Armie Hammer is apologizing for a series of comments he made in the wake of Marvel co-creator Stan Lee’s death on Monday.
As celebrities and fans alike paid their respects to Lee online, Hammer criticized those who chose to post selfies or photos with Lee, saying in a since deleted tweet that it was a way of making Lee’s death about themselves. Hammer’s comment was called out by many online, including actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
“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,” Hammer said in a statement on Twitter Thursday. “I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart and will be working on my Twitter impulse control.”
— Armie Hammer (@armiehammer) November 15, 2018
Hammer deleted his initial tweet, but some of his replies to fans doubling down or clarifying his comments are still live. He later clarified that he too previously worked with Lee and hoped that people would share his work and strive to make their posts about him, not about “how cool you felt taking a picture with him.” He also bemoaned that the modern reaction to process a celebrity’s death is to “post a selfie,” saying we need “a cultural revamp across the board.”
“Looks like you’ve found a way to use others ways of mourning to draw some attention to yourself,” Dean Morgan said in a reply on Twitter. “You sound like a real asshat.”
See their whole exchange screen-capped here and below.
If Stan impacted your life (ie. All of our lives) with his work, post his work that touched you the most. Posting a selfie makes his death about you and how cool you felt taking a picture with him.
— Armie Hammer (@armiehammer) November 12, 2018
Me…. too…?
— Armie Hammer (@armiehammer) November 12, 2018
If your answer is “post a selfie” then I think we need a cultural revamp across the board.
— Armie Hammer (@armiehammer) November 12, 2018