid stressors like people who are trying to start fights with her on social media.
The Louisiana native got emotional in the video when saying she wanted to “be everything my mother wasn’t.”
She said they don’t want their child growing up in a broken home and plan to “stick together” through it all
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Why Did Gypsy Rose Spend Time In Prison?
In 2016, Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after helping her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, kill her abusive mother, Dee Dee Blanchard in Springfield, Missouri.
In court, prosecutors argued that Gypsy was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which is a psychological disorder that made her mother pretend Gypsy was sick to get attention.
During the trial, Gypsy revealed Dee Dee forced her to use a wheelchair and oxygen tank as a child even though she didn’t need it. On top of that, Dee Dee would have doctors to treat Gypsy for conditions like leukemia and muscular dystrophy even though she never had it.
After admitting she arranged for her ex-boyfriend to kill her mother, she was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison but was released after seven years when she was granted parole in December 2023.
Nicholas Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Her Lifetime reality television show, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup, followed the weeks and months after she was released from prison, including how she navigated major media attention, a rocky marriage with her ex-husband Ryan Anderson and attempted to strengthen bonds with her family.
Just weeks after her split from Ryan, TMZ reported she rekindled her romance with Urker.
After reconnecting earlier this month, we realized that our love for each other is simply undeniable, and life is too short to not take a chance.
How Has Gypsy Changed Her Looks Since Being Released From Prison?
Gypsy Rose has received a nose job, replaced her semi-silver smile with new porcelain caps and changed her hair color from brunette to blonde since leaving prison, according to Page Six. The article reports that she also got matching tattoos with her boyfriend, Ken Urker.
In her docuseries, Gypsy said her mother never let her care about her looks and made doctors remove several of her teeth and salivary glands when she was a child.
