Warning: Distressing content
A popular YouTuber has condemned critics after he and his wife received a barrage of “hate and vitriol” after the couple were forced to make an “impossible decision” about their unborn child.
Jesse Ridgway, known as McJuggerNuggets online, married Ashley Ridgway in October 2025, with the couple announcing they were expecting their first child at the end of March.
But on Thursday, the American content creator – who rose to fame on the popular video platform for his highly popular and immersive dramatic web series – revealed the pair had “made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21”.
Trisomy 21 is the most common form of Down syndrome, occurring when a person has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two.
In Australia, it affects about 1 in every 1100 births, with an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 Australians living with the condition, according to Health Direct.
While it is not an illness or disease, it causes varying levels of intellectual disability and characteristic physical features.
If discovered during early foetal testing, parents are generally given two primary choices: continue the pregnancy, or a medical termination, allowing them to make a personal, informed choice.
Ridgway, 33, said he and his wife, 31, ultimately chose the latter, stressing: “The choice was not made lightly.”
“We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.
“She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained.”
However, shortly after sharing the heartbreaking update, Ridgway revealed the couple had been targeted by extreme pro-life activists who had accused them of being “murderers” and had flooded them with “death threats”.
“I’ve never seen such hate and vitriol for two people grieving the loss of their unborn child and making an impossible decision,” he said in a statement shared across various social media platforms.
“The last 24 hours have exposed a side of humanity that is deeply disturbing.
“Being called ‘murderous pieces of sh*t, evil, compared to Hitler’ and receiving NON-STOP DEATH THREATS.”
He continued: “What’s more troubling is a lot of these people use God or Jesus as their justification for threatening us and wanting to cast us into Hell…seems pretty hypocritical.”
“There has been some heinous sh*t said about my wife and I on some extremely large accounts.
“It baffles me that there are such trashy-ass people who have significant followings. If you can’t contribute anything meaningful to the conversation aside from insults then just don’t post.”
The popular YouTube star added: “The reason this blew up is quite simple, it’s because nobody talks about it.”
“I can’t blame people for not talking about these vulnerable experiences publicly because you see the disgusting backlash that ensues. It’s very divisive. Luckily, after 20 years on the internet, this is par the course for me taking on the crazies, so I’m glad I can help further the conversation.”
He went on to praise his “bad-ass” wife and thanked those who have “been supportive during this difficult time and defending our choice as parents”.
Despite his plea for the abuse to stop, the posts had amassed thousands of comments on Facebook, the vast majority of which were in the negative.
In Australia, it is estimated that approximately 60 to 90 per cent of pregnancies that receive a confirmed prenatal diagnosis of Trisomy 21 end in elective termination.
During pregnancy, many prospective parents opt for non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPT) in the first trimester.
While NIPT results are not a definitive diagnosis, they are correct over 99 per cent of the time for common conditions like Down syndrome (Trisomy 21).
Before undergoing the medical abortion, the couple had live-streamed the results of their pre-natal test, showing Ridgway comforting Ashley as she broke down in tears at the news.