In this episode of Rotten Mango, Stephanie Soo examines widespread internet speculation about Patrick Clancy and Rachel Dannis, addressing theories that the two had a relationship before the deaths of the Clancy children. Soo analyzes various claims circulating on TikTok and Reddit—including alleged photographic evidence, work connections, travel overlaps, and family ties—finding most to be unverified, misinterpreted, or outright debunked.
The episode also explores the public scrutiny surrounding Patrick's post-tragedy behavior, including his remarriage timeline, travel decisions, and distribution of his children's belongings. Soo discusses Rachel's professional background and her family's business connections while addressing how personal experiences with grief shape public opinion about appropriate mourning. Throughout, Soo emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between internet speculation and official evidence, reminding listeners that neither Patrick nor Rachel have been named suspects in the case.

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Online speculation—particularly on TikTok and Reddit—continues to suggest that Patrick Clancy and Rachel Dannis had a relationship before the tragic deaths of the Clancy children. However, most claims remain unconfirmed, with significant details either debunked or unsubstantiated.
A blurry Instagram screenshot allegedly showing Patrick and Rachel at Barry's Bootcamp in November 2022 has fueled speculation. As podcast host Stephanie Soo notes, the photo is too pixelated to confidently identify either individual, and the censored username prevents verification of the post's date or authenticity. Soo points out the man in question could just as easily be anyone else given the poor image quality.
Another rumor claims Rachel attended the children's funeral in February 2023, but Soo confirms there's no credible evidence for this. The confusion stems from a real 2025 event where Rachel was photographed at a memorial park opening for the Clancy children—two entirely separate occurrences. Clear photos of Patrick and Rachel together at Barry's Bootcamp do exist, but these were taken in late 2024 or 2025, aligning with their publicly shared timeline of meeting after the tragedy.
Patrick worked remotely for Microsoft while Rachel is a reproductive endocrinologist at Mount Sinai in New York. Some theories attempt to connect them through Microsoft's healthcare partnerships, but there's no direct evidence of personal contact through work. Defense attorney Reddington questioned Patrick's November 2022 NYC trip during trial, which online has been interpreted as hinting at hidden contact with Rachel, though no direct evidence has been produced.
A frequently repeated claim suggests Patrick rented his apartment from a company linked to Rachel's father, creating a supposed financial tie. However, Soo's research reveals no credible evidence for this connection. While Patrick moved to New York in April 2023—which some find suspiciously quick—he stated he wanted distance from Duxbury's tragic associations. There's no evidence he signed a lease before January 2023, despite online speculation.
Both Patrick and Rachel traveled to Costa Rica in February 2023, fueling conspiracy theories especially since Rachel's trip coincided with the children's February 3rd funeral. However, the original poster of a viral Instagram carousel clarified that Rachel participated in a solo travelers' group tour from February 1st to 5th and returned with the group. Patrick appears to have arrived later in February, based on a Google review dated February 21st. There's no credible indication they met or were in contact in Costa Rica.
A positive review for a Massachusetts fishing charter written by someone named Rachel Dannis sparked questions about why a New York endocrinologist would engage with a local charter. A TikTok creator has since claimed to be the true author of this review, providing video evidence and noting there are multiple Rachel Dannises. Even if the endocrinologist Rachel Dannis did write it, the review mentions nothing about Patrick or any connection prior to the tragedy.
In summary, most supposed evidence for Patrick and Rachel's pre-tragedy connection relies on unverifiable, edited, or misinterpreted images, or is based solely on circumstantial overlap and internet rumor.
Patrick Clancy's actions following his family tragedy have prompted intense and divided public scrutiny, particularly regarding his remarriage, travel, and daily life choices.
Patrick's remarriage to Rachel Dannis three years after losing his children has drawn polarized reactions. Some view it as healthy recovery and moving forward, citing their own experiences where life continued after family loss. Others find the timing troublingly fast, arguing that profound grief should require longer reflection. The debate reflects as much on individual philosophies about grief as on Patrick's own choices.
Patrick's trip to Costa Rica just a month after his children's deaths sparked criticism from those who find it inappropriately soon. Others defend the decision, arguing that getting away from a trauma-filled location can be essential for mental survival. During the trip, Patrick reportedly stayed at hostels to avoid families, choosing environments unlikely to remind him of his loss.
