Courtney Hazlett, MSNBC Gossip Reporter, On Heath Ledger Death: "A Dress Rehearsal For This With Owen Wilson"

MSNBC's gossip reporter, Courtney Hazlett, who writes "The Scoop" column for MSNBC.com and regularly appears on air, has made the tackiest statement of the year just moments after Heath Ledger's death.

Hazlett remarked, "In a lot of ways, this reminds me — we've almost had a dress rehearsal for this with Owen Wilson."

Wilson attempted suicide last summer, and MSNBC reported early after the news broke that pills were strewn around the bedroom where he was found.



Watch:

Heath Ledger has been found dead in his SoHo apartment, and MSNBC analyst Courtney Hazlett has made one incredibly inappropriate comment. Referring to Owen Wilson's suicide attempt last fall, she said "we've almost had a dress rehearsal." Watch http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1386354455http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1178199204

From MSNBC, 1/22

Hazlett recently joined MSNBC after working at the tabloid OK! Magazine.

Comments

[johnnyjust]

People love free speech until someone else starts talking.

[Nutcase]

What should you expect when you hire people without journalistic qualifications? They just hire a pretty face with no brain to put on the screen.

cognito ergo populistae

[cedricryan]

LOSER! MSNBC has the nerve to continue to run each hour the John Gibson debacle on FOX. A pox on all their houses. It is disgusting.

[undrgrndgirl]

i guess msnbc is taking lessons from fox...i didn't watch them often and quit all together after they cut kucinich from the debates (after inviting him). (i've used my "parental controls" to block nbc and msnbc).

my condolences to heath's family and friends...

[truthyguy]

This is a typical example of why MSNBC is on a downward spiral that not even Olbermann can correct.

[ObamaEdwards]

It isn't just tacky. It's stupid. Why do these idiots have jobs with so much exposure and so much money? Does MSNBC simply not know how to hire intelligent news reps?

[JamieFrevele]

What a macabre, presumptuous and inappropriate thing to say. No one has any idea - and won't ever have any idea - what was going through Heath Ledger's mind before he died nor what was going through Owen Wilson's when he tried to kill himself. I had no idea Courtney Hazlett knew so much about the substance abuse and/or psychological issues of these two men that she could go ahead and draw such a comparison. Yes, there is a story from both of them, but filling air time with unfounded assumptions and speculation is dangerous and tasteless, and we saw that in Courtney Hazeltt. She should be ashamed.

[rwe]

The network of Olbermann and prograssives will be going the way of airhead america... See that FOX more than doubled the ratings for Saturday. Seriously , the feeding of the media on this tragedy is revolting .

[surfcitysteven]

Well, as tasteless as that was, maybe Owen Wilson will wake up and see that this comment was true and that he could be next. "See this bullshit, Owen? See how fucked up this is for everyone that depended on Heath and loved Heath? See how fucked up they are, wearing sunglasses to hide their eyes? That's what you almost did Owen." Been there myself.

[lisakaz]

Tasteless and moronic. We don't know if Heath wanted to die or may have had trouble sleeping and accidentally ODd. He was sick, too, which may have fogged up his brain. We'll never know for sure.

Thanks for the sensitivity, ho.

[javaman]

There used to be an old game show called, "can you top this?" well, the media has now taken on the reverse, "can you get any lower than this?" apparently they can.

[pahpah25]

AND THIS IS THE NET WORK WHO FIRED DON IMUS AND GAVE A JOE SCARBOROUGH.......INTO THE LOOKING GLASS, FOLKS....CRIED THE 'MAD' QUEEN.

[pahpah25]

this is about as sick a comment that i have heard on tv.........is this woman really this depraved?....i would say'YES'..

[escapement]

The real tragedy is that we are talking about this idiot at all...

There are plenty of vets coming back from the gulf suffering from a myriad of mental health issues, especially brain trauma. Why don't we focus any attention on these folks? The suicide rate among them is extremely sad....

Instead a spoiled Hollywood idiot has a misadventure with drugs and we stop the presses.

What a joke!

[pennyfortheguy]

On the other hand, that side-swipe, peek-aboo hairdo of Courtney's is ultra flattering. I find her lovely eyes compelling.