Gypsy-Rose Blanchard is addressing a major controversy head-on. The 35-year-old reality star issued a public apology on Friday, August 21, after resurfaced audio from her time in prison revealed her using the N-word multiple times.
“I want to directly address some of the old prison phone calls that have recently been shared online,” Blanchard wrote in a statement shared to her now-deleted TikTok account. “In those conversations, I used racist language and made cruel, disrespectful comments, including about people I love, my sister Mia and her fiancé André.”
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She continued, “What I said was wrong. The words were racist and I take full responsibility for saying them. There is no excuse for that language or the pain it’s caused.”
The controversy ignited after clips from private phone calls—recorded following her guilty plea for her role in the 2015 murder of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard—began circulating on social media. In the recordings, which featured conversations with her ex-husband Ryan Anderson and various family members, Gypsy-Rose was heard making derogatory comments about her sister Mia’s dating life. In another instance, she repeatedly used the N-word to describe fellow inmates, even emphasizing the slur to ensure the person on the other end of the line heard her clearly.
“To the Black community, I’m sorry for using words that are hateful and demeaning,” she wrote in her apology. “To Mia and André, I’m especially sorry. You didn’t deserve that then and you don’t deserve the hurt now.”
The Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up star noted that while she had already apologized to Mia and André privately, she felt compelled to own her actions publicly. “I understand forgiveness and reconciliation is not something I am owed,” she acknowledged. “I respect whatever boundaries you need and accept that healing happens on your timeline, not mine.”
Blanchard concluded by emphasizing that she is a different person today than she was during her time at the Chillicothe Correctional Center, where she remained until her release in December 2023.