CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King expressed astonishment upon learning that the lone dissenting juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial was purportedly a Black man during a Friday interview. The revelation came from Paula Devlin, one of the jurors who was part of the 11-person majority supporting the verdict that Clancy was not criminally responsible for strangling her three young children. Devlin noted the lone holdout was a Black man and the only person of color on the jury in an interview with King on the network morning show.

King reacted visibly flustered upon hearing this. Whoa. I have to sit with that for just a second, she said. Lindsey Clancy’s trial recently ended in a mistrial due to the jury’s inability to reach a consensus, split 11-1. The lone male holdout advocated convicting Clancy of first-degree murder for the deaths of her children, 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan.

Nick Dargie, a fellow juror aged 25, shared with ABC News that at one point, the holdout juror attempted to mimic how Clancy allegedly killed her children using an exercise band and water bottle. According to Dargie, He took the exercise band out of the bag, grabbed an empty water bottle, tied the band around the water bottle, and pulled it. I was just so shocked that he did that.

Dargie further explained his surprise at the demonstration, stating I was shocked, it didn’t make any sense to me. Like, we’re not in here to play detective or it’s not a game of Clue. Like, this is serious. I asked him why. He also mentioned that the holdout juror could not substantiate his position with witness testimony or direct evidence and that this resulted in a jury note indicating that one juror was ignoring the court’s instructions on reasonable doubt.

Media Research Center’s Curtis Houck described the viral clip of King’s surprised reaction. He said it’s indicative of broader reactions from American media figures. Houck characterized King as appearing to have been figuratively hit by a bus since she had assumed the dissenting juror was a White male.The fact that she further pressed for information about his age showed the dangers this holdout juror is facing, now that he has been identified by gender, race, and a rough age, Houck said. He remarked on the scrutiny and challenges these identities could pose.

For more on media coverage and culture, media figures like King continue to share their reactions and observations, sparking public discourse around such trials and their social implications.