Former MMA fighter and professional wrestler Ronda Rousey has issued a publicly apology for sharing a conspiracy video about the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, calling it “the single most regrettable decision of my life.”
In a lengthy statement posted on X early Friday morning, the 37-year-old said she “deserve[s] to be hated, labeled, detested and worse for it.”
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) August 23, 2024
“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,” her statement started.
Rousey explained she shared a conspiracy video which falsely suggested the Sandy Hook shooting was staged. The massacre in Newtown, Conn., claimed the lives of 20 first grade students and six educators.
Reflecting on her actions, the “Furious 7” actress said, “I didn’t even believe [the conspiracy], but was so horrified at the truth that I was grasping for an alternative fiction to cling to instead.”
Though she quickly took the video down from social media, she said she knew the damage was already done.
The apology came after Rousey faced questions during a recent “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit, during which she was asked why she hadn’t previously addressed her role in promoting the conspiracy theory.
She acknowledged that her statement “came 11 years too late,” but addressed those affected by the massacre: “From the bottom of my heart and depth of my soul I am so sorry for the hurt I caused.”
With News Wire Services
