‘Take a break’: Gypsy-Rose Blanchard has advice for the Menendez brothers ahead of their potential prison release

Gypsy-Rose Blanchard has offered some advice to Erik and Lyle Menendez, amid new developments in the notorious brothers’ potential prison release. For context, a hearing was set for later this month around a potential resentencing of the sibling duo, who were sent to prison back in 1990 for the murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home.

Now, however, that hearing has been postponed after California Governor Gavin Newsom requested a risk assessment to determine whether the brothers present a threat to the community if released.

#GypsyRoseBlanchard says the #MenendezBrothers should pump the brakes before going full Hollywood if they are released from prison … advising them to enjoy their freedom first.

Watch the full video 👉 https://t.co/Q3ORFcwuKP

🎥: BACKGRID pic.twitter.com/fdWWzmcxTi

— TMZ (@TMZ) March 4, 2025

Following on from that development, fellow infamous true crime subject, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, has weighed in on the plight of the Menendez brothers. Speaking with TMZ, Blanchard advised the siblings on what to do if they’re released from prison, telling them to “take a break” and shield themselves from the inevitable media frenzy. “The one thing I wish I did was take the time away from the media when I first came out and give myself time to adjust,” she said. “I didn’t do that and I got overwhelmed by it.” 

Blanchard went on to suggest that Erik and Lyle Menendez take time to “work on [themselves] and get [their] feet on the ground” before presenting themselves to the public, but didn’t advise them to shy away from the cameras altogether. “Then, if that’s something you want to do, go right ahead,” she said. Even the most novice of true crime enthusiasts will know the links between Blanchard’s case and that of the Menendez brothers. 

In 2015, Blanchard was sentenced to prison for the second-degree murder of her mother, Dee Dee, after suffering years of parental abuse in the form of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Blanchard was released from prison in 2023 after serving eight of her ten-year sentence, though she didn’t exactly prescribe to the no-publicity policy she suggested for the Menendez brothers. Instead, she engaged in a much-publicized romance with her now-ex husband Ryan Anderson, and starred in the Lifetime series Gypsy-Rose: Life After Lock Up.

Whether the brothers can heed Blanchard’s advice will depend on the result of their resentencing. Newsom said the risk assessment report would go to the Parole Board in 90 days, after which we’ll have a clearer picture of whether the siblings will be released from prison. Much of the renewed interest in the brothers — who committed the crimes over three decades ago — came courtesy of the Netflix series Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story. Created by Ryan Murphy, the series dramatized the events of the murders and subsequent trials and led to a tit-for-tat between the brothers and Murphy. 

Erik's response to the Netflix's series.#NetflixMonsters #Netflix #RyanMurphy pic.twitter.com/Xz1waxA2u3

— Tammi Menendez (@TammiMenendez1) September 20, 2024

Then, Kim Kardashian joined the fray when she vouched for the siblings’ release. Blanchard was also the subject of an equally buzzy true crime miniseries, The Act, which was released in 2019 and starred Joey King and Patricia Arquette. Murphy’s follow-up to Monsters will focus on Ed Gein, but fret not — the serial killer and grave robber died in 1984, so there’s no chance of release.