Gypsy Sisters: What Really Happened To The Cast?
Who can forget the weird, wonderful, fighting-on-the-floor antics of the "Gypsy Sisters"? The ladies who got their start as the figurative fire starters on TLC's "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding" gave us three seasons of high drama before leaving the air in 2015. And even their departure was dramatic: while TLC's official line was that ratings were low, according to TMZ, the cancellation came just weeks after a highly-publicized incident where star Mellie Stanley's husband allegedly killed a puppy after a fight over unpaid bills. Notably, no direct correlation was ever made.
Regardless as to why the "Gypsy Sisters" were ultimately sent packing, their allure lives on. The lives of Mellie and Nettie Stanley, Annie Malone, Joann Wells, and Kayla Williams haven't slowed down much since the cameras stopped rolling either, as everything from felony arrests to divorce and grandchildren have entered their lives since then. Here's a look at what they're all doing now, as well as the status of a potential reboot for our favorite ladies from Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Nettie Stanley
Nettie Stanley's 2015 was a rough one. In addition to "Gypsy Sisters" being canceled, Nettie had to contend with the death of her stepson, Rocky Stanley. TMZ reported that he was stabbed to death outside of a YMCA. "Our thoughts are with the Stanley family after this unthinkable tragedy," TLC told the outlet.
The next few years were quiet for Nettie, but she hit headlines in 2023 when she and her husband, Huey Stanley were arrested. Starcasm reported that the couple were picked up and charged with "conspiracy and fraudulent schemes." According to InTouch, they had to pay a $13,000 bond, which they did the following day. Further information about their court date hasn't been reported quite yet, but as of the most recent update, Nettie was considered a "pre-trial felon."
You wouldn't know about her legal trouble from her TikTok, where Nettie has over 40,000 followers and regularly racks up tens of thousands of views on her videos. In October 2020, she shared a video of herself dancing with her daughter (and fellow "Gypsy Sisters" cast member) Dallas Williams. "I wish y'all would come back on tv," one fan commented, and Nettie replied ambiguously, "We're." Whether that means a "Gypsy Sisters" follow-up is in the works is unclear, but Nettie sure is leaning into the speculation. In November 2023, a fan asked, "Where have you been?" In response, Nettie uploaded a video that was simply the "Gypsy Sisters" show logo. We'll have to wait and see.
Mellie Stanley
Mellie Stanley was the self-appointed "black sheep" of the "Gypsy Sisters" cast. But after she gave birth to her firstborn, son Richard, in 2013, motherhood made her slow down a little. "My mother instincts are kicking up in me, and I'm not going back to my being crazy," she told Radar Online.
Mellie's definition of "going back to crazy" may be up for interpretation, however. In 2019, TMZ reported Mellie pleaded guilty to theft by deception and possession of a criminal instrument — both felonies — as part of a massive coupon scam involving Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us. She received five years probation with the requirement that she receive her GED, as well as other rules she must follow.
The reality TV alum's family has also grown over the years. In 2015, she welcomed her daughter Brandy. Two years later, daughter Divinity arrived. And in 2020, her third daughter, Serenity-Faye, was born. Mellie's Instagram features a number of photos of her little ones.
Kayla Williams
Since "Gypsy Sisters" ended in 2015, Kayla Williams has faced a great deal of trauma. In 2019, TMZ reported that her year-old grandson Henry was being given a bath by his stepsister, and she didn't mix cold water in with the hot. Henry was badly burned, ending up in the hospital on a ventilator. The infant ultimately needed skin grafts to prevent the burns from becoming infected.
In 2023, Williams experienced another tragedy when her ex-husband, Douglas Cooper, died. Fans may remember that Williams separated from her husband, Richard Williams, in 2014, as Starcasm reported. She dated another man named Tyler Mumaw, and sometime after the show ended, she married and divorced Cooper. According to Starcasm, Cooper had remarried someone else by the time of his death. Kayla doesn't seem to have commented publicly on her loss.
Thankfully, it's not all bad news. Williams is popular on TikTok, where she shares her life with more than 150,000 followers. In August, she posted a video about her experience getting Botox and a lip flip. "Painless but quick and an awesome experience!" she wrote in the caption. On Instagram, Kayla has also been promoting a new show called "Gypsy Matchmakers." Seeking singles, she wrote, "Let Us Help You Find Love In All The Right Places!" More details haven't been officially announced, but it sounds like Kayla might be back on television sometime in the future.
