Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

I’m sorry I haven’t provided any videos for you guys. Admittedly, my wife and I have been laying low in a depressive funk.

Our pregnancy journey was overwhelming in of itself, but the spectacle that it became in the end was quite miserable.

In the off-time, Ashley and I have been gaming together. It has been a nice escape killing zombies in Left 4 Dead 2 versus, but even there that shit would get disrupted.

Random anonymous users asking about my Down Syndrome child…calling us n-words and spamming “baby killer”. Eventually, it makes you want to stop playing and reflect on what the fuck is wrong with people.

Simultaneous to that, one of my biggest driving forces in telling stories on Youtube has been to try and help people…so when those same people turn around and make you out to be a villain…it is incredibly demotivating.

It reminds me of StoryFire shutting down and everyone dogpiling saying I was a scammer and shit despite pouring so much time, energy and money into building a platform for creators. It’s like…”why bother?” at that point.

You could be one of the greatest minds and philanthropists of our time and there will still be people that hate you and want you to fail.

I could point to any influential figure who is trying their damndest to help the world and there will be a large subset of people standing idly by who still think you’re a piece of shit. Literally NO MATTER WHAT.

It’s a systemic issue within, it’s bitterness like a poison that gets projected outwards to those striving for more. Hateful and pathetic. It needs to be exorcised, but not in the easy low-effort way of replies or talking shit. Go do something to better your life.

For so long, I’ve used characters as my vehicle to convey messages. I like the feeling of jumping into somebody else’s shoes, but it also creates a convenient shield from criticism. “That wasn’t me, that was Jesse Ridgway, the character.” HUH?!

So the times in which my real life has become the subject of controversy, it hits incredibly different. Or…at least it used to.

I would love to still be McJuggerNuggets for you guys and act as some different characters, but I feel like my real-life character is strong enough now to not need them anymore.

My real-life story is just as poignant, I guess I just never really saw it as such. It’s one that I would like to see flourish more and not be diluted by pretending to be something I’m not just for views or to be liked by all. Not interested in being a “pander bear.”

I’ve always prided myself on trying to be friendly with everyone and be respectful…even when I don’t receive it in return, but holy shit at a certain point you do have to cut bait and stand for more.

I’m going mask-off while still wearing my mask. 😷

I’m getting better at that. For the last couple months, I’ve ignored and declined tons of interview requests because I wanted to move on with my life. Fight-or-flight is consistently in overdrive...but I’m fitting to change that.

Lately, it has always been flight. Much of my life, it has been flight. Not anymore.

I grappled with what is actually the best approach to this social media game. Or what do I want for my life…more social media drama? To be honest…most days I become apathetic because of the way people conduct themselves online and just how the world feels anymore. It’s an uphill battle.

But I realize that is not when you should hide…that is when you should try harder. I’ve tied so much of my value/identity to the series on my Youtube channel…the views…money…etc.

What can I do for my audience if I’m not creating videos? I finally clarified the answer. It is anything I can. Just being a positive, supportive voice. An empathetic one. It all matters.

Just even seeing the idiotic replies on my Facebook page, state of our country or the toxicity of people in general, it has become INCREASINGLY CLEAR, that the WORLD IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF MORE SMART, EMPATHETIC AND VOCAL HUMANS.

So that is what I will continue to strive to be. I’m feeling better health-wise and am optimistic. I am still here, Juggies. Just adapting in real-time.

I do hate being tethered to this damn phone all the time, but I realize that to go completely off the grid won’t help the world either. It’s just more hiding. I need to balance better and keep using my voice for good. ❤️

“Folks need heroes, Chief. Give ‘em hope. So smile, would ya? While we still got something to smile about!”

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,540

Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

Covid nearly killed me in Winter of 2023. It left me bed-ridden for months, unable to digest food, walk or even speak for very long.

As of Winter 2025, I was still unable to get around…only 120lbs, lowest I’ve weighed since middle school.

