Feeling uneasy about all the Tonya Harding feelgoodness that’s been going on lately? Well, you’re not alone.
Hollywood may have forgiven Tonya Harding for her involvement in the controversy involving an attack on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan in 1993, but Johnny Weir isn’t feeling the love.
Last week, Weir tweeted:
I am so over the glamorization of a villain simply because she was born on the “wrong side of the tracks.” While her upbringing may have been tragic, athletes come from all walks of life and succeed based on merit, not assault. I won’t applaud her and I stand for Nancy.
— Johnny Weir (@JohnnyGWeir) January 10, 2018
The movie I, Tonya is shaping up to be quite a critical darling. It’s a sympathetic biopic about Harding that uses the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother and first husband to explain her very, very bad behavior back in the ’90s.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Weir doubled down on his anti-Tonya stance in an interview with TMZ.
“She did a horrible, horrible thing,” he says. “She’s a pariah in our sport and she shouldn’t be forgiven for basically, possibly having the opportunity of ruining somebody’s life.”
In 1994, Harding was banned for life from the United States Figure Skating Association after pleading guilty to conspiring to hinder prosecution.
Related: Johnny Weir opens up to psychic about his ‘terrible divorce,’ wonders if he’ll ever love again
Fakerobot12
God i f-king hate that (weird) queen.
jeff1370
Weird? Coming from fake robot? Tonja knew she had a deficit with the judges, so she tried to have Nancy taken out. If you can’t win honestly, maybe it’s the wrong sport for you.
Rex Huskey
amen brother
Ummmm Yeah
I like Tonya way better than him.
chris33133
His comments make sense if you believe — as was assumed at that time — that Harding was somehow involved in the attack: either that she knew about it before it happened or that she helped it to happen. But the point of the movie, and the story’s retelling, seems to be that she did not know what was happening and that, what she did wrong, was not to report the perps when she learned what they had done.
Given the simplicity of the narratives that the media paint, I’m withholding judgment. Kerrigan was a victim; and for that, I was horrified. But now that I’m older, I’m willing to entertain the possibility that Harding was a victim throughout her life as well.
DCguy
Kerrigan was attacked, two people married to or working for her closest competition were found to be the people that actually did it.
And you’re withholding judgment?
This is why CEOs in companies can wreck our economy and then try to blame the janitor for what happened.
Who had the most to gain? Harding. If there was ANY evidence that she wasn’t a part of it, she could have sued to be allowed back into the sport, but instead she admitted she obstructed justice.
Terrycloth
Johnny werid shouldn’t speak…
happiness17
You’re right! When I saw the picture of him I thought he was a woman.
Donston
How is Johnny weird? I’m not a fan. Yes, he is a drama queen and is over the top camp. But weird?
I actually somewhat agree his comments. Too many are too easy to forgive horrible or even just manipulative and sneaky behavior because of upbringing. I get it. There’s an underdog quality to Tonya’s arc. And I wish her no harm. Ultimately, we’ll never know what completely happened.
JaredMacBride
Weir is jealous because Harding was a better skater than he ever dreamed of being. She probably still is.
happiness17
From everything I’ve read about Johnny Weir it sounds like he thrives off
of drama. Sometimes making him a drama queen!
Kieran
I have to agree with Johnny. Just because you’re white trash doesn’t mean you have an excuse to conspire to cripple your opponent. But who is really surprised that Hollyweird would try to justify this kind of reprobate behavior?
deppa
I understand the allure of an underdog story and I give Harding credit for her grit and athleticism. But watching and reading multiple interviews, she knew what was up and is not so innocent in all of this. She is trashy and what she had a part in this which is unforgivable. For some reason, Hollywood is now glamorizing her but she is trash. Many of us have had bad childhoods but we don’t go on to do the sh*t she did
Heywood Jablowme
The movie popped up at my favorite cheap art house theater, but I couldn’t drag myself to see it. It seems to be a very misguided idea.
DCguy
Interesting,
3 of Mo Bros screenames are all on here, not commenting on the story, just attacking Weir for being gay or queeny. What a shock, the screenames that support the GOP hate lgbts.
Heywood Jablowme
Yet at the same time – Kieran, always a pro-GOP poster here, says “I have to agree with Johnny” and is commenting on the story.
Give it a rest, Cam.
DCguy
Interesting, pointing out that the GOP trolls attacked Weir for perceived queenliness rather than stayed on the actual topic of the story?
Seems to have upset you.
Rex Huskey
DCGurl, I supported and voted for HRC and Doug Jones.
Prob wouldn’t let you eat my ass after a nasty sh*t. STFU and get a life you arrogant c*nt! Try and try hard to grow. Just saying!! Kisses.
My2Cents
I’ve seen the movie and I would say most of you people up in arms about it have probably not seen it. If you had you would realize it’s far from a glamorization of a crime and the “villains”. In fact, it is one of the most thought provoking retelling of actual events I can remember seeing.