Something exceptionally rare happened this morning when A) a celebrity B) apologized for something highly controversial and C) it's actually being praised as a good apology.

Earlier today, MMA and WWE fighter Ronda Rousey apologized for sharing a Sandy Hook "truther" video 11 years ago on social media.

The video questioned the authenticity of the tragedy, peddling the same conspiracies that got Alex Jones sued. Rousey quickly deleted the post amid backlash, and the controversy was mostly dormant for the following decade.

That changed earlier this week when Rousey held an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit's /r/squaredcircle subreddit that swiftly was derailed by hundreds of commenters asking her to address her feelings on Sandy Hook.

This morning, Rousey tweeted an apology for sharing the Sandy Hook truther video, and unlike basically every apology ever posted to the internet, it's being praised by many.

pic.twitter.com/JpBZ0R0VKr

— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) August 23, 2024

In the apology, Rousey offers a clear explanation for why she shared the video, an explanation for why it took her so long to apologize, a strong statement condemning Sandy Hook denialism and baseless conspiracies and a message for others who find themselves down similar rabbit holes.

Rousey states she shared the video because she was "grasping for an alternative fiction (to the real tragedy of Sandy Hook) to cling to." She admits she realized her mistake and took it down.

As years passed, she was not asked about the incident and claimed she felt afraid to apologize for sharing the video for fear of drawing more attention to the conspiracy theory and negative attention toward herself. She claims she tried to apologize in a recent memoir, but her publishers asked her to remove the passage because it would overshadow the rest of the book.

She admits that she had every reason to be "detested, canceled" and that she would have deserved it. She apologized that the apology was late and delivered a heartfelt apology to the families of Sandy Hook victims.

She concludes by addressing others who may believe or digest conspiracy theories, saying that doing so does not make them independent thinkers, and no matter how far deep into the rabbit hole they are, there is always a chance to turn back.

Social media was largely impressed by Rousey's apology, particularly considering the source and what was being apologized for.

Though the apology is well received, some pointed out that it may never have happened had Redditors not banded together to turn Rousey's AMA into a tag team drubbing. The internet never forgets — and in this case, seems to have inspired a long-overdue apology.