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Rep. Lauren Boebert has spoken out after being caught on video vaping and causing a disturbance at a Denver theater’s production of the “Beetlejuice” musical.
The Colorado Republican was asked to leave the theater after she was seen vaping, singing, recording, and laughing, though her staff initially denied the accusations of vaping.
However, Boebert has been forced to respond after a video clip showing her vaping went viral.
“The past few days have been difficult and humbling, and I’m truly sorry for the unwanted attention my Sunday evening in Denver has brought to the community. While none of my actions or words as a private citizen that night were intended to be malicious or meant to cause harm, the reality is they did and I regret that,” she said on Facebook.
“There’s no perfect blueprint for going through a public and difficult divorce, which over the past few months has made for a challenging personal time for me and my entire family. I’ve tried to handle it with strength and grace as best I can, but I simply fell short of my values on Sunday. That’s unacceptable and I’m sorry,” the representative said.
“Whether it was the excitement of seeing a much-anticipated production or the natural anxiety of being in a new environment, I genuinely did not recall vaping that evening when I discussed the night’s events with my campaign team while confirming my enthusiasm for the musical. Regardless of my belief, it’s clear now that was not accurate; it was not my or my campaign’s intention to mislead, but we do understand the nature of how this looks. We know we will have to work to earn your trust back and it may not happen overnight, but we will do it,” she said.
“I’m deeply thankful to those in the 3rd District who have defended me and reached out this week and offered grace and support when I needed it the most. I’ve learned some humbling lessons these past few days but I vow moving forward, I will make you proud,” she said.
Officials with Denver Arts & Venues stated in an incident report to The Denver Post that two spectators were asked to leave the city-owned Buell Theatre during the performance of the traveling Broadway show. Before, during the intermission, they received a warning for acting in a way that resulted in three complaints from other theatergoers.
The report doesn’t mention Boebert as one of the customers or name the other individual. She was escorted out of the Buell during the performance, which her campaign office confirmed while disputing the alleged behavior.
“The incident report states that after receiving the intermission warning, about five minutes into the second act security officials received ‘another complaint about the patrons being loud and at the time (they) were recording.’ Taking pictures or recording is not permitted at shows,” the outlet noted.
The report quotes one of the ushers: “They told me they would not leave. I told them that they need to leave the theater and if they do not, they will be trespassing. The patrons said they would not leave. I told them I would (be) going to get Denver Police. They said go get them.”
The second-term congresswoman denied vaping during the show, according to Drew Sexton, Boebert’s campaign manager, who spoke to The Post. She did, despite being unaware that photos weren’t permitted, use her cellphone to capture the performance.
“I can confirm the stunning and salacious rumors: in her personal time, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is indeed a supporter of the performing arts (gasp!) and, to the dismay of a select few, enthusiastically enjoyed a weekend performance of ‘Beetlejuice,’” Sexton wrote in a statement.
Sexton added that Boebert encourages everyone to see the play and its “fantastic cast, tremendous visuals and plenty of loud laughs.” He jokingly added, “with a gentle reminder to leave their phones outside of the venue.”
According to the report, police arrived and remained in the Buell’s lobby until Boebert and her companion left.
