As the Lindsay Clancy murder trial continues in Massachusetts, some of the attention has shifted from the testimony to a woman sitting in the courtroom gallery. Brittany Romano has become the subject of intense scrutiny after a livestream camera captured her appearing to smile and wink during proceedings on Monday. Footage of the moment spread rapidly across the internet, prompting criticism from some viewers and drawing a public response from Romano, who said she had received abusive messages in the fallout.
The controversy has also fueled speculation about Romano's relationship with Clancy, with social media users circulating a childhood photograph that some claim shows the pair together, though no connection has been formally confirmed. Newsweek reached out to Brittany Romano via email and social media for comment. According to her professional website and Muck Rack profile, Romano is a New York City-based editor and writer with more than a decade of editorial experience.
Romano's published work has appeared in outlets including Forbes, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Elle, USA Today, Insider and Parade. Romano graduated from New England College with a sociology degree and has worked in editorial, freelance and affiliate marketing roles. More recently, Romano has become known to followers of the Clancy trial through social media posts discussing courtroom developments and commentary on the case.
The controversy began after a courtroom camera briefly focused on Romano during proceedings. A clip circulating on social media appeared to show Romano smiling and winking toward the camera while seated in the courtroom, leading some viewers to accuse her of behaving inappropriately during a case involving the deaths of three children. As the video gained more attention across social media, people shared reactions, including one X user who wrote: “Imagine going to a murder trial for three children and treating it was some sort of promotional event.” In a comment on Romano’s own social media, one Instagram user said: “Did you get all the attention you were desperately looking for during a murder trial for children, or no?” Romano has publicly pushed back against the criticism through a series of social media posts.
Screenshots shared to Romano's Instagram Stories show messages from critics, including comments saying "Shame on you." In one post, Romano wrote: "This case is about mental health right?" according to screenshots seen by Newsweek. Another screenshot appears to show Romano responding to criticism by writing that she was "actually proud" of herself because trolls had allegedly been telling her to kill herself and attacking her personally. A separate Instagram Story showed Romano commenting on the attention the controversy generated, writing: "All for smiling at a camera?!
Tysm for boosting my analytics Xoxoxoxo." Questions about a possible connection between Romano and Clancy intensified after social media users circulated a childhood photograph that appears to have been posted on Romano's Instagram account. Online users have claimed the image depicts Romano and Clancy together as children and cited it as evidence that the two women were longtime friends. In a livestream video shared online, Romano was also asked about the viral courtroom moment.
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