After returning home, Patrick reportedly cleared out the Duxbury house, donating his children's belongings to friends and keeping only the most sentimental items. Some parents admit to keeping their child's room unchanged for years, while others acknowledge that letting go of non-essential belongings might lessen daily pain. Experts often recommend disposing of most items and preserving only those with deep sentimental value, balancing the need to honor lost loved ones with the ability to move forward.
A Yelp account widely believed to belong to Patrick contains about 20 reviews over a year and a half—mostly negative, targeting hotels, restaurants, and clubs across various locations. Reviews complain about overpricing, poor service, and cleanliness issues. Some online commenters suspect Patrick leaves such feedback hoping for apologies or corrective action, while others see it as evidence of a critical or perfectionist personality that might have caused marital tension.
TMZ published paparazzi photos of Patrick and Rachel in New York City showing Patrick appearing tense and at other times smiling and shopping. Internet users dissected his body language, with some seeing healthy signs of rebuilding life and others finding public contentment jarring given his ex-wife's trial.
A paparazzi photo appears to show Rachel pregnant, leading to speculation about their reproductive choices and timing. Online opinion splits between applauding Patrick and Rachel for moving forward and questioning how Patrick could welcome another child so soon after losing his children.
Rachel Dannis is a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at Mount Sinai, one of the country's premier healthcare systems. According to her professional biography, academic medicine has been central to her career, including conducting research, authoring book chapters, and teaching medical students and fellows.
Rachel's father, Roy Dannis, has a well-documented 35-year career in the wine and spirits industry, including a 17-year tenure at Seagram, where he became a high-ranking executive. Roy co-founded Revival Spirits with Edgar Bronfman Jr.—a Seagram heir—in a legitimate business venture. Edgar Bronfman Jr. has been named in the Epstein files, though there's no evidence of personal involvement in illegal activities. Claire Bronfman, Edgar's sister, was sentenced to seven years for her role in Nxivm, but there's no indication Roy Dannis had contact with or knowledge of the Bronfman sisters' activities. These connections are cited publicly but all available information points only to professional associations, not personal ties or nefarious activity.
A point of discussion arose when Roy Dannis's Instagram profile briefly reposted a viral "hot mic" moment from the Clancy trial before making his account private. Soo suggests the likely explanation is casual following of a widely publicized trial, not coordinated activity. Rachel's achievements and family wealth have caused commenters to question why she would become involved with someone at the center of a national tragedy, though others argue it's unfair to shame families by association.
Stephanie Soo addresses persistent internet rumors regarding Patrick and Rachel's alleged involvement, warning against accepting speculation as fact. She highlights that theories about Patrick renting from Rachel's father have zero credible public evidence. Another theory proposes they met through their jobs, but healthcare workers on Reddit note that system sales reps like Patrick interact with administrative, not clinical staff, making personal meetings unlikely.
Soo repeatedly stresses that neither Patrick nor Rachel have been named suspects or persons of interest in the Clancy children's deaths. She emphasizes there is zero official evidence pointing to their involvement and reminds viewers that the only person arrested and tried is Lindsay Clancy. The prosecution, police, and defense have not suggested Patrick's involvement, and Soo urges reliance on official evidence rather than internet speculation.
Regarding the Barry's Bootcamp photo, some claim defense attorney Reddington's courtroom questions about Patrick's 2022 New York travel support the photo's authenticity. However, Reddington's queries more likely pertain to confirming Patrick's absence during Lindsay's crises, not establishing an affair. Due to pixelation and censorship, no one can verify if the photo shows Patrick and Rachel or others entirely.
Even if the Yelp account were verified as Patrick's, Soo highlights that negative consumer opinions have no bearing on proving romantic or criminal involvement. Using consumer review behavior to draw conclusions about possible involvement in serious crimes represents a fundamental logical error.
Online commenters often use their own experiences with loss as measuring sticks for evaluating Patrick's actions. Some explicitly describe their inability to "move forward" after imagined loss, leading many to cast doubt on Patrick's quick remarriage. Others celebrate his ability to testify publicly and attempt a normal life, calling it healthy. As Stephanie Soo observes, people's opinions are deeply colored by their own personalities and experiences with trauma, making any certainty about what is "off" or "normal" highly subjective.
