It is quite normal for well-wishers to say “Break a leg” as an ironic way to wish a performer “good luck”.
However, former gold-medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi caused a commotion online when she wished fellow Olympian and “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Nancy Kerrigan to “break a leg” via Twitter on Monday.
Back in 1994, Kerrigan actually got her leg broken in an assault. It was later found out that it was the ex-husband of her rival Tonya Harding who was behind the incident.
Netizens who caught the irony of her probably well-intentioned wish were quick to flood her Twitter with hilarious reaction GIFs.
Deliberate or not, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame inductee’s tweet was well received by Kerrigan who tweeted in response:
A representative for Yamaguchi would later clarify on TMZ that the tweet had no ill-intentions, noting that she and Kerrigan have been friends since they were 15. The representative also confirmed that the two have laughed about the unintentional gaffe over the phone.
