Gypsy Rose, Stan Culture, and the Inmate-to-Influencer Pipeline

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! We're watching the results of the New Hampshire Republican primary come in over the course of this show, but tbh, there were no big surprises. Friend of the show and host of Shaken and Disturbed John Thrasher is back with us this week to talk about the intersection of true crime and stan culture. We ask John to specifically look at the recent release of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who served 8 years in prison on second degree murder charges in the killing of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Gypsy Rose has seemingly gone from inmate to influencer overnight. Is there a pipeline from prison to fame? After the initial spike in interest and popularity, some of the social media tides seem to be shifting as more detractors speak up about the attention and celebrity being afforded to Gypsy Rose. Does stan culture in general infantilize high-profile people and make their hardcore fans operate under the delusion that they can do no wrong? We touch on famous figures we used to stan and when and why those shifts happened for us. Are we guilty of confirmation bias? This week's recommendations are across the board: "American Nightmare" on Netflix (Laura), Love's travel stops for a delightful roadtrip experience (Andrew), StoryGraph for reading recommendations (Pam), and Pokémon Go for the throwback and motivation to get outside (John). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Friendship bitch fest! We love our friends, but they're not always the best at communicating or making plans. "I don't know what to do for my boyfriend's birthday, can you give me ideas? Also you're not invited." PSA: A friend agreeing to be in your wedding is doing you a favor. Be respectful of their time and communicate what you need from them in advance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices