Podcaster Kevin Brennan was slammed on social media after posting a tweet in which he made light of Friends star Matthew Perry’s death at the age of 54 on Saturday, in which he was found in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home.
The comedian and one-time Saturday Night Live writer, 63, tweeted a link to TMZ’s coverage of the actor’s passing on Saturday with the caption, ‘DROWNED IN A HOT TUB. HAHAHAHA.’
Brennan, who hosts a podcast called Misery Loves Company, replied to a tweet of TMZ’s coverage of his comments with the headline ‘Ex-SNL Writer-Comedian Kevin Brennan Mocks Matthew Perry’s Death.’
Brennan replied Sunday evening, ‘I didn’t mock it. I just thought it was funny. But I do love it when junkies die.’
Brennan was ripped by commenters who took offense to his remarks on social media about Perry’s death.
The latest: Podcaster Kevin Brennan, 63, was slammed on social media after posting a tweet in which he made light of Friends star Matthew Perry’s death at the age of 54 on Saturday, in which he was found in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home
The comedian and one-time Saturday Night Live writer, 63, tweeted a link to TMZ’s coverage of the actor’s passing on Saturday with the caption, ‘DROWNED IN A HOT TUB. HAHAHAHA’
In response to a user who asked Brennan, ‘Why is drowning in a hot tub funny?’ he replied, ‘Because it’s not very deep.’
One user asked him, ‘Comedy is supposed to be funny. Who told you that you are a comedian? Self appointed?’
Another said: ‘It’s not at all anything to laugh about!!! You’re gross for thinking otherwise. You realize people can go into cardiac arrest and die in any surrounding, don’t you?
‘So you think heart attacks and death are funny? No wonder you’re a low level comedian – you are not funny.’
One user said: ‘No wonder I had no idea who you were until the comment got picked up. At least people actually knew who he was.’
Another commented, ‘Imagine having to write something negative about someone of significance just to feel relevant.’
One user said that in making the remarks, Brennan was ‘just trying to get another 15 minutes of fame which won’t happen.’
Another said, ‘Jealous you won’t be mourned when your time comes, eh?’ while another called Brennan ‘a really sad sad human being.’
Said one user: ‘So, you’re a terrible person. good to know that there’s a reason you don’t write for snl anymore; your lousy comedy.’
Brennan doubled down on his sentiments in a tweet responding to coverage of his controversy
In response to a user who asked Brennan, ‘Why is drowning in a hot tub funny?’ he replied, ‘Because it’s not very deep’
Brennan was ripped by commenters who took offense to his remarks on social media about Perry’s death
One user wrote to Brennan, ‘Are you that desperate to try and stay relevant? Until the TMZ article no one knew who you were. Millions knew & loved w/o hesitation Matthew.
‘His past didn’t change that, and it made him stronger. He passed away with more class, & dignity than you could ever hope to have.’
The Friends actor, who played Chandler Bing on the NBC smash hit, had battled substance abuse throughout his life, said that he was keen to help others who were dealing with a similar situation.
Perry, in a November 2022 appearance on the podcast Q with Tom Power at Toronto’s Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, said that the ‘paramount thing’ he would want to be remembered for ‘is that he wants to help people’ battling addiction,
‘The best thing about me, bar none, is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, “Will you help me?”‘ he said. ‘I can say yes and follow up and do it.
‘When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned, and I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.’
Perry said that it was difficult for him to watch past episodes of Friends, as he could chart his addiction battle by his appearance on the program.
‘I didn’t watch the show, and haven’t watched the show, because I could go drinking … opiates … drinking … cocaine,’ he said. ‘Like I could tell season by season by how I looked.’
The Friends actor, who played Chandler Bing on the NBC smash hit, had battled substance abuse throughout his life , said that he was keen to help others who were dealing with a similar situation. Pictured this past April in LA
Perry appeared on the hit series Friends for 10 seasons, spanning 1994 until 2004
Perry called the program – which co-starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer – ‘an incredible ride.’
He added: ‘It’s been an incredible thing to watch it touch the hearts of different generations. It’s become this important, significant thing and I, you know, I would watch that again. It was really funny, and all the people were nice.’
Perry appeared on the hit series for 10 seasons spanning 1994 until 2004. He had also appeared in a number of motion pictures in his career, including 1997’s Fools Rush In, 2000’s The Whole Nine Yards and 2009’s 17 Again.
On Saturday, TMZ reported that first responders had been summoned to Perry’s home to deal with a cardiac arrest. Foul play was not suspected in the actor’s death, sources told the outlet.