The Act took inspiration from Dee Dee's real coverup of Gypsy's age. According to the Buzzfeed article upon which The Act is based, on Gypsy's 18th birthday her father called to say "hello." Dee Dee told him not to tell Gypsy how old she was, because supposedly Gypsy thought she was still 14. After Dee Dee's death, when the world found out how old Gypsy really was, many were shocked that not only was she actually 23 , but she could walk and didn't seem to have any serious health issues — despite what her mother had claimed all her life.