Lauren Boebert has denied she had too much to drink before being asked to leave a theater show in Colorado on September 10, after which footage emerged that appeared to show the House Republican and a partner groping each other during the performance.
Rep. Boebert made the claim during an appearance on Jesse Watters Primetime on Fox News on Friday. She once again apologized for her actions, which she linked to an ongoing “very difficult divorce.” Newsweek has contacted Rep. Lauren Boebert for comment by email.
The incident, during a showing of the musical Beetlejuice, sparked a wave of anger towards Boebert from her fellow conservatives. Ann Coulter slammed the Colorado Republican as an “embarrassing bimbo” on X, formerly Twitter, while a right-wing youth conference in Texas dropped Boebert from its promotional flyers.
Asked whether she had “just had a little too much to drink” by Watters, Boebert responded: “No, Jesse, not at all. I was very excited about the actual musical, huge fan of Beetlejuice. Anyone should go and see the musical if it’s in your area and please let me know how it ends because I’ve yet to see the ending.”
Watters then asked if Boebert was “so enthralled by Beetlejuice, you got carried away,” to which she replied: “A little bit, you know, Jesse. It’s been 20 years since I was in the dating scene and, back then, there were not infrared cameras watching my every move, but it’s a lesson learned.”
Boebert said she had filed for divorce from her husband, Jayson Boebert, in May on the basis of irreconcilable difficulties. The couple, who met aged 16 and 22 respectively, were married in 2007 and have four sons. In March, Boebert, aged 36, announced that she will be becoming a grandmother as her 17-year-old son and his teenage girlfriend are expecting a child.
Describing the night’s events at the theater to Watters, Boebert said: “Well, first of all, what happened is I messed up. I went on a date night and I am a congresswoman and a public figure but, believe it or not, I’m human, too. Obviously, everybody is very interested in my personal life and me going through a very difficult divorce, and, as a mother of four boys and a grandmother to a beautiful grandson, that’s my first job before anything else and my priority.
“It’s certainly been taxing on me and my family to have this experience broadcast before the whole world, something that was in the dark, is certainly heartbreaking to watch, to see,” Boebert added. “I have apologized to my constituents, will continue to do so. All of those in Colorado who may have felt let down, I hear you, and all I could do is promise to do better and I certainly will.”
Before his interview with Boebert was broadcast, Watters promoted it on hit Fox News show The Five, causing host Lisa Kennedy Montgomery to refer mockingly to the politician as “Lauren Boobert.”
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Boebert’s male companion at the Beetlejuice performance was later identified as Quinn Gallagher, co-owner of the Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar, in Aspen, Colorado, which has previously hosted drag performances.
In August 2022, in a message posted on X, then Twitter, Boebert said: “Sending a message to all the drag queens out there: stay away from the children in Colorado’s Third District!”
Initially, Boebert had been asked to leave the performance at Denver’s Buell Theatre after being accused of vaping, using her camera and “causing a disturbance,” despite being warned several times to stop. Footage was later released showing her being escorted outside by theater employees.