In his first television interview since the death of his three children and his ex-wife’s mistrial, Patrick Clancy sat down with 60 Minutes for a conversation about grief, the social media reactions that have swirled since the case made headlines, and his life now.
The Interview
Clancy acknowledged that he didn’t necessarily know how to manage his then-wife Lindsay Clancy when she was struggling after the birth of their third child. She has admitted to murdering their three children–5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan Clancy–in January 2023, but a jury in her triple murder trial could not reach a verdict on whether the 36 year old was criminally responsible for their deaths.
“I could piece together what it was like to be really, really anxious or depressed, but I didn’t know how to manage a postpartum illness,” he said. “I think mental illness has this ability to be tragically deceptive. So I’m sure there are things that I didn’t see.”
In one heartbreaking portion of the interview with correspondent Ross Douthat, Clancy talked about his final days with his 8-month-old son, Callan, who was still alive when he arrived home from running errands and found his two other children dead in the basement after being strangled by exercise bands.
“I really thought there was a chance that Callan would live,” he shared. “And remember just thinking, ‘Just gimme one. Just gimme one kid,’ and I would raise him as best I could, and I would give him the best life I possibly could. I’d tell him about his brother and sister. And I was holding out hope for that. And then when I got to the hospital, I saw the doctor. I saw the look on her face, and I knew that it wasn’t going to be a good prognosis.”
He said that Lindsay has never asked for his forgiveness after the killings, but he has chosen to forgive her. “I think when it comes to forgiveness, I also felt that if I didn’t get there, I would be eaten up inside forever,” Clancy said.
Clancy was also joined by his new wife, Dr. Rachel Danis, for a portion of the interview. She shared how they met while jogging in Central Park, and they discussed their plans to start a family together. Douthat asked Clancy what he plans to tell the child about their late siblings.
“I think every parent can agree you have different relationships with your kids, but they’re all your kids,” he said. “And I can’t wait to tell them about their brothers and sister.”
Megyn’s Take
On Monday’s show, Megyn called the interview “dark” and said much of what was shared felt like things “[we] shouldn’t be hearing” given the gravity and intimate-nature of the situation. “I’m not exactly sure what the purpose of going on 60 Minutes was, but it was absolutely heart-wrenching,” she said.
In Megyn’s view, the interview would do little to quiet the conspiracy theories about his involvement in the killings. “You guys know how I feel about conspiracy theories. I just don’t spend time on them. I wish somebody had told him he didn’t need to either,” she noted.
“He didn’t need to go out there and say he didn’t kill his children or show people that he’s ‘normal,’” Megyn explained. “I’m not sure what this is about, but obviously he had something he wanted to say and that’s for him to decide.”
Her guest, Stu Burguiere, agreed. “I can understand why he thought… it’s a big audience. Maybe you can move some people, but it never ever works,” he said.
“So, I generally watched the interview and felt a little sympathy for him–it’s got to be the most impossible thing in the world to deal with,” Burguiere concluded. “But at the same time, just going away and living your life and maybe not describing your future family plans to millions of people might be the better way to go.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Burguiere by tuning in to episode 1,402 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.