It was a meeting of the minds.
Kim Kardashian met with Gypsy Rose Blanchard on "The Kardashians" talk about making improvements to the prison system.
Kardashian, who is studying to become a lawyer, has worked in prison reform for years. She has visited the White House in her efforts to advocate for prisoners, and has started podcasts and other projects highlighting specific cases.
"I want to see what she wants to do in prison reform. I heard she wants to get in it and I can guide her of exactly where to go and how she can help," Kardashian said in Season Five, Episode Eight of the Hulu show.
Blanchard was released from prison in December 2023 after serving seven years out of a 10-year sentence on charges related to her role in the murder of her allegedly abusive mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Nicholas Godejohn, Blanchard's ex boyfriend, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison after first pleading not guilty to stabbing Dee Dee Blanchard to death in her bedroom. He is still in prison.
Blanchard told Kardashian she feels regret over her mother's death.
"Now looking back on it, I'm like, I could have done things a lot differently, and it would have ended with my mother being in prison. Did she deserve prison? Yes," she said.
Blanchard noted that she has "complicated" feelings over her mom's death.
She said she would play Dee Dee Blanchard's favorite song, "My My My" by Rob Thomas, on her tablet in prison because she missed her mom so much.
"I would cry," Blanchard said. "My mom was a huge Matchbox Twenty fan. I would play some of their songs, and I would just allow myself that time to cry and grieve."
"And sometimes I'd have to do it in the shower too because crying in prison, you're so vulnerable, especially women, they can be so catty," she continued. "Their first go to is, 'Well, you killed her, so why are you crying about it?"
Blanchard said the prison sentence was also tough because she was denied therapy to process her experiences.
Blanchard is believed to have been a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which a caretaker makes someone ill or creates the illusion of them being ill in order to receive attention.
During her trial, Blanchard said her mother sought medical attention for her throughout her life for conditions she never had, according to Ozarks First. Blanchard detailed how her mom forced her to use both a wheelchair and an oxygen tank although she required neither, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
"When I got to prison, I asked them if I could get therapy and really deal with the trauma that I went through. I received a notice that said I didn't qualify for one-on-one therapy," Blanchard said on the show.
"Wow," Kardashian replied. "You would think that they would want to set you up and give you all of the tools that you would need to be as mentally stable, to be as healed as possible, to come home into society. Why wouldn't they set up all of these programs? It always blows my mind."
Now that she's out of prison, Blanchard said she hopes to put her efforts toward helping others in prison.
"I want to bring awareness. I want to be the person that I wish I had to guide me, but I feel very new at it," she told the Skims founder.
Kardashian vowed to help Blanchard in her journey.
"I can totally help you with that because I had no clue. I think I figured out the best team that can possibly help people, and I'm happy to introduce you to all of them," she said.
"I would appreciate that," Blanchard replied.
Days before the "Kardashians" episode aired, Blanchard revealed in a YouTube video she is expecting a child with boyfriend Ken Urker. She is 11 weeks pregnant and due in January 2025.
“This was not planned at all. This was completely unexpected, but we’re both very excited to take on this new journey of parenthood,” Blanchard said in the video.
She addressed potential concerns in the video.
"I know that there are going to be people who feel like I’m not ready to be a mother,” she said, then continued, “I don’t know if anyone’s really ready to be a mother.”
“I just want to be a good mother for my child. I want to be everything my mother wasn’t,” she said.
