Rosie O’Donnell Issues Apology After Controversial Remarks on Minnesota Shooter

Comedian Rosie O’Donnell has apologized following her controversial comments regarding the shooter from a Minnesota Catholic school incident. She had originally labeled the shooter as a “Republican, MAGA supporter” and a “white supremacist.” This statement was made in a video posted on Thursday.

O’Donnell had remarked, “What do you know? It was a white guy, a Republican, a MAGA guy. What do you know? A white supremacist.”

However, by Sunday, O’Donnell backtracked after learning more about the shooter’s writings, which included anti-Catholic sentiments and violent anti-Semitic messages, one of which said “kill Trump.”

In her follow-up video, she acknowledged, “I knew a lot of people were very upset about the video they made before leaving for a few days. You’re right. I didn’t do due diligence before I made that emotional statement, and I said something about the shooter that was wrong.”

She continued, “I thought, like most shooters, they followed the standard MO and had standard feelings. Anyway, the truth is that I’ve been ruined and when you get ruined, you’re going to be evil. Sorry. This is my apology video and I hope that’s enough.”

Her apology has faced backlash online, with some users criticizing it as “the most apologetic apology ever.” One user noted, “She’s sorry, she still means exactly what she said.” Others emphasized the division it perpetuates, saying, “So much mistrust is spreading on both sides.”

In response to the criticism, O’Donnell said, “I was wrong—and I apologized—what do you want more than that?”

The shooting incident took place last Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of two children, aged 8 and 10. The 23-year-old shooter, identified as Robert Westman, took his own life after the attack, which also left 19 others injured.