Anna Claire Howland never expected to find herself at the center of a media firestorm, let alone on the cover of New York Magazine. The publication ran a now-viral story on Jan. 27 titled The Cruel Kids’ Table, featuring a cover photo of young conservatives at an inauguration weekend party in Washington, D.C.
Howland, who graduated from SMU in December with majors in business and psychology, found herself caught in the controversy: she was right smack in the middle of the cover photo. The article, by Brock Colyar, attempted to frame the party as an exclusive gathering of politically influential young, white Trump supporters. The cover was criticized by some media outlets for cropping out several Black attendees at the event, including one of the party’s hosts.
Inside the magazine, the story itself portrayed the partygoers as young, urban, well connected and overjoyed by President Trump’s win. In its coverage, the magazine used contentious language to describe them: “They are rebels once again storming Capitol Hill, though without the pathetic scariness of the January 6 rioters,” read one description.
The story also described some of the attendees as intolerant and quoted racist and homophobic jokes made by them. The article mentions one partygoer saying she “jumped the velvet rope into a VIP section ‘like a little Mexican.’”
Although she made the front cover, Howland was nowhere to be found in the story itself. She was not interviewed, quoted or named in the story. In an interview conducted by Elle Stewart for The Daily Campus, Howland, who grew up in Alabama, says the party for her was not political and she distanced herself from the story. Howland said she was simply attending a party with friends and had no political agenda. In fact, Howland’s sister was also included in the photo. Neither knew they were being photographed for a magazine cover.
The magazine’s cover and the story’s framing, Howland argues, was misleading, selectively cropped and written to fit a predetermined narrative. As the story took off, Howland’s social media presence exploded, leading to a whirlwind of media attention, including an appearance on the Fox News network, personal attacks, as well as new opportunities.
In this Q&A, Howland reflects on her sudden rise to internet fame, the impact of the New York Magazine article and what comes next as she prepares for law school.
Elle Stewart: Tell me how you came to be standing in the middle of the photo on the cover of New York Magazine and why you were attending that party?
Anna Claire Howland: I was in DC for Inauguration weekend and got added to the list for C.J. Pearson’s party because my best friend, who was in DC for the weekend with me, knew him. It was a party tailored to the new generation of conservatives and actually honored the 30 most influential influencers of the election, including the former boxer and TikTok influencer Bryce Hall. I was not there for the influencer honoring ceremony. We arrived late and just made it for the party. My first time seeing the photo was when New York Magazine posted it.
Stewart: The magazine’s cover was very politicized with the headline “The Cruel Kids’ Table,” Tell me what you thought about that. Did the magazine get it right?
Howland: Using “The Cruel Kids’ Table” is an unjust, biased comment. I consider it low hanging fruit. The author of the article said the attendees were plotting “cultural domination” and made other many actually cruel comments about us without 1.) doing further research into the party 2.) knowing a thing about the people in the photo and 3.) cropping the photo to fit the narrative of that news story.
I can confidently say that the headline is far from the truth. The four people in the cluster with me on the magazine’s cover were from my hometown—one of those people was my sister. I know these people personally and “cruel” is one of the last words I would use to describe any of them. These people are well-educated, kind, composed, and the list goes on. I believe this title was selected in an attempt to grab attention, which it did. However, it blew up in the New York Magazine’s face once people did their own research, saw the full photo, and found out who the people in the photo were.
Stewart: You were not interviewed for the New York Magazine story. Have you had to distance yourself from the story and some of those quotes?
Howland: I’ve had to distance myself from many cruel allegations due to the initial article’s blasphemous assumptions. I have tried to not pay attention to further assumptions made about me by strangers on the internet—I know who I am and I know my heart. I would never condone that sort of behavior and I am not connected to any incendiary quotes.
Stewart: Your socials blew up as soon as the story was published. Tell me about a message or post that made you realize you were going viral and how did you react?
Howland: I was sent the New York Magazine’s Instagram post a few times the day it was posted, but it did not feel like I was going viral until X posted the photo trying to figure out who I was. I’ve felt all the emotions possible, from initial flattery and humor, to frightened when a lot of information was posted in articles, to acceptance and relief that it is blowing over.
Stewart: Tell me about a negative post you may have received and how did that make you feel? How did that poster get it wrong?
