Casey Anthony’s announcement on TikTok that she is starting a new career has sparked backlash.
Anthony, who was charged with first-degree murder after her 3-year-old daughter, Caylee, was found dead near their home in 2008, has been the subject of countless true crime documentaries, amateur theories and internet vitriol since being found not guilty in 2011.
She is now on TikTok and Substack, and is attempting to re-brand herself as a “legal advocate” and “researcher.”
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Why It Matters
Anthony became known during her trial as “the most hated woman in America.”
She recently tried to prove her innocence to the public by being featured in the 2022documentary Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies, in which she spoke with filmmaker Alexandra Dean about her side of the story and allegations about her traumatic childhood, which her parents deny.
Newsweek reached out to Anthony via TikTok for comment.
What To Know
Anthony was acquitted of murder, child abuse and manslaughter charges by a Florida jury in 2011.
The prosecution team largely relied on circumstantial evidence and was unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Casey was responsible for her daughter’s death.
The defense argued that Casey’s father, George, was responsible for Caylee’s death, claiming Caylee drowned and George tried to cover it up, but they did not have enough evidence to convict him.
Casey Anthony was, however, convicted of four misdemeanor counts of lying to law enforcement. Two of the counts were overturned in an appeal.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo
Now, she is claiming online that she has worked as a legal advocate since 2011. As previously reported in Parade, Anthony is believed to have been working as a legal assistant and accountant. It is unclear who she was working for, and in what capacity.
On her TikTok and Substack, Anthony is hoping to use her legal skills to advocate for herself and her daughter, telling viewers: “I feel that it’s necessary I’m going to continue to operate appropriately as a legal advocate, that I start to advocate for myself and also advocate for my daughter.”
She goes on in the video to say: “My goal is to continue to help give a voice to people. To give people tools and resources that they can utilize so they actually know where they can turn to.”
In the video she calls herself a “proponent for the LGBTQ community” and for women’s rights and says she has decided to use her platform as a “blessing” as opposed to the “curse” it has been since 2008.
Anthony then directs people to her Substack page, which she has been posting on since February 18.
Comments on her video have been turned off, but it has faced vitriol online, with people accusing her of coming on the internet to garner more fame and attention, despite her saying in the video that she is an advocate for privacy rights.
This sentiment is widely shared on X, formerly Twitter, with one person saying: “We may be divided politically, but we can all come together to say, with no due respect, go f*** yourself, Casey Anthony,” and another saying “ABSOLUTELY NOT. We need to shame Casey Anthony right back into obscurity.”
What People Are Saying
Casey Anthony, on TikTok: “One of the main reasons that I’m doing this is there are people close to me who have been targeted and attacked recently, there are also people close to me who have had some recent things occur, and when necessary some people needed to step up, myself included.”
Davon Magwood, on X: “Casey Anthony might be the only person who could get the entire internet to unanimously agree on something. She’s united all of us in a way that i thought would only be possible during and alien invasion.”
What Happens Next
Anthony appears to be committed to writing on her Substack platform and posting TikToks about legal advocacy, and about privacy rights in the U.S. She said in her video that she was spurred to make the leap “into the light” because of current events in America. Her explanation video on TikTok has received 3.1 million views, but it is unclear whether she will continue to garner so much attention if she keeps posting.