Here we are…7 months later, I’m walking alright, lifting…and I’m up a whopping 25 POUNDS!!!

You’ve gotten to see me talk on live-stream for hours at a time. I’ve regained like 75-80% of who I used to be.

There’s still plenty of days and windows where I feel like shit and I go way slower than I used to, but I’ve made serious progress.

Hold onto hope always, do not give in to despair.

For all those still struggling with Long Covid or any other chronic health issue, keep focusing on what you need to do to get by and get better.

The road may be long and it may feel futile at times, but what other choice do we have. We have to take back our health.

Thank you to everyone who has been there along the way, I’m extremely grateful to still be here. I won’t ever take it for granted again.

Finally am looking forward to the future and getting stronger. They call it post-traumatic GROWTH. 💪🏻🔥

1 month ago | [YT] | 4,169

Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

Feeling nostalgic for the “Don’t Dream About Me” journey…could you imagine we made another movie? 🫪

(Also, I just dropped TONS of BTS photos on my instagram and facebook.)

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,678

Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

10 Years ago today, I shot my Father & fled to Switzerland with what I thought was $30k in cash.

It wasn’t. The money was spent. I was spent. And I was on the run now.

When I finally tasted freedom, I was faced with an immeasurable guilt for an unforgivable act…I killed the man who wanted me to be better, albeit in his own sick way.

“Don’t ever do what I did! Because I have to live with that now. And I don’t know if I can handle that…” I said, pleading to my Youtube audience.

The Internet exploded as thousands of cop calls flooded in. The world watched in horror as the Psycho Kid confessed that he was leaving Youtube forever…

We can all remember where we were and what we were doing the day that the Psycho Series ended, the day that we all learned it was a scripted show.

The camera fell, I hugged my family, thanking them for enduring hell with me…and then I dropped to the floor and wept. I felt immense relief that I could finally rid myself of this burdensome character, but I also was hit with tremendous sadness and grief that it was all over. This was my crowning achievement, an homage to my childhood. I said goodbye to the kid in me…

An odd poetry exists as my world has erupted again for a REAL tragedy…10 years apart to the day, fictionally killing my Dad vs a Dad faced with “killing his son”. The art will often MIRROR our real life in disturbing ways, that’s a true expression of the soul. It’s exactly why you found me.

It has officially been a DECADE since the Psycho Series ended, the longest-running and most popular pseudo-reality web series on Youtube with over A BILLION VIEWS and 685 episodes. (arguably way more if you count the 10 other channels running simultaneously in-universe, love me some chillin & grillin).

There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t reminisce about the Psycho Series. What I would do to go back to being 21, living at my parent’s house and filming silly Youtube videos with Corn. Becoming a big Youtuber felt like such a pipe-dream, an impossible goal to chase forever…to what lengths would I go? What story would I tell…?

I know. A coming-of-age story…MY coming-of-age story. My “real life”. An exaggerated version of my old school Father with anger issues, a brother whose sole purpose is to torment me, a Mom who believes in me but lost her say and an Uncle who is my greatest friend and support system - the Dad that I never had.

And then we’ll just break a bunch of shit. Video games, consoles, Thanksgiving Dinner, cars, rooms, pools, trailers…Literally anything we can get our hands on to hook people in. The Dad is a destruction machine and it’s making the kid CRAZY. All while he’s filming it for views and trying to show the world and his Pops it IS a career. Money rolls in, fans/haters become a part of the narrative and suddenly every single one of my friends and extended family members are in on it!

Whether we’re shoveling pig shit with Uncle Chris at McCann’s Farm, playing Skyrim in a tent in the woods (Eagle’s Landing), getting spooky at Aunt Jackie’s house with two monkeys effing a football, my parents divorcing and my mom becoming an alcoholic with Mrs. Stahlberger or hunting for jobs and suckling ice cream from a spout at Toni’s Treats…it was always an adventure!

