Jesse Ridgway is unbothered by the “hypocritical” backlash he and his wife, Ashley Ridgway, are facing after revealing their decision to terminate her pregnancy.
The Youtuber took to his Instagram Stories Wednesday to tell his critics he will not stop posting about his and his wife’s choice, despite people telling him he’s being “cancelled” for it.
“A lot of the pro-life people are wishing death upon me and my wife — which is hypocritical. A lot of them used God and Jesus as their weapon and their justification, but it doesn’t matter to me because I’m not religious.”
The internet personality shared that he hasn’t believed in God, the bible or hell since he was eight, but doesn’t judge others for believing in it.
“I think it’s great. If it’s how you want to frame your life and your decisions, more power to you. When you start to use it as a weapon, then it becomes problematic,” Jesse said.
“Never in a million years did I expect to be a poster child for abortion,” he continued. “As a dude, it’s not something you really confront. We were just trying to be first-time parents and it’s been overwhelming.”
Despite the “absurdly provocative” backlash he continues to face, Jesse vowed to “encourage the conversation and keep talking” about abortion.
“It’s something that matters and I’m doing this not just for myself and my wife and my family, but for all the families, all the perspective parents.”
Jesse and Ashley have been at the brunt of rampant online hate — including death threats — since sharing the news last week that they aborted their pregnancy over a Down syndrome diagnosis.
He has been especially under fire since a 2017 video of him mocking Down syndrome resurfaced.
In the 45-minute video, he played a character with the condition, using a stereotypical voice and mannerisms often used to mock developmentally disabled people.
On Monday, Jesse accused his wife’s family of contributing to the online backlash against them and issuing Ashley the ultimatum that she needs to leave him “immediately.”
“[They speak] as if she’s not even blood. No backbone, just cowardice as they accuse me of making the decision and controlling/manipulating her over all the years of being together,” he wrote via Facebook.
The content creator, who married Ashley in October 2025, revealed their decision to terminate on June 3 after their unborn child tested positive for Trisomy 21, meaning there was a high chance the baby would have Down syndrome.
Jesse, who goes by McJuggerNuggets online spoke exclusively to Page Six on Friday about the “nuanced” reasoning behind their choice.
“The second I started to get confronted with stat after stat after stat, and when I realized that more than likely I will have to bury my son, that is not what I wanted to sign up for,” Jesse told us. “I want my kids to outlive me and to be fully functional and be able to live a good life.”
“When it comes to being a first-time parent, or just trying to start a family in general, you don’t know until you’re thrust into this situation. You’re always just trying to make the best decision you can to benefit your child and your own life.”
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