A related debate centers on Patrick's willingness to have another child so soon. Commenters question how, after his ex-partner killed their three children, Patrick could feel secure in forming a new family. Some argue that trauma often overrides logic, making it understandable for observers to feel intense paranoia in his situation. Others maintain that the rarity of postpartum psychosis offers reassurance and that people deserve to heal and pursue family life after tragedy.
Another point of contention is whether widespread scrutiny constitutes fair analysis or unjust persecution of tragedy survivors. Some critics argue that families who endure devastating loss deserve to rebuild without external judgment. Others maintain that when a case receives national attention, it's legitimate to question the behaviors of those involved. Reddington's focus on Patrick's travel history has further fueled public speculation, though it remains unclear how the jury interprets such questions, and much of the online theorizing holds little legal weight.
1-Page Summary
Lingering theories continue to circulate online—particularly on platforms like TikTok and Reddit—suggesting that Patrick Clancy and Rachel Dannis had established a relationship before the tragic deaths of the Clancy children. While some claim this as fact, others scrutinize available evidence, but most claims remain unconfirmed, with significant details debunked or unsubstantiated.
One major piece of media fueling speculation is a screenshot of an Instagram post from November 15th, 2022, showing seven people at Barry's Bootcamp in Tribeca. Internet sleuths claim the figures second from the left and the very right are Rachel Dannis and Patrick Clancy, respectively. However, as podcast host Stephanie Soo notes, the photo is very blurry and pixelated, making it hard to confidently identify either individual. The original Instagram user’s handle is censored, preventing anyone from confirming the date or authenticity of the post, and raising the possibility that the date or even the content could have been edited. Soo herself says the man thought to be Patrick could just as easily be Mark Zuckerberg or a random person, the image is so unclear. Although the date of the post would fit with Patrick’s business trip to New York in early November 2022, there is no way to confirm this image is genuine, undoctored evidence of pre-tragedy contact.
Another rumor holds that Rachel attended the children’s funeral on February 3rd, 2023. Soo confirms there is no credible evidence Rachel was present at the funeral. The confusion appears to stem from a real event in 2025, where Rachel was photographed at the opening of a memorial park created for the Clancy children. Online users have conflated Rachel’s 2025 memorial appearance with her alleged presence at the funeral, but these are two separate occurrences, with no proof she attended or knew the family at the time of the funeral.
Both Patrick and Rachel are established Barry’s Bootcamp enthusiasts. Later, clear photos—taken in late 2024 or 2025—show them together at Barry’s Bootcamp. These images match the timeline they have publicly shared of meeting after the tragedy. While some critics cite this as evidence they frequented the same gym before the murders, there is no verified proof of them meeting there prior to the children’s deaths, and later media can be explained by their known relationship at that time.
Patrick Clancy worked remotely for Microsoft, while Rachel Dannis is a reproductive endocrinologist at Mount Sinai in New York City. Some internet theories attempt to draw a connection between them via Microsoft’s healthcare partnerships, but there is no direct evidence of personal contact through work.
Patrick’s business trip to New York in November 2022 has drawn extra scrutiny due to these internet theories and because defense attorney Reddington focused on this trip during questioning. Online, this focus has been interpreted as a possible hint toward hidden contact between Patrick and Rachel, but no direct evidence has been produced beyond this speculation.
Rachel’s known enthusiasm for Barry’s Bootcamp has fueled speculation they may have met at the gym before the tragedy. However, as cited above, clear photographic evidence of them together only exists for well after the murders.
A frequently repeated claim suggests Patrick rented his New York apartment from a company linked to Rachel’s father, creating a supposed financial tie. Stephanie Soo's research reveals no credible evidence for this: attempts to connect Rachel's father, Roy Dennis, to Patrick’s landlord have produced nothing verifiable, and Roy Dennis is mainly known for unrelated business ventures. While powerful families often have varied investments, this rumor remains unsubstantiated in the public domain.
Some online users find the speed of Patrick’s April 2023 move to New York suspicious, given it came just a few months after the murders. However, Patrick has said he sought anonymity and distance from Duxbury’s tragic associations. There is no concrete evidence he moved earlier; his April 2023 move remains the only confirmed timeline.
