The Strange Connections Between Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk And Gypsy Rose Blanchard

Both Bobby Berk and Gypsy Rose Blanchard have roots in Springfield, Missouri, having lived in the city at some point in their lives. Growing up, many kids facing familial and societal pressures may have contemplated running away from home, but Berk acted on this at just the age of 15. Like Blanchard, Berk faced adversity from a young age, especially surrounding his sexuality, while growing up in an Amish community in Mount Vernon, Missouri. This led him to leave his hometown and move to the town of Springfield.

Blanchard was led to Springfield by her mother, Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, in 2008. Prior to the move, the pair were living in Galliano, a small town about an hour outside of New Orleans. However, Dee Dee and Gypsy were gifted a Habitat for Humanity-built home on the outskirts of Springfield after Dee Dee told authorities the family’s home in Louisiana was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. While investigators believe Dee Dee lied to get the house, this is where they remained until Blanchard employed her ex-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to stab Dee Dee to death.