Kellyanne Conway’s Daughter Blasts Backlash After Playboy Deal

Claudia Conway, daughter of former Donald Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway, has hit back at criticism over her decision to become an online Playboy model.

The 18-year-old launched a subscription page on Playboy.com in late April. She has shared images of herself posing in bikinis. These are openly accessible on the page, while other snapshots require payments ranging from $5 to $99 to view.

On Tuesday, Claudia Conway spoke out about her decision to sign up with Playboy, which is now online only after the magazine ceased publication in 2020.

Prefacing by stating that it was the “only comment” she would provide on the matter, she wrote: “When I was 15-16, I was exploited by the media, preyed upon, and was forced into portraying myself as something I wasn’t. My body was taken from me.”

“Now, as a young adult, I am aiming to reclaim my womanhood and femininity in a way that is truly mine,” she went on. “I am putting myself out there in a way that is MY OWN and no one else’s. I have full control of my body and my voice.

“I believe in writing your own narrative, like I’ve said in the past, and taking back what was once unjustly taken from you.”

She added in a follow-up tweet that “autonomy and freedom are two things everyone should have. Don’t let someone capitalize off of your vulnerabilities—reclaim them.”

A Twitter user responded by writing that she was “owning the media who tried to turn you into a circus sideshow by turning yourself into a circus sideshow. This outcome is *exactly* what they wanted!”

Claudia Conway, who this week attended her high school prom, defended her decision, hitting back: “And who owns the content, making money off of it, and has full control over what is out there now? Me.”

On Tuesday, a Playboy spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement that the outspoken teen’s involvement with the platform has afforded her “freedom” and “autonomy,” as well as “major financial success.”

“Playboy believes all women deserve to have full control over their bodies and their voices,” read the statement. “Claudia Conway is one of many women who have found freedom, autonomy, and major financial success on our creator platform. We welcome her and support her choices.”

Claudia Conway, who describes her political views as left-leaning, made headlines when she publicly lambasted her mother during the time she worked with former President Trump. Her father, George Conway, is also a vocal Trump critic.

The teen also announced on Twitter in August 2020 that she was “officially pushing for emancipation” from her parents. Things came to a head in January 2021 when Claudia Conway accused her mother of posting a topless picture of her via Twitter’s now-defunct Fleets feature.

In a December 2022 interview with Bustle, Claudia Conway said that she didn’t believe her mother intentionally posted the image, which was discovered when Kellyanne Conway was going through her phone.

“My mother helped me through it. She helped me clear it from the internet. So I wholeheartedly don’t think she posted it,” said Claudia Conway, who shared the belief that her mother’s phone was hacked. “But it was extremely traumatic.”

In the summer of 2021, erstwhile American Idol contestant Claudia Conway revealed in a TikTok post that she was on good terms with her mother.

“I know it’s not really anyone’s business, but I kind of made it everyone’s business—not intentionally,” Claudia Conway said at the time. “I was seeking help earlier this year, last year, because I was in a state where I didn’t know what to do.”

“I know a lot of people are confused about my situation, but I am happy and I’m safe, and my relationship with my mom is actually really good right now.”

“She’s getting the guidance she needs, I got the guidance I needed, we got the guidance we needed together,” Claudia Conway added. “And it’s all about breaking that cycle. So, we are living proof that you can break that cycle.”

Telling Bustle in December that she and her mother had been going to therapy sessions together, Claudia Conway said: “I’m not going to talk about my mom’s trauma because it’s her story, not mine. But when you have trauma that you have held onto for, let’s say, 40 years of your life, and you have children, it is so hard to not pass that down to them.”

The younger Conway added that she now has “all the respect in the world” for her mother for dealing with her past with her in therapy: “Being so young, it’s really hard to understand why someone is treating you the way they are, especially when they’re your mother and you look up to them so much. I’ve learned so much about her.”