Gypsy Rose Blanchard has embarked on a new chapter as a mother. The star of "Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup" and her beau, Ken Urker, have joyously welcomed their bundle of joy into the world. Urker, sharing the delightful news on Instagram on New Year’s Day, posted a heartwarming snapshot capturing Blanchard cradling their newborn in a hospital bed, with Urker gently leaning in beside her. Both parents’ eyes, brimming with love, are fixed adoringly on their cherub, adorned in a charming pink hat.
“We are ushering in 2025 with the most precious gift of all,” Urker captioned the post.
According to TMZ, Blanchard delivered a baby girl named Aurora Urker on December 28th in Louisiana. In an interview with People magazine in December, Blanchard revealed that she and Urker had chosen Aurora as their baby’s name when they first started dating during her incarceration.
“Both of us hold a special fascination for the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis,” Blanchard shared. “It was probably in 2018 when we wrote down potential names for our future child on separate pieces of paper, and to our amazement, Aurora was the name we both picked without any prior knowledge of the other’s choice.”
She further added that they dream of witnessing the northern lights together one day, planning an expedition to Sweden once her parole period concludes.
Remarkably, Aurora’s birth date coincides with the first anniversary of Blanchard’s release from prison. In 2016, Blanchard was sentenced to ten years behind bars after pleading guilty to convincing her online beau, Nicholas Godejohn, to murder her mother, Dee Dee, who had compelled her daughter to feign severe illnesses such as leukemia and muscular dystrophy. Blanchard served 85% of her sentence before being granted parole on December 28th, 2023.
Blanchard, whose life narrative has been recounted countless times, featuring prominently in Hulu's "The Act" and an HBO documentary, was spotlighted once again in two compelling Lifetime docuseries in 2024. The first, "The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard," premiered in January, offering an intimate glimpse into her life behind bars through revealing interviews. Its sequel, "Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up," debuted in June, documenting her newfound freedom and the challenges she faced post-incarceration.
Last year also marked the end of Blanchard's marriage to Ryan Anderson, whom she met and wed during her prison stint, as well as her reconciliation with her former fiancé Urker, another prison acquaintance. In December, she added author to her list of accomplishments with the release of her memoir, "My Time to Stand."
In July, Blanchard made a heartfelt announcement on a now-deleted YouTube video that she was expecting her first child. At 11 weeks pregnant, she admitted that the news was "not planned" and "completely unexpected." Her apparent Instagram account, which seems to have been taken down, echoed this revelation, stating that her baby was due in January 2025.
Addressing the inevitable skeptics who might question her readiness to become a mother, Blanchard said in the YouTube video, "I know there will be people who think I'm not prepared, and honestly, I'm not sure anyone is truly ready for this role." She continued, "When I found out, nothing else mattered—social media drama faded into insignificance."
Reflecting on her upcoming journey as a mother, Blanchard's voice wavered with emotion as she shared, "It's an incredible sensation when your entire world shifts, and suddenly, it's not about you anymore. It's solely about this tiny, fragile life growing inside you, one that you are now responsible for protecting. This little human, your baby, needs your love, care, and protection—everything I longed for when I was young."
She continued passionately, "I want to give this baby all the things I wished for in a mother. Knowing that I am now a mother fills me with happiness. I aspire to be a wonderful mother to my child, to be everything my own mother wasn't."
In a May interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Blanchard expressed her genuine contentment with Urker, stating, "I am finally happy."
