Maybe Kristi Yamaguchi should have just left it at “Good luck, Nancy.”
“Dancing With the Stars” alum Yamaguchi raised plenty of eyebrows this week when she extended her well wishes to fellow former figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, who’s competing on the current season of the ABC competition series.
Unfortunately, Yamaguchi’s choice of words could have been better.
“So excited for you @NancyAKerrigan! Can’t wait to see you grace that ballroom floor, break a leg!” Yamaguchi tweeted at Kerrigan.
The traditional showbiz phrase “break a leg” took on a dark overtone in this case, in light of the 1994 attack on Kerrigan, during which she was clubbed in the knee with a police baton in a staged attack at the hands of an assailant hired by the ex-husband of her skating rival, Tonya Harding.
Talk about opening up old wounds, figuratively if not literally.
Twitter users were quick to make the connection, posting a flurry of GIFs expressing their shock and amusement.
“Kristi Yamaguchi wished Nancy Kerrigan luck on ‘DWTS’ with possibly the worst choice of words ever,” one observer noted.
“@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan savage stuff Kristi,” another opined.
“@kristiyamaguchi whyyy, whyyy, whyyy hasn’t this tweet been deleted…are you that naive? #BreakALeg @NancyAKerrigan,” read yet another response, in an apparent response to Kerrigan’s post-clubbing query.
“That may or may not have been a good choice of words. O.o,” offered yet another Twitter user.
Kerrigan, anyway, seemed to take the comment in her non-injured stride, tweeting, “Thank you so much Kristi! I’m excited to get this started said for the advice you had for me. this its a blast!”
Still, the comment came off as cold for many — even coming from someone who’s spent a considerable portion of her life on ice.
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
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
Kristi Yamaguchi wished Nancy Kerrigan luck on ‘DWTS’ with possibly the worst choice of words ever. https://t.co/hnkaTPQRdj pic.twitter.com/EIBy32tZVL
— someecards (@someecards) March 22, 2017
@kristiyamaguchi @NancyAKerrigan savage stuff Kristi.
— Stephen Thompson (@AFC_Stephen) March 22, 2017
@kristiyamaguchi whyyy, whyyy, whyyy hasn’t this tweet been deleted…are you that naive? #BreakALeg @NancyAKerrigan
— Phil M. (@SactownPhil42) March 22, 2017
That may or may not have been a good choice of words. O.o@kristiyamaguchi @GayPatriot @NancyAKerrigan
— Allen Ray???? (@2CynicAl65) March 22, 2017