Podcaster Amanda Hirsch has issued an apology after facing backlash for posting an advert in partnership with the betting platform Polymarket about the Lindsay Clancy verdict.
After the judge in the case had declared a mistrial Friday, Hirsch shared a post that said: “On Polymarket it was predicted the verdict would be Not Guilty. Are you surprised? #Polymarketpartner.”
Hirsch, who hosts the podcasts Not Skinny But Not Fat and Hulu’s Get Real, has since deleted the post and said online that the messaging was “completely insensitive, wrong and out of character for me.”
“I should have known better, and I feel sick that I didn’t see that in the moment.”
She added: “As a mom, this case has really affected me. I’ve been following it so closely, talking about it constantly, and feeling heartbroken by every aspect of it.”
Hirsch continued: “I became so consumed by the trial that I completely lost perspective and didn’t stop to think about how grossly inappropriate it was to discuss something this tragic in that context.”
“I made a terrible judgment call and I feel so f***ing awful about that,” Hirsch continued. “I know deleting it doesn’t erase it. Believe me, I’m horrified by the choice I made and please know this lapse in judgment does not represent who I am as a person. I am so deeply sorry.” The Independent has contacted Polymarket for comment.
Polymarket is part of a new wave of betting sites that allows users to predict the outcomes of real-world events.
On Friday, a Massachusetts jury was unable to come to a unanimous decision in the trial of Clancy, a mother accused of murdering her three children, five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan.
Clancy does not deny killing her children, but claims that her actions were the result of postpartum psychosis, a condition believed to affect around one to two in every 1,000 new mothers.
The high-profile case has captured international attention, spawning conspiracy theories and think pieces around the world.
Hirsch has faced backlash from her followers after posting the apology.
One person commented on her latest Instagram post: “I know you need to support your family. But I guess there are other opportunities and sometimes it is ok to have a moment to think about a post you get paid for and say: no. You are on a run – and I am happy for you – but this one was (for me) the last straw.”
Another person wrote: “Donating the money to a mother’s mental health org would (and should) be the first step.”
