Armie Hammer Issues Apology for Criticizing Fans Over Stan Lee Selfie Tributes
Zack Sharf
Armie Hammer has issued an apology in the wake of backlash over his statements criticizing certain fan tributes to the late Stan Lee. Hammer took to social media on November 12, the same day Stan Lee passed away, to express his issue with fans of the comic book icon who were paying tribute by posting selfie photos.
“So touched by all of the celebrities posting pictures of themselves with Stan Lee.” Hammer said in a since-deleted Tweet. “No better way to commemorate an absolute legend than putting up a picture of yourself.”
“If Stan impacted your life (ie. All of our lives) with his work, post his work that touched you the most,” the “Call Me By Your Name” actor said in a follow-up tweet. “Posting a selfie makes his death about you and how cool you felt taking a picture with him.”
After being criticized for grief-shaming fans, Hammer returned to social media November 15 to release the following apology: “While attempting to provide some unnecessary social commentary about the current selfie culture, I (in true asshat form – thank you Jeffrey Dean Morgan) inadvertently offended many who were genuinely grieving the loss of a true icon. I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart and will be working on my Twitter impulse control.”
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, best known for playing Negan on AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” was one of the celebrities to call out Hammer for his original comment. “Looks like you found a way to use others ways of mourning and their memories to draw some attention to yourself,” Morgan wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “You sound like a real asshat.”
At the time, Hammer pointed to Mark Ruffalo’s Stan Lee tribute as an appropriate example. The actor who plays Bruce Banner/Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe honored Lee by posting a photograph of the comic book writer posing with a giant Hulk statue. Hammer can next be seen on the big screen in “On the Basis of Sex,” in theaters this Christmas.
— Armie Hammer (@armiehammer) November 15, 2018
