Veteran character actor Nick Searcy of Justified went into a full-blown Twitter rage over the weekend, firing off a stream of anger and invective that eventually ensnared a number of high-profile game journalists.
Nick Searcy, for those unfamiliar with his work, is a character actor who has appeared in a considerable number of movies and television shows, most recently the ongoing FX series Justified, in which he portrays Deputy Marshal Art Mullen. He also has a web series on YouTube entitled Nick Searcy’s Acting School. But for a lot of Twitter users, especially those who don’t get FX, he will likely now be known best for his very long, very virulent blowup on Twitter.
This evening’s entertainment actually began on Saturday, when Adam Baldwin, best known as Firefly’s hulking Jayne Cobb, took to Twitter to equate same-sex marriage with incest. Writer Tim Peacock called him on it and the two went back and forth a bit, but the situation didn’t really go off the rails until Nick Searcy leapt in to Baldwin’s defense, calling Peacock “a lying tub of lard.”
Hey, @timsimms, do you think @tntweknowdrama worries about what a lying tub of lard like you thinks about @AdamBaldwin ?— Yes, Nick Searcy! (@yesnicksearcy) February 22, 2014
It went on like that – and on, and on – but didn’t come to our attention until he rounded on Susan Arendt, late of The Escapist – you may remember her – who tweeted this afternoon that she didn’t think she’d be able to continue watching Justified because of Searcy’s behavior on Twitter. That led to all sorts of name-calling, fat jokes, cracks about ignorance and chest-puffery that dragged on for hours and eventually pulled a number of game journalists into its swirl, including Russ Pitts, Chris Carter, Ben Kuchera, Janelle Bonanno, Mike Thompson and even me – although I only rated being called “pathetically ignorant” and a link to an old LA Times article.
You are only worried about fat-shaming because you're fat. @aliceingameland @SusanArendt— Yes, Nick Searcy! (@yesnicksearcy) February 24, 2014
The only reason he has more followers is my strict weight limit. NO FAT ASSES! @99Cruisegirl @dreganastra @BenKuchera @JustifiedFX— Yes, Nick Searcy! (@yesnicksearcy) February 25, 2014
The only people that think it's hateful are the really fat. @s0osleepie @JustifiedFX— Yes, Nick Searcy! (@yesnicksearcy) February 25, 2014
Except that my career continues while yours has never begun. @JoshEngen— Yes, Nick Searcy! (@yesnicksearcy) February 25, 2014
It didn’t take long after that for the targets of his venom to bring the matter to the attention of the JustifiedFX Twitter account, although there’s so far been no response from anyone on the other end. Searcy himself appears to have no worries about possible repercussions arising from his appalling behavior, sending many of his insulting replies to that same account, indicating that he has either supreme confidence in, or utter ignorance of, the security of his position. Either way, he’s very quickly and very firmly established a remarkably unpleasant reputation on Twitter, and I can’t imagine that his show won’t suffer a black eye for it.
Source: Twitter, Peacock Panache
