Reckoning with a Viral Moment: Reflections on Caitlin Upton and Social Media Attention

You on Twitter, posted a clip from a Miss Teen USA beauty pageant from 2007. Caitlin Upton, and you wrote, I have gotten a hold of the full Kamala Harris CNN interview. She struggled answering a question back in this beauty pageant. I’m not sure you’re aware. In 2015, Caitlin Upton did an interview with New York Magazine about all the social media attention this clip got, and she said, I definitely went through a period where I was very, very depressed, but I never let anybody see that stuff except for people I could trust. I had some very dark moments where I thought about committing suicide. So when you posted this last night, were you aware that the woman you were posting a picture of had contemplated committing suicide for the attention it received? No, certainly not, John. And my heart goes out to her, and I hope that she’s doing well. Look, I’ve said a lot of things on camera. I’ve said a lot of stupid things on camera. Sometimes when you’re in the public eye, you make mistakes. And again, I think the best way to deal with it is to laugh at ourselves, laugh at this stuff, and try to have some fun in politics. Would you like to apologize to Caitlin Upton for posting that last night, given what you’ve now Learned? I’m not gonna apologize for posting a joke, but I wish the best for Caitlin. I hope that she’s doing well. And again, What I’d say is one bad moment shouldn’t define anybody. And the best way to deal with this stuff is to laugh at ourselves.