ABC is in “crisis mode” and plans to take the spotlight on Claudia Conway after her appearance on “American Idol” was labeled an “exploiter” because she seemed to capitalize on her serious fights with her mother, Kellyanne Conway. .
For months, 16-year-old Claudia has been documenting her volatile relationship with her mother, a former White House adviser to Donald Trump, on Tik Tok.
Things got so bad that the police became involved last month after Claudia accused Kellyanne, 54, of taking a nude picture of herself (although she later dropped the charge).
This weekend, Claudia appeared at the talent show, the network putting her in the center of attention and presenting her in promotions for the show. Kellyanne even appeared on the video show to encourage them.
Critics have argued that the show uses the Conways conflict to boost ratings, while an article about Variety compared the appearance to “malpractice” and says that what is “wrong in this regard is the degree to which a child is at the center of a bleeding disputes in front of the public is asked to wash the reputation of two adults [Kellyanne and her controversial politico husband George] who should know better. ”
Now, an inside member tells us that the network “is rethinking how Claudia and Kellyanne will position themselves with the promotion. They were great at putting Claudia in all the promotions, but now they’re thinking of not focusing so much on it … not making a business as big as her to be on the show and focusing on other competitors. ”
ABC is also facing trouble with their “The Bachelor” series after host Chris Harrison apologized and temporarily resigned after giving an interview in which he appeared to accept alleged racist behavior by contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. .
“Given everything with ‘Bachelor’, they do not want more attention or unnecessary reaction,” says the source.
Claudia, who sang songs by Rihanna and Adele, advanced to the next stage.
Meanwhile, a source close to the family says they don’t think the show exploited her. “Claudia has been exploited by many people,” they said, “but not American Idol.” They noticed that the program regularly has minors and that they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. “Claudia wanted to do it,” says the source, saying the hubub is not right for Claudia. He worked hard for the audition. ”
In August, Claudia announced that she was “officially pushing for emancipation,” and last month she released a TikTok video that appeared to show her mother verbal abuse.
Then last month, the topless photo appeared online, with Claudia saying, “I guess my mom took a picture to use against me one day and then someone broke it or something.” She later backed away, saying, “I know my mother would never post anything that intentionally hurt me, and I think she was hacked. I want to apologize for making all this public. ”