Trigger Warning: This article includes discussion of suicide.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is questioning the circumstances surrounding the death of her late partner, Ken Urker. Urker was found dead at his Louisiana home on October 1, with an apparent drug overdose suspected as the cause.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard says cyberbullying damaged Ken Urker’s mental health before his death
Gypsy, who became widely known following the 2015 murder of her abusive mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, recently updated a Change.org petition. Created in Urker’s memory, the petition seeks to improve how social-media platforms address repeated online harassment.
In the anti-cyberbully petition, she wrote, “Before Ken’s passing, he experienced extensive online scrutiny across platforms including Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Ken and I repeatedly reported content we believed crossed the line from criticism into targeted harassment, yet many reports came back ‘no violation.'”
“One of our greatest concerns was r/GRBsnark on Reddit, where a significant amount of the content targeting Ken, me, and our family was concentrated. We believe Reddit should conduct a comprehensive human review of this community and its history—not simply evaluate individual posts in isolation—and take appropriate enforcement action, including removal if its review establishes sustained violations of Reddit’s harassment policies,” she further added.
She noted that Urker’s official cause of death had yet to be determined pending toxicology results. “However, we do know with 100% [certainty] that it was not suicide,” she stated. She clarified that the petition was not about Urker’s cause of death but rather the severe cyberbullying he faced before his passing. She claimed that the online harassment had significantly damaged his mental health, leading him to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, including drugs and alcohol.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
