A former believer in the QAnon conspiracy theory apologized to Anderson Cooper for thinking the CNN host drank “the blood of children.”
The interview aired Friday as a teaser for CNN’s special report into the QAnon conspiracy theory, tracing the movement from its origins to the present day. The full version of the segment airs Saturday at 9 p.m. EST. Cooper interviews former QAnon supporter, Jitarth Jadeja, about the conspiracies he used to believe in.
“Did you at the time believe that Democrats, high-level Democrats, and celebrities were worshipping Satan, drinking the blood of children,” Cooper asked.
“Anderson, I thought you did that,” Jadeja said. “And I would like to apologize for that right now, so I apologize for thinking that you ate babies. But, yeah, 100%.”
Appearing amused, Cooper responds, “But you actually — you actually believe that I was drinking the blood of children?” (RELATED: ‘QAnon Shaman’ Prepared To Testify In Trump’s Impeachment Trial)
“Yes, I did, ” Jadeja said, adding, “It’s because ‘Q’ specifically mentioned you, and he mentioned you very early on. He mentioned you by name, and from there, he also talked about like, for example, your family. I’m going, to be honest, like people still talk about that to this day. So some people thought you were a robot.”
“I didn’t just believe that. I, at one stage, believed that QAnon was part of military intelligence, which is what he says. But on top of that, that the people behind him actually a group of fifth-dimensional interdimensional extraterrestrial aliens,” Jadeja continued.
“I was so far down in this conspiracy black hole that I was essentially picking and choosing whatever narrative that I wanted to believe in.”
WATCH:
On Jan. 6, members of QAnon joined supporters of President Donald Trump in storming the Capitol Building to stop the congressional certification for President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Five individuals died due to the riot, including Ashli Babbit, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, who was shot by law enforcement.