Despite online speculation, there is no evidence Patrick had signed or begun a New York lease prior to January 2023.
Internet Theories About Patrick and Rachel's Pre-tragedy Contact
The aftermath of Patrick Clancy's family tragedy has prompted intense and divided public scrutiny regarding his actions, recovery process, and personal choices, especially as they surfaced in the years following his children’s deaths.
Patrick Clancy's remarriage to Rachel Dannis three years after losing his children has drawn polarized reactions. Some people view his remarriage as a sign of healthy recovery and moving forward—a personal version of "life goes on." They cite their experiences: after a family loss, life is forever changed, and moving forward is not a betrayal of the past. Others, however, find the timing troublingly fast, arguing that profound grief should require a longer period of withdrawal and reflection. For some, the idea of dating or remarrying so soon after such a tragedy is unthinkable, while others believe everyone copes with unimaginable loss in their own ways.
Personal anecdotes dominate online discussions, with many commenters saying they could never imagine dating again or moving on if they lost their children. Others argue that grieving is unique to each person and that, for some, finding new companionship after devastation is part of healing. The debate reflects as much on individual philosophies about grief as on Patrick’s own choices.
Patrick's decision to remain in or leave Duxbury, Massachusetts, also garners discussion. For some, leaving behind a trauma-filled home can help with healing, while others think moving cities or putting on a public face of happiness—such as seen in paparazzi photos—cannot erase the pain. Some question if relocating truly brings the happiness shown in candid moments, or if it’s just a surface-level restart.
Another highly debated aspect of Patrick’s recovery was his trip to Costa Rica just a month after his children’s deaths. Critics see this as inappropriately soon; some comment that they themselves would never recover or move away from the tragedy's location if something similar happened to their family. Others defend the decision, arguing that getting away—whether to Costa Rica or anywhere else—can be essential for mental survival and is a reasonable escape from the place marked by trauma.
During his trip, Patrick avoided families by staying at hostels, choosing environments unlikely to remind him of what he’d lost. While some cannot fathom traveling under such circumstances, others reference similar cases or personal experiences to defend the need for self-seeking journeys following profound loss.
Tied to the Costa Rica trip is skepticism about the speed of Patrick’s subsequent engagement and marriage to Rachel, with some drawing connections between his travel and his new relationship. However, others point out that not everyone grieves the same way, and healthy coping mechanisms can look radically different from the outside.
After returning home, Patrick reportedly cleared out the Duxbury house—donating his children’s stuffed animals, arcade cards, and other items to friends. He kept only the most sentimental items. Some parents admit to keeping their child’s room unchanged for years, holding onto every possession as a way of honoring their memory. Others acknowledge that letting go of non-essential belongings might lessen daily pain, and that holding onto everything can become unhealthy over time.
Experts often recommend disposing of most items and preserving only those with deep sentimental value, balancing the need to honor lost loved ones with the ability to move forward. The debate here reflects competing beliefs about healthy grief management and reverence for memorabilia.
Internet attention has also focused on a Yelp account widely believed to belong to Patrick Clancy. The account contains about 20 reviews left in the span of a year and a half—mostly negative, targeted at hotels, restaurants, clubs, and stores across locations linked to Patrick.
Most reviews complain about overpricing, poor service, cleanliness, and unmet expectations. One review for Kingsbury Club and Spa, where Patrick and Lindsay were members (and which surfaced in trial testimony), criticizes outdated facilities and ineffective babysitting—a service he claims left their otherwise social child crying. Another review for a New York hotel blasts slow elevators and bathroom cleanliness, while a restaurant review laments a greasy cheesesteak ruining a suit. Similar patterns recur: complaints about slow service, bad food, lack of ketchup with breakfast sandwiches, and incredulity at poor restaurant professionalism.
Not all reviews are negative—he praises a few local establishments like The Tasty for leaving "a warm memory," and a market/ace hardware store for efficient service. Still, the general tone suggests high standards and frequent disappointment.
Some online commenters suspect Patrick leaves such negative feedback in hopes of eliciting apologies or corrective action from businesses, interpreting it as a manipulative dynamic. Others see the reviews as evidence of a critical or perfectionist personality, implying that this trait might spill over into personal relationships or even have played a role in marital tension.
