Patton Oswalt has responded to those who criticized him for getting engaged to actress Meredith Salenger 15 months after the death of his wife, Michelle McNamara.
The Veep actor, 48, shared a blog, titled “A Widow’s Rage Defense Against Patton Oswalt’s Engagement,” that was written by Erica Roman, who lost her husband three days before McNamara passed away. Roman congratulated Oswalt on his happy news and told “ignorant, judgement” trolls that they are not entitled to an opinion.
Oswalt called the article “amazing” and thanked Roman for her kind words. “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. I decided to ignore them,” he wrote on Facebook. “But yeah, I felt this rage. And Erica articulated it better than I could have ever hoped. So there you go. Thank you, Erica.”
As previously reported, McNamara died in her sleep at age 46 from a mix of prescription medications and an undiagnosed heart condition in April 2016. She and Patton are parents of daughter Alice, 8.
Salenger, 47, also took to social media amid the negativity. “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,” she wrote. “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 club out of the depths of grief and find some joy again. And most of all… Alice is happy and feels loved. I have waited 47 years to find true love.”
She continued: “Creating our family unit while honoring the brilliant gift Michelle has given me will be my life’s goal and happiness. I am deeply in love with both Patton and Alice and very much looking forward to a beautiful happy life having adventures together.”