Lindsay Clancy of Massachusetts is currently on trial for three counts of first-degree murder in the January 2023 strangulation deaths of her children—8-month-old Callan, 3-year-old Dawson, and 5-year-old Cora.
During the trial, hundreds of women have rallied outside the courthouse in support of Clancy while others secured seats inside. New York City-based gossip writer Brittany Romano was among those present Monday. Footage quickly went viral showing Romano grinning excitedly, winking, and leering flirtatiously at a camera during Clancy’s trial.
Following the incident, Romano explained in a livestream that she “grew up with Lindsay” and laughed because Clancy had looked at her. Romano previously described the family home of the accused murderer as a “safe” space from her youth and posted a selfie with Clancy’s defense attorney, Kevin Reddington.
The conduct drew widespread online ridicule. Mike Davis, founder and president of the Article III Project, stated: “The same leftist women who celebrate killing unborn babies up until the moment of birth now support mothers murdering their kids. Say it with me: Evil Cts. They’ve earned that.” The host of “The Britt Mayer Show” also tweeted: “Many of my sex have gone insane. Ironically, not the one who killed her kids, but the ones applauding her and smiling like a giddy school girl at her trial.”
Amid backlash over what was widely regarded as inappropriate behavior, Vanity Fair announced it had cut ties with Romano. In a statement to the Boston Globe, the publication said: “We were interested in the prospect of a personal essay by Brittany Romano about her experience growing up with Lindsay Clancy. Yesterday, after clear conflicts with our editorial standards and processes, we informed Romano that we were not moving forward with her essay and informed the court that she is no longer credentialed by Vanity Fair.”
Romano confirmed a Vanity Fair representative told her to “take the story elsewhere” following the video’s viral spread. In an Instagram statement, she said: “A smile is not a crime; I smile when I’m uncomfortable; and I have nothing to apologize for.” She added that for two years she has covered the Lindsay Clancy case honestly, emphasizing it centers on a mother accused of killing her children during postpartum psychosis. “The conversation around her has spent that whole time swinging between calling her a monster and asking what actually broke inside her,” Romano said. “Women’s mental health coverage was never a side note—it was the whole point.”
Romano stated her courtroom role was to amplify Clancy’s preferred narrative, noting Vanity Fair initially provided Patrick Clancy—the father of the slain children—a platform to share his version of events before she asked the publication “to rebalance the scales.” Romano has not yet responded to requests for comment.
