Claudia Conway , the 15-year-old daughter of the former White House counselorKellyanne Conway , has established herself as a public figure on TikTok, with over 1 million followers on the platform.- In a recent TikTok video, the teenager revealed that her mother had tested positive for COVID-19, spurring Kellyanne to announce her diagnosis.
- On Monday evening, Claudia posted — and deleted — several TikToks capturing a heated exchange with her mother, who said the videos were disruptive and asked Claudia to post another with new information.
- In a follow-up livestream, Claudia seemed to suggest she was afraid of her mother.
- Her content has sparked a discussion about media coverage of minors.
Claudia Conway, the 15-year-old daughter of the former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, has sparked controversy after posting several TikTok videos featuring her mother.
In one video posted on Monday night, the teenager, who has more than 1 million followers, retracted a claim that her mother had lied to the family about a negative COVID-19 test on Friday. The retraction appeared to come at the insistence of Kellyanne, who could be heard instructing her daughter off-camera.
"Do it now," Kellyanne said in the clip. "You say, 'Correction: My mom had three tests.'"
"I'm doing it right now," Claudia responded.
"Little clarification from my previous posts," the teenager captioned the video, which has been viewed over 2 million times. "My mother claims that she did not lie to me. She had three tests done. First negative. Second two positive. We were not in communication. I misinterpreted it."
@claudiamconway ♬ original sound - claudia conway
On Friday, following President Donald Trump's announcement that he had COVID-19, Claudia shared on TikTok that her mother was "coughing all around the house." She later said she and her mother had tested positive.
After Claudia posted that video, which received millions of views, Kellyanne announced her diagnosis on Twitter, adding that she was experiencing "mild" symptoms including a "light cough."
She and at least eight other GOP officials who attended a White House Rose Garden event celebrating the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett on September 26 have since tested positive for COVID-19.
The teenager claimed in a comment on her video that her mother had lied about the test result and spent the day with her family.
As the TikTok videos and comments received more attention, Claudia's father, George Conway, clarified on Twitter that he and his daughter had not yet received their test results.
Early Tuesday, Kellyanne said on Twitter that she and her daughter were quarantining.
Claudia's Monday-night videos revealed a heated exchange
In another video posted on Monday evening that has since been deleted, Kellyanne and Claudia argued about Claudia's TikTok presence and recent videos addressing her family's health.
"You've caused so much disruption," Kellyanne could be heard saying in the clip. "You lied about your f---ing mother. About COVID? About COVID?"
YouTuber Def Noodles, who frequently covers influencers' activity, shared the clip on Twitter.
—Def Noodles (@defnoodles) October 6, 2020
Later, in a livestreamed video, Claudia appeared to tell her followers that she was afraid of her mother.
"Do we all speak gibberish the same way?" she asked before switching to a code language.
Several people interpreted the 15-year-old as saying she was "going live" because she was "scared of [her] mom."
—Def Noodles (@defnoodles) October 6, 2020
That night, she commented on her TikTok videos that Trump's condition was worse than what had been presented to the public and that he was "literally not okay."
As the videos racked up millions of views on TikTok and Twitter, they sparked discussions about the teenager's safety, mental health, and privacy.
In a tweet, Kellyanne addressed her daughter's content and the resulting media attention and said they both had COVID-19.
"My daughter, Claudia, is beautiful & brilliant. She has access to top doctors & health care & lives comfortably," she said. "Like all of you, she speculates on social media. Yet she's 15. You are adults. We have COVID, but it's clear who's really sick."
—Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) October 6, 2020
Claudia's TikTok has turned her into a public figure in her own right
The teenager has been an active TikTok user for years — she began posting videos on Musical.ly in 2015 before the Chinese company ByteDance purchased the app in 2017 and merged with TikTok — but her profile drew thousands of new viewers in June when people discovered her political and anti-Trump content.
In her videos, Claudia expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement, encouraged viewers to leave one-star reviews on Trump's properties, and bemoaned the experience of being the daughter of Trump's trusted adviser.
But as her follower count skyrocketed, she began to spar publicly with her parents. In August, she posted a TikTok video about her mental health, family tension, and online fame.
In the clip, she said she'd experienced "non-stop CPS investigations" because of abuse and said her mother had gotten her arrested. Later that month, she said on Twitter that she would pursue emancipation and was searching for a family lawyer.
Insider has not independently verified Claudia's claims.
As she has posted content shedding light on her relationship with her parents — while trending on Twitter and accruing TikTok followers — her viewers seem to have struggled to reconcile the public nature of her posts with concerns about a teenager's privacy.
Some people have described Claudia as a hero who's exposing corruption and the inner workings of a presidential administration. Others have said they find her content to be an amusing example of teenage rebellion.
And some have argued that Conway is an unwell teenager in a precarious home situation who is being exploited for political gain and media viewership.
—Yashar Ali (@yashar) October 6, 2020
Claudia herself has poked fun at the media's fascination with her content.
"CNN, ask me out already," she quipped in a recent video.
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