Hulu's gripping series, 'The Act,' thrusts viewers into the dark and twisted world of Clauddine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard and her daughter, Gypsy Rose. This heart-wrenching true story garnered national attention following a viral 2016 BuzzFeed article by Michelle Dean and the 2017 HBO documentary, 'Mommy Dead and Dearest.' The series unravels the disturbing depths of deception, manipulation, and abuse that lay hidden beneath the surface of what seemed to be a typical mother-daughter relationship.
At first glance, Dee Dee Blanchard appeared to be a devoted single mother caring for her chronically ill daughter, Gypsy. Their neighbors and acquaintances were unaware of the labyrinth of lies that Dee Dee had spun over the years. From Gypsy's infancy, Dee Dee claimed a plethora of debilitating health issues, crafting an elaborate façade that left outsiders with no reason to doubt her maternal dedication.
In 2015, the shocking truth unraveled when Dee Dee was discovered dead, and Gypsy vanished without a trace. Gypsy was quickly located in Wisconsin, alongside her boyfriend, Nick Godejohn, whom she had met online. Their sinister plan to murder Dee Dee came to light, leading to Godejohn's life sentence for first-degree murder in February 2019. Meanwhile, Gypsy remains incarcerated, serving a ten-year sentence.
Dee Dee's demise unveiled a startling revelation - Gypsy's supposed illnesses were fabricated by her mother to maintain control, subjecting her to both physical and psychological abuse. This intricate charade also served as a lucrative scheme, allowing Dee Dee to profit from charity donations, including the home they lived in, provided by Habitat for Humanity.
'The Act' explores how Dee Dee was able to manipulate and deceive those around her into believing Gypsy's numerous illnesses. The show portrays Gypsy as bald, confined to a wheelchair, reliant on a feeding tube, with a severe sugar allergy, and suffering from a host of other conditions. The series demonstrates how Dee Dee's authoritative tone and Gypsy's sickly appearance effectively deterred any probing questions.
Dee Dee's actions align with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, although an official diagnosis is impossible as she is deceased. Having previously worked as a nurse's aide, Dee Dee possessed enough medical knowledge to convince those around her. She frequently switched doctors to create a tangled web of medical history, making it challenging for anyone to piece together the truth.