Jeopardy‘s writers delivered a touching treat for Patton Oswalt and his fans on Tuesday night’s show, using his late wife Michelle McNamara’s mantra for a pair of categories in the show’s first round. It’s not something that would typically stick out, but eagle-eyed fans of the shows saw it and quickly made it clear to Oswalt on Twitter according to The AV Club:
What?!? Is this true, @Jeopardy? https://t.co/05eIMFe85R
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 22, 2018
True. pic.twitter.com/7Esga9gpqv
— Tyler L Weaver (@tylerlweaver) May 22, 2018
As The AV Club points out, the four words — “It’s Chaos. Be Kind.” — stem from Oswalt’s comedy special Annihilation in 2017. The comedian has been open about his grieving process, discussing it in the special and during his many late night TV stops over the past year or so. But in the special, he mentions those words are McNamara’s mantra to get through life. Oswalt tweeted out his thanks to the folks over at Jeopardy.
Wow, thank you @Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/D6WNLlUl2x
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 23, 2018
It’s a nice moment to cap off a noteworthy period for Oswalt and McNamara. While she passed away in 2016, her book about the Golden State Killer / East Area Rapist / Original Night Stalker finally arrived with great fanfare. Then not long after, a suspect was finally apprehended in connection with the murders, prompting Oswalt to say McNamara’s work “wasn’t in vain.” Toss in his marriage to Meredith Salenger, Infinity War making his Parks And Rec rant closer to reality, and that great Joker theory and it’s not a bad time for Oswalt.
It’s also a good reminder about just how helpful and moving his discussions about grief have been. If you’ve lost somebody yourself, it’s worth it to listen to what he’s said.