Howland: This article and the photo have obviously received a lot of negative and positive reactions. People have been DM-ing me some pretty sinister stuff but my mom told me growing up, “Don’t take criticism from people you won’t take advice from.” That advice has helped me tremendously. I have found it much easier than I expected to ignore the negative. I choose not to let this media attention get to my head because at the end of the day it doesn’t change who I am.
Stewart: Give me an example of how your new-found fame has changed your life.
Howland: Other than being noticed a few times, my day-to-day life off of social media has not changed. I have tried to not interact with the media enough so that my life does stay the same. I was initially flattered by all of the attention but once an article posted the square feet of my childhood home and where I got baptized, my feelings surrounding the situation quickly changed. I don’t want to feel like I’m being surveyed and analyzed by people I don’t know on X.
Stewart: Tell me about what your days are like now. Has your social media quieted down?
Howland: My socials have definitely died down as the story has died down. They received a lot of attention the first week that I went viral, died down, then there was another flare up after I went on Fox News. I still have at least one call a day with somebody, whether it’s a publicist or just with a connection I have made from this situation.
Stewart: Tell me how your Fox interview on Feb. 4 came about, how the network got in contact with you and whether you wish host Jesse Watters had asked other questions.
Howland: I’ve had various news outlets reach out to me via DM on Instagram, LinkedIn, and then simply by my phone number given to them by mutuals. Though I was grateful for this outreach, I chose to not respond to any of these news outlets until I was more comfortable with the spotlight. Eventually C.J. Pearson [a conservative political commentator who gained attention as a teenager for supporting conservative policies and has been involved in youth outreach and advocacy for free speech, limited government, and gun rights] reached out to me with the Jesse Watters contact because they were trying to get a hold of me through him. It worked.
I was definitely caught off guard by the kind of questions that were asked during the interview. I was told I would just be speaking on my experience at the party and with the whole viral situation. I wish I had been able to stand up for the people in the photo and expose the author of the initial article for the blatant lies it was composed of.
Stewart: In the interviews and articles about you, you’ve been called glamorous, sexy, beautiful, and asked if you’ve had marriage proposals. If you had a chance to snap back at those depictions, what would you want people to know?
Howland: The internet is definitely extremely polarized in the way they view me. Part of the internet sees me as cruel, another part views me kindly, and another part is borderline objectifying me. First and foremost, I know I can’t control the way people think about me. But, I digress. I want people to know that I am not a “Cruel Kid” like I was – as well as the other people in that photo – painted out to be by New York Magazine. I am also not just a pretty face in a pretty dress like a portion of X has painted me out to be. I’m grateful for the majority of activity I’ve seen online pertaining to my story being about my ambitions and how I am a woman of faith and family-oriented. It’s so hard to properly represent yourself or others online as multi-faceted because the media typically takes one thing and runs with it, especially as a woman. But, my advice is to be confident in what you do and what you believe. Don’t let men put you into a box of “just a pretty face” – we are smart, ambitious, strong and so much more than just what’s on the outside. The people who do not take the time to know you for what’s on the inside are the people you’re better off without.
Stewart: What advice do you have for young people who find themselves in a situation where something they say or do goes viral?
Howland: The same advice my mom gave me: Don’t take criticism from people you wouldn’t take advice from. Also, it was helpful to remember that “viral” means in two weeks everybody will forget about it. You can’t change the way people think about you. That being said: Continue to be bold and courageous in your beliefs and passions – whatever that may be – despite pushback from people on the internet.
Stewart: You graduated in December – What’s next? How has this moment led to bigger opportunities in the future?
Howland: I am taking a gap year and then plan on attending law school in August of 2026. I’m applying to a few places, but SMU’s Dedman School of Law is definitely a contender. In the meantime, I am studying for my LSAT in Dallas.
This moment has definitely impacted my future in both potentially negative and positive aspects. Obviously, the initial magazine cover wrongfully painted a horrible image of the party and the people in the photo. Once my name was “exposed” on X, I had a lot of anxiety over how that would unjustly ruin my law ambitions and overall reputation.
Luckily the full photo was discovered and also went viral. Vice President J.D. Vance and Elon Musk posted it on X, Fox News featured it many times on their channel, which, in turn led many kind strangers on the internet to come to my defense. Many of those people have reached out through mutuals or various social media platforms offering me guidance and support. I have already made countless connections invaluable to my future goals, which I’m extremely grateful for.
