PRETEND

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is the most beloved convicted murderer in America. Half the country sees a victim. The other half thinks she conned everyone, including her mother.

I spent months trying to figure out which side is telling the truth. Then I emailed Gypsy. A few hours later, we were on a call.

Chapters

(00:00) The Most Beloved Convicted Murderer In America
(01:35) The Short Version
(02:53) It's All A Lie
(03:41) Inside Her Medical Records
(05:26) Allergic To Sugar
(06:10) The Community That Flipped The Narrative
(07:48) Andrea Dunlop Interviews Gypsy
(09:41) Then I Read The Comments
(11:20) Straight To The Source
(11:52) Welcome To The Gypsyverse
(13:04) The Internet Does What The Internet Does
(15:35) Is Gypsy Rich?
(17:22) What Are They A Fan Of?
(19:22) Famous vs. Well-Known
(20:12) Billboards, Flyers, And A Minor Child
(23:14) Nick Godejohn Is Still In Prison
(24:18) The Demona Clips
(25:54) Would You Answer Uncomfortable Questions?
(27:47) Next Time On Pretend
(28:24) Update: The Prison Calls
(30:28) What I Will And Won't Play

Binge the first three episodes now, ad-free, on Patreon (patreon.com/pretendpodcast) or PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts.

Leave a comment. I want to know what you think.

Written by Javier Leiva.

Edited by Puneeth Shenoy with the Podcast Pundits.

Theme music by Joe Basile, thechicken.net.
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Gypsy Rose Blanchard is America's most beloved convicted murderer.

She spent 23 years in a wheelchair, with a feeding tube, a breathing
machine, and a diagnosis list that never ended. None of it was real. Her
mother made all of it up. And then Gypsy had her mother stabbed to
death.

When she walked out of prison in December 2023, not everyone was
celebrating. A community formed online working together to dismantle her new life.

So yeah. America's sweetheart is also a convicted murderer. And
depending on who you ask, she's either the most sympathetic person
alive, or the most dangerous woman on the internet.

This is The Gypsy Rose Obsession. Coming August 11th on PRETEND podcast.

Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2vaCjR7UvlN9aTIzW6kNCo?si=b3549d886084412a

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William Ruzich's father stole his identity while he was deployed in Afghanistan. He came home from war at 21 to find bills, liens, and creditors in his own name. He turned his own dad in for fraud.

Then he went to work catching people just like him.

William is a private intelligence operative now, tracking down scammers, fraudsters, and people who vanish with other people's money.

Coming August 11th: The Gypsy Rose Obsession, a new free series from PRETEND. Watch the trailer and subscribe:

https://youtu.be/9fcD0os3aG8

Kingdom Forge, a book by Anders Edwards that teaches kids about online safety, Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Ready Player One. Check it out:

https://a.co/d/0hpgdcYx

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My friend Joe sells real estate. He called me about one of his clients, a retired nurse who was selling her house, because something about her story wasn't sitting right with him. She'd lost her savings to a man named Edward Smog. Found her online, quoted her scripture, told her he was her way out of debt.

By the time I got involved, she was out a hundred and fifty grand. Now a new scammer is coming after her. She believes he's an offshore oil rig worker, and they're going to get married. I'm trying to stop him before he takes any more of her money.

If you or someone you love is being targeted, here's where to go.

To report it, the FBI runs the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, and the FTC takes reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

If you want to talk to a real person for free, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline run by the Department of Justice at 833-372-8311, seven days a week, 6am to 11pm Eastern. You can also reach the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360.

Tips for your elderly parents:

No real grant, agency, or lottery ever asks you to pay a fee to get money.

Gift cards, wire transfers to strangers, and crypto are how scammers get paid. Full stop.

If you've never met someone in person on a live video call, assume you don't know who they are.

Ask for that video call right now, not later. Take a screenshot of their photos and run a reverse image search. The excuses will tell you everything.

And before any money moves, tell one person who loves you. Out loud. The scam only survives in the quiet.

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We've covered a lot of PRETENDers on this show. But the guy in this one might take the prize.

Carlos Henrique Raposo, better known as Kaiser, fooled the entire professional soccer world in Brazil for 26 years. He signed with more than 30 clubs. He partied with George Michael. He got protected by Rio's most dangerous crime boss. He once punched a fan in the face rather than actually step on the field. And through all of it, he barely played a single real game.

This week we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations: an interview with Louis Myles, director of the 2015 documentary "Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football." Myles and his team spent 18 months in Rio chasing down the truth, or something close to it, behind Brazil's greatest football legend who never actually played football.

Watch the documentary:

"Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football" (2015) is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Also from Louis Myles:

"Mighty Penguins," following the Brentford Penguins, a football team made up of players with Down syndrome, as they prepare to serve as guard of honour at a Premier League match. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023 and is currently on the festival circuit.
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