'I messed up': Rosie O'Donnell apologizes for misidentifying Minneapolis school shooter as 'MAGA person'

WASHINGTON, DC: Comedian Rosie O'Donnell has walked back her inflammatory claims after wrongly labeling the Minneapolis school shooter as a MAGA-supporting Republican and white supremacist.

In reality, the attacker, Robin Westman, was a self-identified transgender woman with a nihilistic worldview, a deep disdain for Donald Trump, and a disturbing fixation on past mass shooters.

Westman killed two young children and injured 17 others in a brutal assault on Annunciation Catholic School before taking their own life. Just hours before the tragedy, they released a chilling video and manifesto revealing their mental decline and dark motivations.

Rosie O'Donnell walks back her comments about Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman

On Sunday, August 31, Rosie O'Donnell publicly retracted her earlier comments, acknowledging that she had been wrong about the identity and motives of the Minneapolis school shooter.

"I knew a lot of you were very upset about the video I made before I went away for a few days," O'Donnell said in a follow-up video. She explained that she hadn't had time to go through the feedback until Sunday.

"You are right. I did not do my due diligence before I made that emotional statement, and I said things about the shooter that were incorrect."

She went on to say, "I assumed, like most shooters, they followed a standard MO and had standard, you know, feelings of… you know, NRA-loving kind of gun people."

O'Donnell concluded with a candid admission, "Anyway, the truth is I messed up, and when you mess up, you fess up. I’m sorry. This is my apology video and I hope it’s enough."

Responding to a critical comment online, O’Donnell wrote, "I was wrong — and I apologize. What more do [you] want?"

Her apology came just days after the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, where a gunman opened fire during Mass. Students from the affiliated school were present at the time. The gunfire shattered stained glass and nearby windows as terrified students and parishioners scrambled for safety.

The shooter, later identified by police sources as Robin Westman, had no known criminal history, and the motive behind the attack remains unclear.

However, a disturbing 20-minute video, uploaded to a now-deleted YouTube channel, offered a chilling glimpse into Westman’s mindset.

In it, Westman displayed their arsenal of firearms, ammunition, and magazines, and spoke openly about their fixation on previous school shooters, their contempt for Donald Trump and disdain for the church.

What wild assumption did Rosie O'Donnell make about Minneapolis shooter?

Last Thursday, comedian Rosie O’Donnell shared a video reacting to the tragic school shooting in Minneapolis that claimed the lives of two children and left 18 others injured, including 15 children

Reflecting on the incident, O'Donnell said it brought back painful memories of the 1999 Columbine massacre, a moment when she first struggled to grasp the horrifying reality of students committing acts of violence against one another.

She quipped, "Saw about the Minnesota shooting, and it brought me right back to Columbine in 1999 when I just could not get it through my head that students in American were shooting each other in schools."

Speaking about the Minneapolis attack, which occurred inside a Catholic school, O’Donnell made a sweeping claim, saying, “What do you know? It was a white guy, Republican, MAGA person. What do you know? White supremacists.”

Critics slam Rosie O'Donnell after she issues her apology

Rosie O'Donnell’s apology video, addressing her false claims about the Minneapolis school shooter, quickly went viral and drew significant criticism.

One user wrote, "Rosie Knew exactly what she was doing by posting her BS video at a time when emotions were high and ppl were looking for someone to blame. Nobody ever pays attention to an apology or retracted statement!"

A commenter shared, "Her post angered people, and her apology seems sincere and should be accepted. But it won't be enough for those who are angry at her for the other things she has said, things for which she has not apologized for."

An X user tweeted, "She would do it again when the next thing happens."

A commenter slammed, "People need to start thinking about what hate they are spreading when they speak out. Think before you speak no matter what the situation."

A social media user declared, "I don't forgive her."

An internet user claimed, "That is not a true apology she does not mean it just trying to save face."

A person dubbed, "That wasn't an apology."

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