William Shatner is defending himself on Twitter after the New York Daily News dubbed him “Captain Jerk” for skipping Leonard Nimoy’s funeral on Sunday.
Mr. Nimoy, who played “Star Trek”’s Spock, died Friday at 83. Mr. Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the fantasy television series, explained in several tweets Saturday that he was in Florida for a Red Cross Ball and could not make it to Los Angeles in time for Sunday’s service, CNN reported.
“I feel really awful. Here I am doing charity work and one of my dearest friends is being buried,” Mr. Shatner tweeted. “So let’s spend some time tomorrow celebrating Leonard’s life and remembering the man.”
New York radio host Todd Schnitt offered a solution: “Do Red Cross event and then private jet to LA.”
Mr. Shatner scoffed at the idea: “So has Mr. Moneybags @toddschnitt made his donation yet to the @RedCross? A jet from FL to LA is about $30K in the name of #LeonardNimoy pls.”
Mr. Shatner also shared an image of the Daily News’ front page and invited people to “discuss it.”
“I chose to honor a commitment I made months ago to appear at a charitable fundraiser. A lot of money was raised. So here I am; tell me off.”
Mr. Shatner argued that snubbing a charity event he had already committed to wouldn’t have looked favorable in headlines either.
“Walking out on a major fundraiser wouldn’t have you calling me a jerk for leaving a charity high & dry? Hmm?” he said.
“One of the other misconceptions seems to be that folks think flights to LAX occur all night long,” he added.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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