Jesse Ridgway is addressing the backlash against him and his wife, Ashley Ridgway, after their recent announcement about her pregnancy.
Back in March, the couple announced they were expecting their first child. They then shared a video to YouTube late last month of themselves reading the results of an amniocentesis, a test for genetic abnormalities, chromosomal conditions, and fetal infections, and discovered their baby had Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome, “a genetic condition where a person is born with an extra chromosome,” per the CDC. Watch the video (below):
Related: Mandy Moore Details ‘Unsuccessful’ IVF Journey Before Getting Pregnant With Baby No. 3
And in a series of posts on Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Jesse, better known online as McJuggerNuggets, announced that he and his wife made the “difficult decision” to end their pregnancy after the diagnosis:
“This choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided. I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.”
The social media personality shared that Ashley “underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend,” and “everything went smoothly.” However, the couple “are drained” emotionally at this time. Jesse continued:
“When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed. Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism):”
The YouTuber went on to list potential health risks with Down syndrome, including heart defects, hearing challenges, vision problems, impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, decreased lifespan, and more. (To note, despite all these challenges, the National Institutes of Health mentions that “with appropriate support and treatment, many people with Down syndrome lead happy, productive lives.” We feel it’s important to add that bit of information — not to judge their decision at all, but to make sure everyone reading this is aware enough to not judge or stigmatize people with Down syndrome either.) He added:
“Down Syndome isn’t a ‘blessing’, it is objectively s****y from a health perspective. I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.”
Jesse said he and Ashley spoke with loved ones, doctors, and genetic counselors who claimed that “90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.” According to Healthline, it’s 67% in the US. He continued:
“This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgment being cast. You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change.”
Wrapping up the lengthy message, Jesse addressed his fans with Autism, Down syndrome, and other conditions who have weighed in on the matter, saying that they “appreciate” them:
“You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward. As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice. It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.”
We can only imagine how tough this decision must have been, and it was a decision they were completely entitled to make for themselves. No one should pretend to know better when it comes to what’s best for their family. Read the entire statement (below):
Following the post, Ashley and Jesse received a lot of support and, sadly, a lot of intense hate online. See some reactions (below):
“The craziest part about the debate happening in the replies (and debates that always happen around this topic) is that nobody ever takes into consideration what a woman’s body goes through during childbirth. Say that you choose to give birth to a child knowing they’ll have Down syndrome, you give them up for adoption (like the replies insist they should’ve done)… what about all the stress the woman’s body goes through to give birth? All that just to give the baby up for adoption? A woman isn’t a machine created to give birth and have no other purpose. When put in a situation like this you HAVE to consider your financial state, your readiness to take on the amount of attentiveness and care you need to raise a child with special needs. If you aren’t ready, why put that child through what may be literal hell in the foster care system? Unless YOU are going to oversee it personally that the child lives a fulfilled life, I don’t wanna hear any opposition to their decision. It’s shocking to me that this is even a debate.”
“I’ll prolly get crucified for saying that out loud, but I think it’s a valid decision. not everyone has the ability to raise a special needs child. also, they have the right to decide whether they want a child, with or without a down syndrome. the only problem imo is making it public. it’s sending a very negative message to people of special needs. they should’ve just done it without making any announcement.”
“After getting pregnant with all my kids I knew I would love them unconditionally however they came out. So I don’t understand this mindset. Kids are born with health issues all the time. You work through them. That’s called being a parent.”
“You made a decision that was best for you and your family and that’s the only decision that matters in this scenario. Any loser trying to chime in is out of line”
Jesse is now defending himself and his wife, especially after they received “death threats” from others. He took to social media on Thursday to fire back:
“I’ve never seen such hate and vitriol for two people grieving the loss of their unborn child and making an impossible decision. The last 24 hours have exposed a side of humanity that is deeply disturbing. Being called ‘murderous pieces of shit, evil, compared to Hitler’ and receiving NON-STOP DEATH THREATS.”
Regardless of whether you agree with their decision or not, sending death threats is not OK. It is incredibly cruel — especially during such a difficult time for these two. Jesse then slammed folks for weaponizing their dog who has stage 4 kidney disease against them:
“Seeing my 6-year old dog with Stage 4 Kidney Disease be used as a weapon, manipulating my words and intent in a tweet or saying we’ll regret this decision forever and must repent to God is absolute insanity. If you ever wanted to marvel at the depravity of people online, just check the replies on my latest tweet. It’s a s**t-show of epic proportions. This is reflective of the current world and landscape we’re all living in.”
Jesse continued:
“What’s more troubling is a lot of these people use God or Jesus as their justification for threatening us and wanting to cast us into Hell…seems pretty hypocritical. So many saying they would’ve kept the child, put it up for adoption or are suddenly ready to adopt a down syndrome child, that’s great! You can do all those things. However, many of the people throwing stones don’t even have children, let alone one with a condition and most likely will never do the things they say they’re going to do. There has been some heinous s**t said about my wife and I on some extremely large accounts…It baffles me that there are such trashy-ass people who have significant followings. If you can’t contribute anything meaningful to the conversation aside from insults then just don’t post.”
But at the same time, Jesse acknowledged he has seen “tremendous stories of people who kept their Down Syndrome baby,” saying “that’s awesome” and “very courageous.” He then noted:
“That is your choice and I support it. This was ours and we can do that. It’s very easy to accept the differences between us when it has no actual bearing on your life.”
100% valid! According to Jesse, what “shocked” him the most is how their abortion story became “mainstream news” in 2026:
“There are over 1,000,000 abortions every single year for a myriad of reasons, this is happening on a DAILY BASIS and is the most common outcome for Trisomy 21, yet this one blows up and people are surprised…? The reason this blew up is quite simple: IT’S BECAUSE NOBODY TALKS ABOUT IT. I can’t blame people for not talking about these vulnerable experiences publicly because you see the disgusting backlash that ensues. It’s very divisive. Luckily, after 20 years on the Internet, this is par the course for me taking on the crazies, so I’m glad I can help further the conversation. That’s exactly why I wanted to share this story. People still need to see vulnerability and hear the raw truth. There is real suffering going on and it is being done in silence and fear.”
Ultimately, Jesse hopes their story “inspired others to open up more and we can all find understanding.” He thanked “everyone who has been supportive during this difficult time and defending our choice as parents” before giving a shout-out to Ashley:
“Also, my wife is a bad-ass. Not only did she go through this trauma, but she’s dealing with all the freaks on the Internet in stride. Love you babe. Let’s look to the future!”
See the clap back posts (below):
What are your reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.
[Image via Jesse Ridgway/Instagram]
-
Categories
