Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger hit back at engagement haters
Patton Oswalt will not let haters ruin his post-engagement high.
The comedian and actor hit back at naysayers days after he announced that he was engaged to Meredith Salenger, 15 months after his wife Michelle McNamara died.
Oswalt called critics "grub worms" on Facebook and linked to a blog post defending him.
"This is so amazing. And SO well-written. I expected some bitter grub worms to weigh in (anonymously, always always always) with their much-needed opinions when I announced my engagement last week. And I decided to ignore them. But yeah, I felt this rage. And Erica articulated it better than I could have ever hoped. So there you go."
The linked blog post was called "A widow's rage defense of Patton Oswalt's engagement" and detailed blogger Erica Roman's anger when she read comments questioning Oswalt's decision to get engaged "so soon" after his wife's death.
"You aren't entitled to an opinion," Roman wrote. "You don't get to comment on the choices of a widower while you sit happily next to your own living spouse. You didn't have to stand and watch your mundane morning turn into your absolute worst nightmare. You didn't have to face the agony of despair and the only person who could possibly bring you comfort had been ripped from your life forever. You didn't have to stand in the ashes of what was once your life, when the sun itself darkened and the very air you breathed felt toxic in your lungs. Go back to scrolling Facebook and keep your ignorance to yourself."
Salenger posted a screenshot of her own Facebook post onto Twitter, which said, "Everyone has been so lovely to us… all of Patton's family… ALL of Michelle's siblings and friends and family… a few trolls have strong opinions. But I think for Patton, having met and found love after over a year of intense therapy and openly grieving and dealing with his pain… I am grateful to be the one who helps him climb out of the depths of grief and find some joy again."
Oswalt has been open about his grief following McNamara's death. He said that he decided to stop wearing his wedding ring in April, moving it into a special box for keepsakes.
"I couldn't bear removing it since April 21st, 2016," he said. "But now it felt obscene. That anonymous poem about the man mourning his dead lover for a year and a day, for craving a kiss from her 'clay cold lips.' I was inviting more darkness. Removing the ring was removing the last symbol of denial of who I was now, and what my life is and what my responsibilities are."
"So the ring goes with the happy stuff," he added.
McNamara died from a combination of prescription medications and an undiagnosed heart condition. Oswalt told Tracy Smith on "48 Hours" that McNamara's quest to find the "Golden State Killer" took a toll on her health. He said the morning of her death, he laughed because she was snoring -- and then he found her hours later, still in bed, no longer breathing.