A review of Dante mentions discomfort with bartenders swearing and complaining about the hardships of parenting, with P ...
Patrick Clancy's Post-Tragedy Behavior and Public Scrutiny
Rachel Dannis is a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist based in New York City and affiliated with Mount Sinai, regarded as one of the country's premier healthcare systems. According to her professional biography, academic medicine has always been a central part of her career. She has conducted research, authored book chapters, and is a dedicated educator to medical students, residents, and fellows, highlighting her ongoing commitment to medical education and her field.
Rachel’s father, Roy Dannis, has a well-documented, public 35-year career in the wine and spirits industry, including a prominent 17-year tenure at Seagram before the company's iconic brands were sold. Seagram owned an impressive portfolio, such as Absolute Vodka, Maker's Mark, Crown Royal, Fireball, and Seagram's Ginger Ale. Roy Dannis rose through increasing responsibilities in sales and marketing, becoming a high-ranking executive. A public profile and corroborating social media searches confirm Roy Dannis’s identity, with photos found of him and Rachel posted before public speculation arose, adding legitimacy to the identification and highlighting the family's significant wealth and status.
Rachel’s elevated background has prompted questions about her relationship with Patrick, as some speculate about the dynamics between someone of notable professional and financial achievement and public controversy attached to Patrick. The family's wealth and influence add another layer to the public's analysis of Rachel's personal life choices.
Roy Dannis's career includes co-founding Revival Spirits with Edgar Bronfman Jr.—a Seagram heir—and a third partner, in what is a legitimate business venture. Edgar Bronfman Jr. has been named in the Epstein files, though there is no evidence of personal involvement in illegal activities or wrongdoing. Claire Bronfman, Edgar's sister, was sentenced to seven years in prison for her leading role in Nxivm, but there is no indication or evidence that Roy Dannis had contact with or knowledge of the Bronfman sisters’ activities. These connections are cited publicly, leading to theorizing and speculation, but all available information points to only professional, public associations, not personal ties or underlying nefarious activity.
Persistent internet discussion suggests that powerful individuals sometimes reside in overlapping social and business circles, but there is no factual evidence supporting claims of deep corruption, illegal activity, or that Rachel Dannis’s family is using influence to protect Patrick. Commentary stresses that these are just loose, publicly known connections.
A point of discussion arose when online users discovered what appeared to be Roy Dannis’s Instagram profile, where he briefly reposted a viral video clip featuring a “hot mic” moment from the Clancy trial. During this court moment, the medical examiner gave emotional testimony, with Lindsay Clancy sobbing audibly, and prosecutors were allegedly overheard on a live microphone saying either “shut her up” or “shut it off”—the phrase is debated. This caused controversy in court, and Reddington, counsel for the defense, used this to argue against perceived cruelty by prosecutors.
Roy Danni ...
Rachel Dannis's Background, Family Connections, and Public Questioning
Stephanie Soo addresses the persistent and serious internet rumors regarding Patrick and Rachel’s alleged involvement in the Clancy case, warning against the acceptance of speculation as fact.
Stephanie Soo highlights circulating TikTok claims suggesting Patrick rented an apartment from Rachel’s father, implying that Rachel’s dad was his landlord. Soo investigates and finds zero credible public evidence for this, stressing that absence of evidence does not prove or disprove the claim, but also no source has validated it or established it as truth.
Another theory proposes Patrick and Rachel met through their jobs—Patrick at Microsoft, Rachel at Mount Sinai, with both organizations having operational connections for health data. While theoretically possible, healthcare workers on Reddit note that system sales reps like Patrick interact with administrative, not clinical staff. This makes personal meetings between the two unlikely and speculative, with no proof tying Patrick and Rachel through a business or workplace encounter.
Social media narratives suggest a pre-existing affair between Patrick and Rachel, often citing the timing of Patrick’s moves, professional connections, and various interpreted “clues.” However, Stephanie Soo is clear that these interpretations are all unproven, unsupported by official statements, and not established by any police or prosecutorial investigation.
