Jackass star Ryan Dunn and a friend died in a fiery crash on early Monday morning. He and passenger Zachary Hartwell, listed as a production assistant on Jackass Number Two, had just left a pub in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Hours before leaving the bar, Ryan tweeted a picture of himself, Hartwell, and another man drinking.
Toxicology results won’t be ready for another four to six weeks, but speculation is that speed and drinking were factors in the crash. Early reports are that the Porsche may have been going in excess of 100 mph when it flew over the guardrail into the woods then burst into flames.
Several stars, including Benji Madden of Good Charlotte, reality star Brody Jenner, and fellow Jackass stars Bam Margera, Johnny Knoxville, Stephen “Steve-O” Glover, and Jason “Wee Man” Acuna, have all expressed their shock and sorrow.
However, one person who isn’t exactly expressing sorrow is Roger Ebert. The film critic is beloved, but he upset many when he tweeted “Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive.”
Margera angrily replied, “I just lost my best friend, I have been crying hysterical for a full day.” After a few expletives, he added, “roger ebert has the gall to put in his 2 cents about a jackass drunk driving and [he is] one” and told Ebert to shut his fat mouth.
Perez Hilton agreed that Ebert’s remarks were “in poor taste.” Hilton also said that while drinking and driving is wrong, now is not the time to be making fun of such a tragic situation.
Still, Ebert wouldn’t let it go. He tweeted, “Perez Hilton’s readers agree with me and not with Perez about my tweet on Ryan Dunn. He drank, he drove, 2 people died.”
Facebook temporarily removed Roger Ebert’s page, perhaps in an attempt to squelch an online uproar on its site.
So what do you think? Was Roger Ebert just making a play on words or was it too harsh too soon?