Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger were over the moon with joy when they announced their engagement on July 6.
But the comedian and the actress, who went public with their romance in June, faced some harsh comments from critics who felt the need to tell them they got engaged too quickly following the death of Patton's wife, 46-year-old writer Michelle McNamara, nearly 15 months ago.
On July 8, both Patton, 48, and his bride-to-be took to social media to hit back.
Patton thanked blogger Erica Roman, who published a piece titled "A Widow's Rage Defense of Patton Oswalt's Engagement" on July 7.
"This is so amazing. And SO well-written. I expected some bitter grub worms to weigh in (anonymously, always always always) with their much-needed opinions when I announced my engagement last week. And I decided to ignore them," he wrote on Facebook, sharing Erica's post. "But yeah, I felt this rage. And Erica articulated it better than I could have ever hoped. So there you go. Thank you, Erica."
Meredith, meanwhile, tweeted her own thoughts on the criticism.
"Everyone has been so lovely to us… ALL of Michelle's siblings and friends and family… a few trolls have strong opinions," she wrote. "But I think for Patton, having met and found love after over a year of intense therapy and openly grieving and dealing with his pain… I am grateful to be the one who helps him climb out of the depths of grief and find some joy again. And most of all… [His 8-year-old daughter] Alice is happy and feels loved."
She continued, "I have waited 47 years to find true love. Creating our family unit while honoring the brilliant gift Michelle has given me will be my life's goal and happiness. I am deeply in love with both Patton and Alice and very much looking forward to a beautiful happy life having adventures together."
She then posted an Instagram pic of her smiling soon-to-be stepdaughter, Alice, captioning it, "Breakfast with my muppet 💖."
Michelle shared the news of their engagement in a sweet Instagram post featuring a photo collage revealing her ring as she embraced Patton and Alice, along with Patton's sweet handwritten proposal. "It's official. I'm the luckiest happiest girl in the universe!!!! I love you @pattonoswalt I love you Alice Oswalt! #YesYesYes," she captioned it.
Patton also joked on Twitter, "I put the ring in a marzipan Slave I replica and said, 'Will you be my Padawan of Love?' She maced me but said yes later."