Patton Oswalt on Remarrying After His Wife's Death: 'I Had to Try to Recognize Joy Again'
In April 2016, crime writer Michelle McNamara died unexpectedly in her sleep at the age of 46. Her husband of 11 years, actor Patton Oswalt, known for playing Spencer Olchin in King of Queens, among other roles, and their 8-year-old daughter, Alice, were devastated.
But happily, a year later, Patton found love again with actress Meredith Salenger, whom he married on Nov. 4.
"It feels like an evolution," Patton said in a cover interview with People. "After the darkness, I went through all the ways I had to strengthen myself to try to recognize joy again. Meredith was a beacon I had to reach for."
Sadly, some people have been critical of Patton's new relationship, saying he moved on too soon. When blogger Erica Roman, who also lost a spouse, wrote an essay defending Patton, the actor shared it Facebook.
"This is so amazing. And SO well-written," Patton posted. "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. But yeah, I felt this rage. And Erica articulated it better than I could have ever hoped. So there you go."
In reality, People reports, the couple and their close ones actually attribute their meeting to Michelle; they feel she had some hand in it from up above. When Meredith and Patton began dating, they actually discovered she had a mutual friend with his late wife and Meredith was able to learn about her in that way.
"I've only ever felt that level of joy once before in my life, and it was so profound and perfect it felt greedy to ever wish for it again," Patton told the publication. "But I did, so now all I can do is show Meredith a level of gratitude and love that's greater than the joy she's brought me, and my daughter Alice. Because this is a new level of joy, and a new life, and I'll always strive to deserve it."
(h/t People)
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