Soo repeatedly stresses that Patrick nor Rachel have ever been named suspects or persons of interest in the Clancy children’s deaths. She emphasizes there is zero official evidence pointing to their involvement and reminds the audience that the only person arrested and tried is Lindsay Clancy. The prosecution, police, and defense have not suggested Patrick’s involvement, and Soo urges viewers to rely on official evidence rather than internet speculation.
A blurry photo, widely shared online, allegedly shows Patrick and Rachel together at Barry’s Bootcamp in Tribeca, NYC. The image quality is extremely poor and user information is obscured, making it impossible to confirm the identities of those depicted.
Some internet users claim that defense attorney Reddington’s courtroom questions about Patrick’s New York travel in 2022 support the photo’s authenticity and indicate an affair. However, the defense’s queries more likely pertain to confirming Patrick’s absence during Lindsay’s crises, not to establishing an affair. There’s no evidence the attorney guided the jury toward that conclusion.
Due to pixelation and censorship, no one can verify if the Barry’s Bootcamp photo shows Patrick and Rachel, or others entirely. Despite this, some internet users persist in treating the image as evidence of a pre-existing relationship.
Speculation persists that Patrick and Rachel could have met because Microsoft works with health systems like Mount Sinai. Patrick’s sales role and Rachel’s Mount Sinai job are referenced as a possible professional overlap.
Healthcare workers on Reddit counter this speculation, highlighting that systems reps typically do not interact with clinical providers, instead meeting administrative staff. This makes a personal or professional link between Patrick and Rachel through work unlikely.
No credible evidence demonstrates how Patrick and Rachel would have met, even given the operational connections between Microsoft and Mount Sinai. The theory remains speculative and unproven. ...
Analysis of Unconfirmed Claims and Internet Speculation
The case involving Patrick and the tragic loss of his three children has ignited widespread debates across the internet regarding the appropriate way to grieve, the psychological impact on those surviving, and whether public scrutiny is justified for behaviors deemed unusual by outside observers.
Online commenters often use their own or relatives’ experiences with loss as measuring sticks for evaluating Patrick’s actions. One person shared that after losing a family member, a decade later, the pain resurfaced intensely at trial, arguing that moving on is never straightforward or tied to a timeline. Others explicitly describe their own inability to "move forward" after imagined loss, stating they’d be unable to function if something happened to their children. These perspectives lead many to cast doubt on Patrick's quick remarriage and his apparent efforts to return to normalcy, such as writing Google reviews just weeks after his children’s deaths.
Some, however, celebrate Patrick's ability to testify publicly at trial and attempt a normal life, calling it healthy, while others express discomfort at the speed of these actions and his visible presence going about daily activities during a high-profile trial that involved the deaths of his children. The absence of any universal standard for grieving means that online perceptions are largely shaped by personal anecdotes and expectations, not objective measures. As Stephanie Soo observes, people’s opinions are deeply colored by their own personalities and experiences with trauma, making any certainty about what is “off” or “normal” highly subjective. Diverse responses to grief are to be expected, and online analysis often becomes a reflection of individual projections rather than evidence of wrongdoing.
A related debate centers on Patrick’s willingness to have another child and, specifically, to leave a newborn in Rachel’s care. Commenters question how, after his ex-partner exhibited mental illness and later killed their three children, Patrick could feel secure in forming a new family so soon. They wonder whether his trauma might lead to heightened anxiety or unwillingness to take the risk of entrusting his new child to another caregiver, even though the postpartum psychosis that affected Lindsay is extremely rare.
Some argue that, while Patrick might rationally believe the risk is minimal, trauma often overrides logic, making it understandable for many observers to feel intense paranoia or fear in his situation. The debate also reflects a broader tension between a fear of recurrence—leading to heightened caution—and a human desire to heal, return to normalcy, and pursue family life after tragedy. The rarity of postpartum psychosis offers some reassurance but cannot fully assuage all anxieties born from traumatic experiences.
Another point of contention is whether the widespread scrutiny of Patrick and Rachel’s actions constitutes fair analysis or unjust persecution of individuals surviving extreme tragedy. Some critics argue that families who endure such devastating loss deserve to rebuild their lives without external judgment or speculation. They believe that public analysis only adds to the suffering and invades survivors’ privacy.
O ...
Conflicting Narratives About Grief, Behavior, and Judgment
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