I can’t thank all of you enough for what has been the greatest honor of my life, you have trusted me for over a decade now with telling stories and being a part of my family. You have truly made my dreams come true, that’s why I’ve always worked so damn hard to give it back to you. “McJuggerNuggets was always so fake” some would say, his series aren’t real…but the irony is that the ones who were there on the journey, you KNOW it was real. It was real to me. You can FEEL it in the subtext.

I’ve waited for another Psycho Series for so many years…somebody to pour their soul into this art-form and share meaningful depth, but the sad reality is…this show will never happen again. It can’t. It was a time and place. Even I couldn’t make it now. Things are so different. That time period on the internet is gone. Youtube was still new and exciting. My friends and family were still here. I was experiencing the best years of growing up. In my 20’s, out of college, with my whole life ahead of me. Happy and healthy with so much to prove.

I find myself watching Psycho videos or random vlogs from the series often, I’m so grateful to be able to go back and see these memories. I miss Aunt Jackie. I miss Uncle Chris. I miss PoopJohn and Ella. I miss my family being that young, myself included, all having the time of our lives. Time has eluded us all, huh? The fans who were once kids or teenagers are now Psycho Kid’s age or beyond…out of school, entering the workforce and trying to find meaning in their life…or better yet just trying to make enough money to get by.

The Psycho Series will probably hit you even harder now. You’re living it. It’s a tale as old as time. How far are you willing to go to make your life better despite all of the obstacles and people hoping you fail? Will you listen to your Dad…? Or will you listen to your heart?

Anyways…I could ramble on forever about the “good ole days”…I’m Unc now. OG YT. Psycho Series is biblical now. I struggle with saying goodbye.

Happy 10 year anniversary, Psycho Series. You changed my life in every way imaginable and so many others. Juggies for Life. Maybe just maybe…I can figure out time travel…SNAP my fingers and we can go back to revisit it ONE LAST TIME. 👀 (stay tuned on my channel today)

“I am ready. And if that means goodbye…then it’s time to fly into the light, nothing but sky and this strong Battle Cry.” 🦅❤️

2 months ago | [YT] | 6,234

Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

I’ve never seen such hate and vitriol for two people grieving the loss of their unborn child and making an impossible decision.

The last 24 hours have exposed a side of humanity that is deeply disturbing. Being called “murderous pieces of shit, evil, compared to Hitler” and receiving NON-STOP DEATH THREATS.

Seeing my 6-year old dog with Stage 4 Kidney Disease be used as a weapon, manipulating my words and intent in a tweet or saying we’ll regret this decision forever and must repent to God is absolute insanity.

If you ever wanted to marvel at the depravity of people online, just check the replies on my latest tweet. It’s a shit-show of epic proportions. This is reflective of the current world and landscape we’re all living in.

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.

So many saying they would’ve kept the child, put it up for adoption or are suddenly ready to adopt a down syndrome child, that’s great! You can do all those things. However, many of the people throwing stones don’t even have children, let alone one with a condition and most likely will never do the things they say they’re going to do.

There has been some heinous shit 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.

On the other hand, there has been tremendous stories of people who kept their Down Syndrome baby and that’s awesome! Very courageous and they do look very happy! That is your choice and I support it. This was ours and we can do that. It’s very easy to accept the differences between us when it has no actual bearing on your life.

What shocked me most of all was that this story has become mainstream news…A couple’s abortion is suddenly newsworthy in 2026…?

There are over 1,000,000 abortions every single year for a myriad of reasons, this is happening on a DAILY BASIS and is the most common outcome for Trisomy 21, yet this one blows up and people are surprised…?

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.

That’s exactly why I wanted to share this story. People still need to see vulnerability and hear the raw truth. There is real suffering going on and it is being done in silence and fear.

So many mothers have reached out privately commending us on our bravery to speak truthfully about this topic and we really appreciate that support! We want you to feel less alone in this and less ashamed.

There has never been a more important time to speak up and out about the things that matter. Do not let the vocal minority stop you from sharing your truth.

