Caitlin Upton, a former Miss Teen USA contestant who once famously struggled to answer a question on stage, is shaming JD Vance for recently posting the video in a reference to Kamala Harris.
Just hours after the vice presidential hopeful appeared on CNN Friday morning and refused to apologize for the post, Upton wrote, before later deleting, a separate message on X, calling his actions “bullying,” Deadline reported.
“It’s a shame that 17 years later this is still being brought up,” Upton wrote, referring to her now-infamous clip from 2007. “There’s not much else to say about it at this point. Regardless of political persuasion, one thing I do know is that social media and online bullying must stop.”
The clip Vance shared shows a confused Upton trying to answer a question about Americans’ inability to locate the United States on a world map.
Her response, filled with awkward pauses and confused statements, quickly became an early viral sensation and led to widespread mockery.
Upton has since opened up about the impact of the incident, revealing in a 2015 interview with New York Magazine that she experienced “dark moments” and suicidal thoughts due to the backlash.
After her statement, Upton deleted her X account as critical comments poured in, many pointing out her past support for Donald Trump, who owned the Miss Teen USA pageant from 1996 to 2015.
During his appearance on CNN, Vance was questioned by anchor John Berman about Upton’s previous comments regarding her mental health issues following the viral incident.
Vance expressed sympathy but did not apologize, saying: “I’m not going to apologize for posting a joke, but I wish Caitlin the best and hope she’s okay.”
In his original post, Vance sarcastically wrote, “BREAKING: I Got The Full Kamala Harris CNN Interview.”