Cringe Alert! Twitter Reacts to Kristi Yamaguchi Telling Infamously Injured Nancy Kerrigan to 'Break a Leg' on DWTS
Whoops!
Ahead of the Dancing with the Stars premiere on Monday evening, Kristi Yamaguchi sent her best wishes via Twitter to fellow figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, who is competing on season 24 with pro partner Artem Chigvintsev.
“So excited for you @NancyAKerrigan! Can’t wait to see you grace that ballroom floor, break a leg! #DWTS,” Yamaguchi, 45, tweeted early Monday, just hours ahead of the show’s premiere.
So excited for you @NancyAKerrigan ! Can't wait to see you grace that ballroom floor, break a leg! #DWTS
— Kristi Yamaguchi (@kristiyamaguchi) March 20, 2017
Although Yamaguchi, who won the Mirrorball Trophy on season 6 of DWTS, intended to send a heartfelt message to Kerrigan, her word choice caused for a cringe-worthy reaction from Twitter users.
Over two decades ago, Kerrigan, 47, made headlines when she was attacked in January 1994 with a police baton at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit a month before the Winter Olympics.
Following a practice session, the figure skater was the victim of clubbing when Shane Stant took a police baton to her right knee in the hopes of breaking it and sidelining her from the Olympic games. He was hired by skating rival Tonya Hardings ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and Harding’s bodyguard at the time.
Directly after the attack, Kerrigan was recorded saying, “Why, why, why?” and the incident became known as “The Whack Heard Round the World.”
Shortly after Yamaguchi sent her well wishes in the tweet to Kerrigan, Twitter reacted with a flurry of gifs expressing both shock and surprise.
@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan pic.twitter.com/WbSZ0YHpaN
— kylie sparks (@kyliesparks) March 22, 2017
.@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan pic.twitter.com/YyFPZ8S9S2
— Abbi Crutchfield (@curlycomedy) March 22, 2017
@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan pic.twitter.com/h8cfey7bEK
— John Asante (@jkbasante) March 22, 2017
@kristiyamaguchi pic.twitter.com/eAVQlJtYur
— van Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) March 22, 2017
@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan pic.twitter.com/JyjIUNSSk2
— Caryn Rose (@carynrose) March 22, 2017
@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan pic.twitter.com/PxEAKx78nx
— Barrett Tryon (@btreports) March 22, 2017
.@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan pic.twitter.com/B7QeHKOb4w
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) March 22, 2017
@kristiyamaguchi pic.twitter.com/jQVmXjQLoS
— Mark Sundstrom (@106th) March 22, 2017
@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan pic.twitter.com/CesClYwcDN
— Kevin O'Keeffe (@kevinpokeeffe) March 22, 2017
.@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan pic.twitter.com/yJHoeLgAND
— -=CULLEN (@cullend) March 22, 2017
@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan pic.twitter.com/icIN7NzIPD
— JPS (@JasonPStarling) March 22, 2017
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But Kerrigan didn’t appear to take any offense to Yamaguchi’s tweet and thanked her for the encouragement: “Thank you so much Kristi! I’m excited to get this started said for the advice you had for me. this its a blast!”
Thank you so much Kristi! I'm excited to get this started said for the advice you had for me. this its a blast! https://t.co/MMagD7gLgw
— Nancy Kerrigan (@NancyAKerrigan) March 20, 2017
In 2018, Kerrigan’s feud with Harding will play out on the big screen. The Harding-Kerrigan spat will be featured in the upcoming Harding biopic, I Tonya; Australian actress Margot Robbie has signed on to portray Harding in the film.
Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.