Influencer Jesse Ridgway, known online as McJuggerNuggets, addressed Instagram backlash over an abortion after he and his wife Ashley ended a pregnancy when they learned their unborn child had Down syndrome. Ridgway said he’s unbothered by “go to Hell” comment
Jesse Ridgway wasn’t trying to calm the internet down—at least not on Wednesday. In an Instagram story posted that day, the influencer said he isn’t letting the “go to Hell” comments affect him because he’s not religious, even as abortion backlash continues to swirl around him.
The controversy traces back to Ridgway—who is known as McJuggerNuggets online—along with his wife, Ashley. They terminated their pregnancy after they learned their unborn child had Down syndrome, a decision that triggered intense criticism.
Ridgway said he won’t shy away from the subject just because people are upset. He told viewers, “I’m doing this not just for myself and my wife and my family, but for all the families, all the prospective parents.”
He also pushed back on critics who are, in his view, escalating their condemnation beyond disagreement. Ridgway said, “A lot of the pro-life people are wishing death upon me and my wife, which is hypocritical.”
In the same message, he pointed directly at the role religion has played in the backlash. “A lot of them use God and Jesus as their weapon and their justification but like, it doesn’t matter to me because I’m not religious,” he said.
Ridgway added that he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with faith or being religious—he just doesn’t practice it himself. His line was clear about how he sees the problem: “When you start to use it as a weapon, then it becomes problematic.”
He said he “never in a million years” expected to be a “poster child for abortion,” but he’s still determined to keep the conversation going. Ridgway said he plans to keep pushing and encouraging people to talk about it.
Jesse Ridgway McJuggerNuggets Ashley Ridgway abortion backlash Down syndrome Instagram story pro-life hypocrisy God and Jesus