Patton Oswalt Speaks Out On ‘Bitter’ Comments He Received After Announcing His Engagement
Patton Oswalt has finally found happiness since wife Michelle McNamara’s unexpected passing 15 months ago, but it seems internet trolls believe the actor is moving on too soon.
People Magazine reported on the scrutiny Patton and new fiance Meredith Salenger have been facing as the couple deals with “bitter grub worms” commenting on their engagement.
“The couple has been enduring some harsh criticism from a few social media users after they announced their engagement last week.”
It seems some people think 48-year-old Oswalt is marrying too soon after losing wife Michelle to a combination of prescription medications and an undiagnosed heart condition in 2016.
Patton addressed his haters in a Facebook post on Saturday as he shared a blog post written by a widow in support of his engagement. He talks about ignoring those who wish to weigh in with their opinions as they tend to do so anonymously.
“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.”
The blogger addressed Oswalt’s critics as she told them they are not entitled to an opinion when it comes to the widower’s decision to remarry, especially as they “sit happily next to [their] own living spouse.”
Despite Patton’s post, some social media users couldn’t help but share their negative views on his and Meredith’s engagement.
Readers weighed in on the People Magazine Facebook post, as one woman said she would not want her husband to remarry in a year.
“I’d rather my spouse not remarry after a year. Jesus.”
Others agreed that Patton has “moved on fast” as they discussed their own experiences with widowers.
“Men move on faster than women usually, and some men actually don’t do well alone and need the companionship.”
On a Instagram post by People Magazine earlier this week, many commenters chimed in with their views on the engagement.
Some said things such as “that didn’t take long” as they insinuated Oswalt should not be remarrying 15 months after his wife’s death.
Another commenter stated that they hope Patton is thinking clearly as the resemblance between Meredith and Michelle makes them think otherwise.
“…I really hope he’s thinking clearly, this just seems, kind of impulsive. The short time period and visual similarities don’t fill me with confidence.”
However, Patton has plenty more supporters than naysayers when it comes to his engagement with Meredith.
WOW. Thank you for this, Erica. I'd chosen to ignore the grub worms but your writing is just SO good here. Thank you, seriously… https://t.co/XwHejT5Dkr
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 8, 2017
One Facebook user said it seems people were more invested in his grief than in his healing, as Oswalt addressed the negative comments.
“People were obviously a lot more invested in your grief than in your healing.”
Commenters also stated McNamara would have wanted her husband to find love again for himself and their young daughter, Alice.
“Call me crazy, but I’m thinking he knows what his late wife would have wanted better than a bunch of strangers on the internet.”
Some fans even reminded people that Patton mourned very publicly as he let his grief be known, and that he deserves to be happy again.
All comments aside, it seems Oswalt knew the public would have a lot to say regarding his engagement to 47-year-old Salenger, and did his best to simply ignore any negativity thrown his way.
Despite a few “bitter” internet trolls, it seems the majority of his fan base is genuinely pleased to see him moving on and finding happiness with Meredith.
[Featured Image by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images]
