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Kim Kardashian has been dedicated to prison reform since 2018 when she successfully advocated for the clemency of Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old grandmother serving a life sentence for a first-time nonviolent drug offense. Years later, the reality star is continuing her mission, meeting up with a very infamous felon - Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
The Kardashians is on its fifth season on Hulu, and in the eighth episode, the billionaire flew to New Orleans, LA, to meet up with Gypsy three weeks after she was released from prison. They crossed paths when Gyspy tweeted at Kim writing, "Maybe we should unite forces together to make real change within the justice system."
The victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2015 death of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Dee Dee convinced doctors, her dad, and those around her that Gypsy was severely ill and disabled, undergoing brutal surgeries, even feeding her with a feeding tube. "How sick must you be as a mother that you would let your child have surgery for your own gain?" Kardashian said in a confessional.
When Kardashian got to the location, Gypsy opened the door with a bright smile. They began talking about her life, with the 32-year-old saying the first meal she had out of prison was steak, which was the first time she ever tried it. She also reflected on how she could have handled things differently. "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.
Gypsy shared an inside look into how she dealt with her mother's death in prison. Saying she would play her mom's favorite songs, and cry when she missed her. "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 explained. "Their first go-to is, 'Well, you killed her, so why are you crying about it?"
Kim said she decided to talk to Gypsy because she really believed she could help and deserved a second chance. "I think you can really make an impact on young people who might not know how to get out. I've seen people - not as horrific of situation that you've been in - but I've heard beautiful triumphant stories of people who have lived such an amazing life once they got out of their situation," the 44-year-old told Gypsy.
"This is what upset me so much because you know everything that I've been through," Gyspy said with tears in her eyes. "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," Gyspy said. "Wow," Kardashian responded.
"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, she continued. "Just the simple fact that she couldn't get therapy in prison is a problem," Kim said in a confessional. "I think that ultimately we want to bring people home that are rehabilitated, and how can we do that if it doesn't start with giving them the tools and having them go through therapy before they get home?"
Gyspy talked about the system saying she believes it's "built to fail." She shared how she couldn't pass a background test if she was going to try and put her name on a house. "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. So I kind of feel like, where are my resources?" Thankfully, Kardashian said she would help her. "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.
While Kim vowed to help Gypsy, she may have put her goals of helping prison reform on hold. She is currently pregnant, expecting her first child with boyfriend Ken Urker. She revealed on her YouTube channel that she is 11 weeks pregnant and due in January 2025.