Ronda Rousey is apologizing for an ill-advised tweet she shared more than a decade ago.
On Friday, the former UFC champion shared a lengthy statement on X (formerly Twitter) in an attempt to apologize for sharing a Sandy Hook conspiracy theory.
“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,” Rousey wrote. “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 it.”
According to Bleacher Report, Rousey shared a YouTube video in January 2013 spewing a conspiracy theory surrounding the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut that resulted in the death of 20 children and six employees.
I never meant to insult or hurt anyone, sorry if anyone was offended. It was not my intention in the least. http://t.co/KjmQxiYK
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) January 16, 2013
She captioned the post with, “Extremely interesting, and must-watch,” but quickly deleted it after being met with immediate outrage.
“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,” Rousey wrote in her apology. “I quickly realized my mistake and took it down, but the damage was done.”
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) August 23, 2024
Ronda Rousey Will Regret Sharing the Video ‘Until the Day I Die’
Ronda Rousey began her statement by saying: “I can’t say how many times I’ve redrafted this apology over the last 11 years.” The former MMA star added that she drafted an apology to be included in her latest memoir, but “my publisher begged me to take it out, saying it would overshadow everything else and do more harm than good.”
Though she felt instant regret for sharing the video, Rousey was afraid to broach the subject for fear of bringing more attention to the video.
“By some miracle 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 — 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,” she said.
“So I convinced myself that apologizing would just reopen the wound for no other reason than me selfishly trying to make myself feel better, 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,'” she continued.
“But honestly I deserve to be hated, labeled, detested, resented, and worse for it. I deserve to lose out on every opportunity, I should have been canceled, I would have deserved it. I still do.”
Rousey went on to say that sharing the video will be a decision she regrets “until the day I die” and offered a warning to those who have fallen for online conspiracy theories.
“They will only make you feel powerless, afraid, miserable and isolated. You’re doing nothing but hurting others and yourself,” Rousey cautioned. “No matter how long you’ve gone down the wrong road, you should still turn back.”
You can learn more about the tragic events that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, below:
