Ryan Anderson, Gypsy Rose Blanchard‘s estranged husband, is speaking out about what it’s like to watch his marriage take such a significant step in Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup, while knowing what would come later. According to him, the experience is “bittersweet.”
Anderson, 38, appears in the new Lifetime docuseries, the premiere of which documented the moments leading up to her release from prison for the second-degree murder of her mother, Clauddinnea “Dee Dee” Blanchard.
The sweet part is that he believes he’s being fairly represented on-screen, telling TV Insider, “When the cameras came on, I didn’t say, ‘Oh, I’m gonna flip a switch and be something else. People are going to see me as who I am, very genuine, and the insides of our relationship. They filmed a lot.”
In the premiere, which aired Monday, Anderson was showing escorting Blanchard from prison to visit her family in Kansas City, whom he’d formed a relationship with himself that is now “strained,” he admits.
“Me and her dad were always really cool with each other,” he said. “Rod, I have the most respect for him. Everybody else? It is what it is.”
Of course, the most strained relationship at the moment is with Gypsy Rose Blanchard herself, and Anderson credits the docuseries with at least part of the dissolution of their relationship: “I knew filming and things like that would be overwhelming. She was used to just doing interviews from prison, and now she’s filming. And I tried to express to her before she got out that it’s a little more intense than that,” Anderson said. “I think she didn’t realize the demanding part of it. It’s actually work. It’s a process… I wish that maybe we wouldn’t have filmed straight out of jail, but hindsight is 20/20. In the moment, you’re just living.”
Check out the full interview with Ryan Anderson about Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup below.
I wanted to start by asking you what it’s like for you right now to revisit all of this, with the show airing?
Ryan Anderson: It’s bittersweet. It’s one of those things you see moments and you’re like, “Oh, I missed that time.” … It’s bittersweet.
And what’s it like for you to revisit it with America watching alongside? Were you concerned with how you come off or do you think that it portrays you fairly and like that?
Well, I mean, I’m a pretty genuine person. That’s the thing with filming this. I was who I am. I never decided to be anything. When the cameras came on, I didn’t say, “Oh, I’m gonna flip a switch and be something else. People are gonna see me as who I am, very genuine, and people are gonna see the insides of our relationship. They filmed a lot.
And one of the things that came through in the premiere was that you had a tight relationship with the Blanchard family. What’s it like for you now with them? I mean, you guys were close before she even got out of jail.
Strained. Me and her dad were always really cool with each other. Rod, I have the most respect for him. Everybody else? It is what it is. It’s just strain due to divorce.
And is that what your relationship status is now, that you guys are heading towards divorce, officially?
Yeah, we’re in the middle of litigation and the process of that. And it’s happened very fast. I was shocked about how fast it went down. But yeah, that’s the current process.
Do you have any regrets when you watch this stuff back? You were very instrumental in helping her get out of jail and get comfortable in normal life.
As far as what I’ve done, I really don’t have any regrets. I was there for Gypsy, and I’ve always been there for Gypsy. Gypsy was my main focus, that was my life. So it was one of those where I wanted… I knew filming and things like that would be overwhelming. She was used to just doing interviews from prison and she’s like, “That’s filming. That’s great.” And I tried to express to her before she got out that it’s a little more intense than that. It’s a little more demanding. I think she didn’t realize the demanding part of it. It’s actually work. It’s a process. But as far as that, I wish that maybe we wouldn’t have filmed straight out of jail, but hindsight is 20/20. In the moment, you’re just living.
Do you think that would have made any difference if you hadn’t done that?
It definitely put a strain on things… like there was a lot of things that happened. Like I’ve said in previous interviews, the love that me and Gypsy had for each other has never changed. Love was never our issue. A lot of other things came into play. But, you know, it’s hard to say, yeah.
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Well, looking back, the show obviously doesn’t go back all the way to the beginning of your relationship. Can you talk a little bit about how you guys got together and what maybe we won’t see in the show about your relationship?
You know, it’s funny. People think like, she got out and we just got married. People need to realize like July would have been two years that we were married. We were married for a long time and we developed an emotional connection long before she got out of prison. A long-distance relationship is hard as it is. But yes, that was the first time we were together to where we weren’t at a visiting room. But as far as us knowing each other, we knew each other inside and out. So people need to realize that that wasn’t our first time being in the same room, basically. We definitely had a long relationship. So we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs.
When did you first start noticing the cracks starting to form?
I’m still in reflection mode, still in processing, still looking back. And there’s a couple moments that I might have handled different as far as being more upfront about certain things. Like when I noticed something I should have brought it to her attention, things like that. But… I was letting Gypsy grow, experience things. One thing is people [were] saying we shouldn’t have got married or anything or I forced her into marriage or anything like that. People need to realize that as an inmate, Gypsy had to take all those steps to get married. It wasn’t just me doing that. She had to set everything up. So at any time she could have said, “No, I don’t want to get married at any time.” But we made this commitment, and we were married and then all of a sudden we weren’t.
So what do you think about reports that she’s been linked with an ex, and what’s it like for you to watch all that play out in the media?
Oh, how would you feel in that aspect? You know what I mean? It’s one of those [things]. I had a normal reaction like anybody else would. It’s hard to see.
Do you try to avoid the news?
I’m focusing on myself. It’s sometimes hard not to see it, and it just is what it is. We’re both in the spotlight, but, I mean, people are more interested in her, and I get that, you know, she’s Gypsy. I’m just Ryan, just a guy that married her. But it’s hard to see some things.
Well, how are you doing now that we’re, obviously, well past what happens in the show?
I’m good. I’m just focusing on myself trying to live each day and find the good in everything.
What can you preview about what’s ahead in this season, and what do you hope people will take away from the show?
People in the show are gonna see a lot of different things. They’re gonna see a lot of influences in a lot of aspects into our relationship, and maybe they’ll see certain aspects that came into play that weren’t necessarily our fault or anything like that. People are gonna get a real inside look in our relationship in the ins and outs, and maybe they’ll piece together some of the stuff that happened and why it transpired. It was one of those things that people are gonna see up close and personal. There’s some things that I probably don’t want to be on camera, but they are… like I said, I’m genuine, she’s genuine. We just were ourselves, we were navigating this together.
Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup, Mondays, 9/8c, Lifetime