Lauren Boebert's Excuse for Theater Fondling Raises Questions

New comments from Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert about her now infamous theater date have raised questions on social media.

The Republican congresswoman apologized on Friday after video showed her being escorted out of a performance of Beetlejuice in Denver on September 10 after complaints about vaping and disruptive behavior.

Video footage that was later released also showed Boebert seemingly grope her date and be groped by him.

"All future date nights have been canceled," Boebert told a photographer for TMZ in Washington, D.C., on Monday. "And I learned to check party affiliations before you go on a date, but all in all, you know... it was mostly a lovely time and you know, I've taken responsibility for my actions."

Boebert's date, Quinn Gallagher, is reportedly a Democrat and co-owner of a bar that has hosted drag shows—something Boebert has been an outspoken critic of.

Boebert told TMZ she and her date had "peacefully" parted ways. It had "nothing to do" with anything that was reported about him, she said, adding that his status as a "private citizen" was the issue. "Great man, great friend, and I wish him all the best," she said.

She also said that "there's a lot of folks who are certainly understanding and they understand that it was part of my personal life, my private time, something that I rarely indulge in."

The comments prompted further questions on social media.

"That was a first date?!?!?!" journalist Aaron Rupar wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The Republicans against Trump account wrote: "Lauren Boebert's lesson from the embarrassing handsy night at the Denver theater? Don't date Democrats."

Kaye Ottick added: "'my personal life, my private time' in a theater surrounded by people....lauren just take the L."

Dave Warner wrote: "But wait, did I miss something, is she suggesting that was a 'first date' with that guy? She didn't know enough about him to realize he might be... *GASP* ...a Democrat?! How did such a thing happen?!

"And more importantly, how far does she actually go on a first date? Not judging... but if you put yourself out there as being a high & mighty Christian with strong morals and then you're acting like a cat in heat in public, well, those 2 things are kinda diametrically opposed to each other."

Some defended Boebert.

"Lauren Boebert has a right to her own private life," wrote Paul Schlienz. "Shame on those who would voyeuristically violate it and feign self-righteous condemnation for their own cheap political purposes."

Newsweek has contacted Boebert's office for further comment via email.

According to The Denver Post, Boebert and her date resisted as they were led out of the Buell Theater by members of its staff.

They made comments along the lines of "do you know who I am?" and "I will be contacting the mayor," the newspaper reported. Police arrived and remained in the theatre's lobby until the pair left.

Boebert has denied being argumentative or that she had threatened to contact the mayor.

She issued an apology on Friday, a day after surveillance video emerged that showed the congresswoman vaping at her seat. Her campaign had earlier denied the theater's contention that she had been vaping.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Boebert said she "genuinely did not recall vaping that evening when I discussed the night's events with my campaign team," but did not mention the groping.

"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," she said.

"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 added: "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 congresswoman announced in May that she had filed for divorce from her husband of 18 years, Jayson Boebert.