Not everyone is thrilled that Patton Oswalt found love again.
The 48-year-old comedic actor announced his engagement to actress Meredith Salenger last week.
Some have questioned whether Oswalt has moved on too quickly from the death of his wife, Michelle McNamara, who passed away in her sleep last April due to a combination of prescription medication and an undiagnosed heart condition.
The “Veep” actor on Saturday shared on Facebook a post from blogger Erica Roman in which she defends Oswalt and Salenger’s engagement.
Roman, who unexpectedly lost her husband around the time McNamara died, targeted those who criticized Oswalt’s engagement, saying “You aren’t entitled to an opinion.”
“You don’t get to comment on the choices of a widower while you sit happily next to your own living spouse,” Roman wrote. “You didn’t have to stand and watch your mundane morning turn into your absolute worst nightmare.”
Oswalt praised Roman’s post when he shared it on Facebook.
“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,” Oswalt wrote. “But yeah, I felt this rage. And Erica articulated it better than I could have ever hoped.”
The 47-year-old Salenger also shared Roman’s post and a few thoughts of her own.
“Everyone has been so lovely to us… ALL of Michelle’s siblings and friends and family… a few trolls have strong opinions,” Salenger wrote in a note she shared on social media. “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.”
Most important, Salenger said, is that Oswalt and McNamara’s young daughter Alice is happy.
“I have waited 47 years to find true love,” Salenger wrote. “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.”
