A judge asked a TikToker where she lives, and her answer is what people are still talking about, not her testimony

Emily Thorndike, a licensed clinical social worker and TikTok creator, became the subject of online backlash this week after a brief remark during a hearing in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy. As reported by Ladbible, Thorndike had taken the stand to offer a professional perspective on psychiatric care, but it was an off-the-cuff comment about her personal life that drew the most attention.

Thorndike previously worked at McLean Hospital and had been following the trial closely. She gained traction on TikTok with a nearly ten-minute video criticizing how prosecutors were reportedly portraying the facility’s staffing levels, a video that has drawn around 6.1 million views and caught the attention of Clancy’s defense team, who sought to call her as a witness despite her having left the hospital roughly a year before Clancy was a patient there.

During a hearing held without the jury present, a judge asked Thorndike a routine question about her residence to help determine whether her testimony would be admissible. She replied, “I live in Brooklyn, New York, but I summer on Cape Cod,” adding that she considered herself “spoiled” for it.

The comment drew backlash given the weight of the case

The remark drew criticism online, with many viewers saying it read as tone-deaf given the seriousness of the proceedings. The trial concerns the deaths of three children, Cora, Dawson, and Callan, and Clancy has pleaded not guilty to charges related to their deaths, which occurred at the family’s home in January 2023. Other unrelated legal disputes have drawn public attention recently as well, including a case involving Ohio prosecutors opposing bond reduction for a mother facing child endangerment charges.

Thorndike addressed the backlash directly in a follow-up TikTok video, saying “what I said was obnoxious, it was inappropriate, it was unprofessional.” She went on to acknowledge that the comment was “just point blank a wrong thing to say,” though reaction to her apology has remained mixed online.

Judge William Sullivan ultimately ruled that Thorndike would not be permitted to testify before the jury, reasoning that her limited overlap with the hospital’s staffing during the relevant period reduced the materiality of her testimony. He suggested the defense instead submit staffing documentation directly for the jury’s review. Similarly unrelated viral court moments have circulated online in recent weeks, including one from a Penn State fraternity drug case that drew wide attention after a raid took an unexpected turn.

Clancy’s defense maintains that she was experiencing severe bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis at the time of the children’s deaths. She argues she should not be held criminally responsible for her actions.

Witnesses including Clancy’s mother, Paula Musgrove, and her former husband, Patrick Clancy, have testified about her declining mental health and reported intrusive thoughts in the months leading up to the deaths. Forensic psychologist Dr. Paul Zeizel testified that, in his expert opinion, Clancy was suffering from a mental disease that impaired her ability to conform her behavior to the law.

Prosecutors have pointed to web searches related to sociopathy as evidence they argue points to planning, according to CBS News Boston. The trial remains ongoing, with testimony continuing as both sides present their case to the jury.