Joann Wells
Though InTouch described middle child Joann Wells as "the good-natured" one, a fine disposition apparently doesn't mean you're above scamming coupons from Target. According to TMZ, Wells linked up with a couple of Target cashiers in December 2013, and conspired to force expired coupons, cash in gift cards, and run fake barcodes to the tune of about $14,700. She ultimately pled guilty to obtaining property by false pretenses, and got 24 months probation in addition to having to repay Target, according to Coupons in the News. That was one "Gypsy Sisters" secret you probably weren't supposed to know about.
Having moved past her criminal and reality TV past, Wells now seems content to stay out of the direct limelight. She separated from husband Belcher Wells and then got back together with him, though it's unclear if they're still together today. Judging by her Facebook page — dubbed "Joann Thegypsyprincess" — she enjoyed posting pictures of herself and occasionally her children, though she hasn't posted in several years now.
Annie Malone
In January 2017, "Gypsy Sisters" alum Annie Malone was charged with exploitation of the elderly, obtaining property by false pretense, forgery of an instrument, uttering of a forged instrument, and conspiracy, according to the Roanoke-Chowan News Herald. Malone, along with her cousin Jeanette Small and Small's boyfriend Dick Cooper, allegedly performed yard work for an elderly resident of Halifax County, North Carolina. The resident paid them by check, but allowed the trio to fill out the amounts. They overcharged her nearly $6,000, according to the story. As Starcasm noted, it was an especially bad look as Annie had recently posted pictures of a Louis Vuitton bag and Armani sunglasses she'd purchased on a trip to New York.
And who was there to post Annie's $400 bond? None other than Mellie Stanley, according to Starcasm; however, InTouch reported Nettie Stanley's daughter Dallas Williams said TLC was the one who coughed up the bail money. At the very least, Annie seems to have moved on, and now also promotes BoomBod on her Instagram page, posting one enthusiastic promotional shot in October 2020.
In the years since her arrest, Malone has retreated from most social media. She seems to have deleted her Instagram, and she hasn't updated X, formerly known as Twitter, since 2020. However, like her sister Kayla Williams, Malone has been sharing casting notices for a show called "Gypsy Matchmakers" on Facebook. More information about the series hasn't been officially announced, but hey, anything's possible.
Laura Johnston
Laura Johnston's tenure on "Gypsy Sisters" didn't last long. According to Starcasm, the show had barely premiered before the cast hopped on Facebook to accuse Laura of avoiding everyone else. "Where's Laura she's been MIA she don't wanna be around us!?!?!?!" Nettie Stanley wrote. An account claiming to be Gus Johnston, Laura's husband, wrote that she would be leaving the show. "I do not want her filming no more," the person wrote. It's unclear whether the social media drama was manufactured or real, but regardless, Laura did indeed only last one season on the show.
That being said, Laura still coasts on her "Gypsy Sisters" fame on social media these days. She posts regularly on TikTok, where she's amassed more than 18,000 followers under the username @laurajohnstongypsysister. Her videos run the gamut from showing off fabulous dresses to offering up a prayer. "Dear Lord, I ask that you be in control of my mouth today, and that you bind my hands so that I don't lay 'em on somebody and catch a charge," she recited.
She's also on Instagram, giving updates about her family. In August 2023, she shared a selfie with Gus. "#lovethisman #bestofthebest #blessed," she wrote. Fans were glad to see that the couple were still together after all this time; one person commented, "so happy to see you and Gus still loving each other ... you guys always did seem very in love (moreso than some of the other relationships!)"
Is a Gypsy Sisters reboot in the works?
Though Annie Malone's bail posting was almost certainly not a publicity stunt, it did cause some — like Starcasm's Asa Hawks – to raise the question of why TLC might be bailing out one of its canceled stars (if they did indeed bail her out at all). Were they filming again? The rumors may have been fueled by a social media exchange earlier in the year, which began with Nettie Stanley posting a screen grab of a text conversation between herself and Firecracker Films producer Kirsty Smith. The convo, as posted by Starcasm in 2017, showed Smith saying "my execs are wanting to move forward in possibly getting you your own show again."
This came shortly after Mellie Stanley posted on Facebook (via someone else's account, because why should anything surrounding "Gypsy Sisters" be simple?) that "they want to come back with GYPSY SISTERS." She added, "None of the gypsy sisters wants to do it," noting, "I don't know bout Nettie but me Kayla Annie Joann and Dovie are not."
As previously noted, whispers of a possible return bubbled up again in 2023. Between Nettie's aforementioned coy TikTok video that simply featured the show logo to Kayla Williams' Instagram post about a show called "Gypsy Matchmakers," there sure have been some curious breadcrumbs. We'll just have to wait and see what it all means.