Gypsy Rose Blanchard details why her salivary glands were removed
Gypsy Rose Blanchard details why her salivary glands were removed
Amaris Encinas, USA TODAYWed, June 10, 2026 at 4:20 PM UTC
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Gypsy Rose Blanchard revealed that one of her late mother's ruses left her without salivary glands.
In a June 9 episode of the "We Need To Talk" podcast, Gypsy Rose detailed some of the most "prominent" medical procedures, including the removal of her salivary glands, that she underwent while in her late mother's care.
"My salivary glands that produces saliva [were] removed from my neck," Blanchard told host Paul C. Brunson. "My mom would put Orajel before we would go into the doctor's appointment, on my mouth, to make me drool."
Proof of the 2007 medical procedure can be seen in the form of a long horizontal scar across Blanchard's neck, with "The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard" star noting that she needs to "clear her throat a lot" and "drink a lot of water."
Gypsy Rose Blanchard attends "The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard" red carpet event on Jan. 5, 2024.
"So, upon examination, the doctor saw me drool. It's 'excessive' drooling. There is a way to take care of that. So, let's remove the salivary glands," Blanchard added.
Blanchard was granted parole in December 2023 after serving nearly eight years in prison for her role in the fatal 2015 stabbing of her mother Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, who allegedly suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy and presented her daughter as severely disabled.
The 34-year-old went on to star in Lifetime reality show "Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup." Blanchard married Ryan Scott Anderson in 2022, and the couple split in December 2024, following her release from prison.
She later reunited with her former fiancé, Ken Urker. The two welcomed a daughter in December.
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Doctor suspected Gypsy Rose's mother had Munchausen by proxy
Earlier in the interview, Blanchard revealed there was a neurologist who was skeptical of her mother's diagnoses, a moment she now recognizes as "pivotal."
The doctor asked her to stand up in his office, a detail she learned from watching a documentary about her life and one that she couldn't remember until a "few months ago."
"Then a few months ago, I was lying in bed, and I feel like I have two memories and I don't know which one's real. But I think I maybe do recall him asking me to stand up. And I don't know if something was blocking that memory, but now I'm kind of like 'Oh my God, maybe he did,'" Blanchard said.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard attends "An Evening with Lifetime: Conversations On Controversies" FYC event at The Grove on May 1, 2024.
The doctor later told Dee Dee "point blank" that there was "no reason why she [Gypsy] can't walk."
"She can walk. She's fine. And my mom left. We never went to see that doctor again," Blanchard said. "But that doctor had put in the medical records, in his notes from that day, suspicion of mother with Munchausen by proxy. He puts that in the medical records."
"Now, my mother would always request a copy of the medical records after every appointment. We guess, we being me, my family, my attorneys, we all think that she's seen that in the medical records and chose to leave and not go to that doctor again," Blanchard added.
The note in the medical file did result in a visit from child protective services, but Blanchard said it didn't go anywhere, as the officials didn't ask her questions that pertained to Munchausen by proxy.
Contributing: Kim Willis, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gypsy Rose Blanchard reveals why her salivary glands were removed
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