Ronda Rousey apologizes years after sharing conspiracy theory video

Ronda Rousey has finally admitted to learning about an incident that happened over a decade ago, in which she shared a video online about a conspiracy theory surrounding the Sandy Hook school shooting tragedy. And it seems the former WWE star has been wanting to apologize for a long time.

In January 2013, about a month after the December 14, 2012, shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 children and six adults dead, Rousey shared the video on Twitter, describing it as “extremely interesting” and “a must-see.” After being immediately criticized, she deleted the video and posted a second tweet, claiming that “asking questions and doing research is more patriotic than blindly accepting what you’re told.”

The next day, Rousey apologized, saying she never meant to insult or hurt anyone, that she was sorry if anyone was offended, and that it was “not her intention at all.” And so far, those are the last words she has spoken on the subject. The 37-year-old is currently expecting her second child with former UFC fighter Travis Browne, though it’s unclear whether that inspired her decision to come forward now.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rewritten this apology over the past 11 years,” Rousey wrote in a note posted to social media Friday. “How many times I convinced myself that it wasn’t the right time or that I would cause more damage by delivering it. But 11 years ago, I made the most regrettable decision of my life. I watched a conspiracy video from Sandy Hook and reposted it on Twitter. I didn’t even believe it, but I was so horrified by the truth that I looked for an alternative fiction to cling to instead. I quickly realized my mistake and took it down, but the damage was done.”

Although it was little reported at the time, Rousey noted that “miraculously” her indiscretion slipped under the mainstream media’s radar.

“I was never asked about it, so I never spoke about it again, for fear that drawing attention to it would backfire,” she explained. “It might increase the number of views on these conspiracy videos and, selfishly, inform even more people that I was ignorant, self-centered, and tone-deaf enough to share one.”

Rousey went on to point out that she had drafted an apology to include in her final memoir, but agreed to withdraw it at the request of her publisher, who told her it would do more harm than good. Ultimately, she said she agreed not because of the potential personal fallout, but because she didn’t want to cause more pain to the victims’ families and potentially drag others down that path.

“But honestly, I deserve to be hated, labeled, loathed, resented and worse. I deserve to lose every opportunity, I should have been canceled, I deserved it. I still deserve it,” Rousey admitted. “I apologize that this happened 11 years too late, but to those who were affected by the Sandy Hook massacre, from the bottom of my heart and soul, I am truly sorry for the hurt I caused. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you’ve been through and words can’t describe how deeply sorry and ashamed I am for having contributed to this. I have regretted it every day of my life since and will continue to do so until the day I die.”

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— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) August 23, 2024

Rousey added that for anyone who has fallen into the “black hole of bullshit,” it doesn’t make you nervous or an independent thinker, and that doing your due diligence doesn’t mean feeding into conspiracy theories. “No matter how many bridges you’ve burned, stop digging yourself deeper, don’t get sucked into the sunk cost fallacy, no matter how long you’ve been down the wrong path, you still have to turn around,” she concluded.

The Sandy Hook school shooting has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, including false claims that the tragedy was orchestrated by the government to promote stricter gun control laws, or even that it never happened. Internet personality Alex Jones (who is not the producer of the video shared by Rousey) has faced serious financial consequences for his false claims about the shooting.

While Rousey clearly can’t change the past, taking responsibility is at least an admirable first step. And hopefully, her words will actually reach someone else who needs to hear them.