DEDHAM, MA. (THECOUNT) — Brittany Romano, the Vanity Fair reporter who went viral after appearing to smile and wink toward a camera during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, will no longer write a personal essay about her experience growing up with Clancy, and Vanity Fair has informed the court that Romano is no longer credentialed by the publication.
A spokesperson for Condé Nast, Vanity Fair’s parent company, said the publication had been interested in a personal essay by Romano about her experience growing up with Clancy. The company said it ultimately decided not to move forward with the project.
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VIDEO: Creepy Smile Wink Vanity Fair Lindsay Clancy Trial Reporter Brittany Romano.
Vanity Fair reporter who went viral after appearing to smile and wink toward a camera during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, will no longer write a personal essay about her experience growing up… pic.twitter.com/1vNn0zz4BP
— THECOUNT.com ™ © (@THECOUNTnews) August 25, 2026
“We were interested in the prospect of a personal essay by Brittany Romano about her experience growing up with Lindsay Clancy,” the spokesperson said. “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.”
The decision came after Romano attracted widespread attention Monday when a camera moving through the courtroom captured her seated in the front row of the gallery. Romano appeared to smile toward the camera and wink.
The footage quickly circulated online, prompting criticism of Romano’s courtroom conduct while she was covering a murder trial involving the deaths of three children. The incident also drew additional attention because of Romano’s personal connection to Clancy.
Romano later addressed the incident when a streamer approached her outside the courthouse and asked why she had been smiling during the proceedings.
1) Did she have a liquid lunch and then go to court?
2) Her dad was like hey I saw you at the murder trial, why weren’t you smiling? pic.twitter.com/mvMMnXMtF1— Jay (@jaybronious) August 25, 2026
Romano said she had grown up with Clancy and explained that she had been smiling for her father. She said her father had told her that she needed to smile more while appearing on television.
How is this even allowed? Green dress girl is a childhood friend of none other than….Lindsay Clancy! And there she was, winking and flirting with the courtroom cameraman. @conlin_lauren did you see her? pic.twitter.com/iKChDUX8HI
— Dark Triad (@darktriadtc) August 24, 2026
Vanity Fair’s proposed essay was centered on Romano’s personal experience growing up with Clancy. The publication’s decision means that account will not be published by the magazine.
Condé Nast also notified the court that Romano is no longer credentialed by Vanity Fair. The company did not provide additional details about the specific conflicts with its editorial standards and processes that led to the decision.
The Clancy case has drawn national attention since Clancy was accused of killing her three young children before attempting to take her own life. The criminal proceedings have included examination of Clancy’s mental state and the circumstances surrounding the children’s deaths.
Romano’s personal connection to Clancy had distinguished her proposed coverage from a conventional courtroom report. Her planned first-person essay would have focused on that relationship and her experience growing up with the defendant.
The controversy surrounding Romano’s courtroom appearance and Vanity Fair’s subsequent decision have ended the publication’s plans for the essay while also removing Romano’s credentials to cover the trial on behalf of the magazine.
Dedham is located in Norfolk County in eastern Massachusetts, approximately 10 miles southwest of Boston. Norfolk Superior Court, where the Clancy trial is being held, is located in the community.
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