To those who have been affected by this or are confronted with a similar situation in the future, we have your back and please feel free to reach out. I’m sure this will follow us awhile especially when we try for a kid again in the near future.

A quick aside: Be careful where you source your information online, whether it’s disturbing propaganda accounts, AI, ragebait fear mongerers,…we’re living in a complicated time and authenticity and empathy will be the most important currencies of the future.

Anyway, I can’t wait to see all these words get minced and twisted again so people can grow their followings and stir outrage. It’s a natural ecosystem after all, bottom-feeders have to get their meal too!

Hopefully, our story has inspired others to open up more and we can all find understanding. At the end of the day, I’m grateful that the discourse about our decision has spread so wide, it’s clearly a very important and sensitive topic, one that we need to pay more attention to.

Thank you to everyone who has been supportive during this difficult time and defending our choice as parents. It means more than you’ll ever know. ❤️

Also, my wife is a bad-ass. Not only did she go through this trauma, but she’s dealing with all the freaks on the Internet in stride. Love you babe. Let’s look to the future! 👶🏼

2 months ago | [YT] | 1,971

Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21.

The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.

I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. 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.

Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, is caused by an extra chromosome. It is caused by an error in cell division, like a glitch. The odds of a baby having it is 1 in 1000.

When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.

Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism):

50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc…Sadly, the list is long, feel free to look it up…Down Syndome isn’t a “blessing”, it is objectively shitty from a health perspective.

I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.

The miscarriage risk is also close to 50%, which made matters worse…they may never see the light of day and it puts Ashley further at risk.

We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.

This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgment being cast.

You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change.

To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions…we appreciate you. You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward.

As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.

It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.

Love you guys & thank you for understanding. ❤️

2 months ago | [YT] | 2,048

Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

Super excited to announce that “Don’t Dream About Me” is OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE FOR FREE on Tubi & Xumo!

It also will be released on my Youtube channel next week FOR FREE!!! If you’ve been waiting to watch the movie without the paywall, the time is now!

3 months ago | [YT] | 1,333

Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

We were so excited to celebrate the gender reveal in a Psycho video with you guys, but in true “art imitates life”-fashion…there had to be a dark twist.

The same genetic testing that told us our baby would be a boy revealed to us that he had a 95% chance to be born with Down Syndrome.

You saw a pretty raw reaction from ‪@ashreneeway‬ and I as we were both rocked by the results. Still processing to this day, but we couldn’t be more grateful for all the support we’ve received over this past week. It is an extremely touchy subject.

Down Syndrome carries a very HIGH risk of miscarriage and usually comes with heart defects, structural abnormalities, developmental issues, shorter lifespan, etc.

As excited as we are to become parents, this was a gut-punch…We want the best for our first kid…and even putting Ashley at risk…so many questions and concerns.

To make matters more complicated, the company that issues the genetic testing called, “Natera”, has recently lost a lawsuit to the tune of millions for misleading patients with inaccurate test results, namely “false positives”.

I wholeheartedly believe that this is one of those situations, the down syndrome percentage is a fluke and our baby boy will be born with zero health problems.

We will be getting an amniocentesis in around a month to give us a definitive answer on the baby’s health, until then we’ll just be keeping the faith that everything will work out okay!

Thanks for being with us on this ride. Whatever happens, happens. 💙

3 months ago | [YT] | 3,591

Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

Very sad to share…that our family keeps being hit hard with bad news.

Unfortunately, Uncle Larry has been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.

Please show some love and support as we’re still processing everything.

Uncle Larry means so much to so many of us. It’s hard to comprehend. Love you man, you will beat this shit! ❤️

5 months ago | [YT] | 18,941

Jesse Ridgway (McJuggerNuggets)

To kick off the holiday season, “Don’t Dream About Me” is available to rent for ONLY $1.99 on Vimeo.

Will keep it at this price until the new year, I want everyone to see this film!

That’s cheaper than a happy meal these days, watch it this weekend. 🔥🔮

(Link in top comment)

8 months ago | [YT] | 1,091