Who is Kevin Brennan? Comedian and ex-SNL writer sparks outrage with insensitive tweet about Matthew Perry

On Saturday, October 28, actor-comedian Matthew Perry, famous for playing the beloved role of Chandler Bing in the NBC sitcom Friends, passed away at the age of 54. He was found unresponsive in a hot tub in his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles, California, by his assistant and was later declared dead from alleged drowning by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Fans of Matthew Perry united on social media platforms to mourn the actor’s demise. However, stand-up comedian, podcaster, and scriptwriter Kevin Brennan took to his X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday and made an insensitive post about Perry’s death. Brennan wrote:

“DROWNED IN A HOT TUB. HAHAHAHA. Friends’ Star Matthew Perry Dead at 54 After Apparent Drowning.”

Kevin Brennan's tweet on Matthew Perry's death. (Image via X/mlcpodcast)

As soon as Brennan’s tweet about Perry went viral on X, netizens came together to call him out.

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Kevin Brennan, the former SNL writer, called Matthew Perry “a junkie”

Kevin Brennan is a 63-year-old stand-up comedian, podcaster, and screenplay writer, best known for writing Saturday Night Live (SNL) Weekend Update between 1999 and 2000. Currently, he is the host of the Misery Loves Company (MLC) podcast.

The Chicago native is the estranged elder brother of comedian Neal Brennan, famous for co-authoring the Comedy Central show Chappelle’s Show (2003-2006) with Dave Chappelle.

On October 29, Kevin Brennan made an insensitive tweet about actor Matthew Perry’s death. Not only did he laugh at the news but also mocked that the actor may have succumbed to drowning.

As soon as his mockery surfaced on the internet, fans of Matthew Perry put Brennan under fire. Here are some of the reactions from the comment section of his tweet.

Brennan faces backlash from a netizen. (Image via X/IyanVelji)

A netizen criticizes Brennan. (Image via X/ParksExperience)

A netizen calls Brennan a "pathetic little loser." (Image via X/zippitydoooo)

A netizen demanding Brennan's ban from X. (Image via X/dmaclennan2)

A netizen mocks back Brennan. (Image via X/Andrea_Kae)

A netizen calls out Brennan. (Image via X/turbo_jenn)

A netizen slams Brennan. (Image via X/InktZwarte)

Meanwhile, Kevin Brennan did not take down the tweet even after facing backlash. Instead, he clarified by posting the following:

“I didn’t mock it. I just thought it was funny. But I do love it when junkies die.”

Not only that but Brennan also went on to respond to a few comments under his tweet, seemingly without any regret. Later, he also posted, “Am I trending yet?” when news outlets started to report his insensitive tweet and the mass outrage it stirred up online.

Another insensitive tweet from Kevin Brennan on Perry's demise. (Image via X/mlcpodcast)

While not many people came upon Brennan’s original tweet about Perry’s demise as he has only 6,000 followers on X, it was retweeted by many users, making it viral.

Matthew Perry battled with substance abuse for a long time. In fact, during his November 2022 interview on the podcast Q with Tom Power, the American-Canadian actor went on record to say that when he died, he didn’t want to be remembered as Chandler Bing from Friends but rather as someone who always “wants to help people,” especially the ones dealing with addiction.