Ronda Rousey Releases Statement Regarding Sandy Hook Conspiracy Tweet
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on August 23, 2024 at 3:15 PM EDT
Ronda Rousey is eating her words and apologizing for a controversial tweet she made back in 2013 about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
The ex-MMA star took to social media on Friday to issue an apology for sharing the conspiracy theory video, which implied the tragic shooting was a hoax.
Ronda Rousey’s lengthy statement expressed deep regret for her actions and the harm it caused.
Ex-MMA Star Apologizes For Sandy Hook Tweet
In an X post, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Rousey began, “I can’t say how many times I’ve redrafted this apology over the last 11 years. How many times I’ve convinced myself it wasn’t the right time or that I’d be causing even more damage by giving it.”
“But eleven years ago, I made the single most regrettable decision of my life,” she continued. “I watched a Sandy Hook conspiracy video and reposted it on Twitter. I didn’t even believe it, but was so horrified at the truth that I was grasping for an alternative fiction to cling to instead.”
According to Bleacher Report, Rousey shared a post about the heartbreaking Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, which tragically claimed the lives of 20 children and six staff members.
Her Tweet stirred the pot as she reposted a controversial video from the YouTube channel ThinkOutsideTheTV that pushed a conspiracy theory about the incident. She even labeled it an "extremely interesting, and must-watch" video.
Ronda Rousey Took The Post Down Almost Immediately
Rousey added that she "quickly realized [her] mistake and took it down," but it was too late, and "the damage was done."
All the while, "by some miracle" the news never made it into the news and it "seemingly slipped under the media’s radar."
"I was never asked about it, so I never spoke of it again, afraid that calling attention to it would have the opposite of the intended effect," she continued. "It could increase the views of those conspiracy videos and selfishly inform even more people I was ignorant, self-absorbed, and tone-deaf enough to share one in the first place.”
According to Bleacher Report's article at the time, the post immediately sparked outrage and widespread criticism, and in an attempt to calm the storm, Rousey quickly deleted the video and followed up with a post saying, "asking questions and doing research is more patriotic than blindly accepting what you're told."
Ronda Rousey Acknowledges Her Mistake
In the lengthy statement, Rousey acknowledged the "thousands" of apologies she drafted, one of which she planned to include in her last memoir, but her "publisher begged me to take it out, saying it would overshadow everything else and do more harm than good."
"So I convinced myself that apologizing would just reopen the wound for no other reason than my selfishly trying to make myself feel better," she continued. "That I would hurt those suffering even more and possibly lead more people down the black hole of conspiracy bullsh-t by it being brought up again just so I could try to shake the label of being a 'Sandy Hook truther.'"
The Ex-WWE Star Tells Others Not To Make The Same Mistake
In big, bold letters, the ex-WWE star wrote:
“I apologize that this came 11 years too late, but to those affected by the Sandy Hook massacre, from the bottom of my heart and depth of my soul I am so, so sorry for the hurt I caused,” she continued. “I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you’ve endured and words cannot describe how thoroughly remorseful and ashamed I am of myself for contributing to it. I’ve regretted it every day of my life since and will continue to do so until I die.”
Rousey, who gave birth to her first child in 2021, addressed others who have "fallen down the black hole of bullsh-t," telling them that it "doesn't make you edgy or an independent thinker."
"You're not doing your due diligence entertaining very possibly by digesting these conspiracies," she continued. "They will only make you feel powerless, afraid, miserable, and isolated."
Why Did Ronda Rousey Apologize Now?
Despite Rousey explaining why she never spoke out about the controversial post before, many are questioning the timing of her apology as it came after her Reddit post on the wrestling subreddit r/SquaredCircle, about her first graphic novel.
Instead of commenting on the news of her new project, several users questioned the ex-WWE star about her remarks on Sandy Hook.
