Amie Harwick’s brother is demanding Wendy Williams apologize to his family after the talk show host appeared to make light of his sister’s death on air.
Amie Harwick, a well-known couples and sex therapist and the former fiancee of comedian Drew Carey, died over the weekend after her ex-boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse, allegedly threw her over the third-floor balcony of her Hollywood Hills apartment, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Pursehouse was charged Wednesday with murder.
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During the Monday “Hot Topics” segment on “The Wendy Williams Show,” Williams told the audience Harwick “was tragically murdered over the weekend,” adding that it was not by Carey, who hosts “The Price is Right.”
Williams then said the famous catchphrase from the game show, “Come on down.” Williams came under fire on social media by commenters who said her remarks were insensitive, cruel and inappropriate.
Chris Harwick told Fox News in a statement Wednesday: “Domestic violence is something no one should be joking about.”
“This is a difficult time for my family and for Wendy Williams to make light of this tragedy is very upsetting to us and extremely distasteful,” he said. “Wendy Williams should apologize publicly to my family for her comment.”
Jack Osbourne rebuked Williams in a tweet Tuesday, saying, “Hey @WendyWilliams Amie was a friend. How dare you be so rude and shallow to make a ‘joke’ out of something that is not funny in the slightest. She was tragically murdered, yet you somehow tried to make light of that. Shame on you. Smh.”
Harwick did not immediately return a request for comment. A representative for Williams told NBC News Thursday afternoon that the host is not commenting at this time.
Williams’ remarks this week came days after she was critcized for saying gay men should “stop wearing our skirts and our heels” on an episode of her daytime talk show. She later apologized and pledged to “do better.”
