Tonya Harding is living her dream of a Hollywood comeback in the wake of the hit biopic “I, Tonya” — but while the disgraced Olympian has made it to “Dancing With the Stars,” she still has a sordid past that others aren’t forgiving…
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Allison Janney shocked some viewers after accepting her Golden Globe for playing Tonya's mother in the biopic about the champion figure skater who kept silent after her husband, Jeff Gillooly, brought along a thug to attack rival skater
Nancy Kerrigan.
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The actress praised Tonya as "a woman who was not embraced for her individuality" — and even added: "I would just like to thank Tonya for sharing her story." (Allison didn't thank Tonya while
accepting her Academy Award for the role, however.)
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But other Olympians like Johnny Weir still hold Tanya in contempt for doing "a horrible thing." They also haven't forgiven Tonya for never apologizing to Nancy, despite Tanya having often claimed that she'd told her old rival that she was sorry.
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Nancy herself —
who preceded Tonya on "DWTS" — revealed in 2017 that Tonya had never apologized. “Does it matter?” Nancy asked, adding: “We were at an event four years after I was attacked, but we didn’t really speak to each other. So it was very awkward and strange.”
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Olympians also remain resentful of how Tonya tried to cover up for her husband after the 1994 attack on Nancy. She was ultimately sentenced to 500 hours of community service and three years' probation. Tonya also paid a $100,000 fine plus court costs, and agreed to establish a $50,000 fund for the Special Olympics.
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The locals of Oregon don't take much pride in Tanya, either. She was routinely ridiculed through the '90s for trying to rehabilitate her image while seeking new fame! Audiences pelted her with plastic bottles in 1995 when she tried to launch a singing career at a medical benefit. She also released a single to commemorate the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995.
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Tonya was also
resented in the bars of Oregon — with women saying she'd flaunt her notoriety to steal their boyfriends. Diane Poyner blasted Tonya for stealing her fiancé in 1994, saying he "went out one night with Tonya and never came back. We were to be married next month in Reno...he went running into her arms and left me and my 5-year-old daughter behind."
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Part of Tonya's local appeal was
being a local amateur porn star. Her "leaked" honeymoon sex tape with Gillooly, however, was ridiculed for being faked. Despite being billed as "Tonya's Wedding Night," the 1994 release — that Tonya blamed on her ex-husband — was filmed over different periods. Gillooly's mustache even goes missing at one point of the home video.
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Tonya also lost her ex-boyfriend Darren Silver as a fan in Feb. 2000 — after she brutally attacked him in a shocking display of domestic violence. Cops hauled Tonya away in handcuffs by Washington State police.
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"She had a crazy look in her eyes," said Darren, "as she punched me in the face, kneed me in the groin, and threw a hub cover like a Frisbee at my head!" She'd spend three days in jail after pleading guilty.
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But at least Tonya has one longstanding fan before her Hollywood comeback. The ENQUIRER caught Olympics legend Peggy Fleming standing up for the disgraced skater back in 1999. The 1968 gold medalist actually called Nancy a "very ungracious loser" who was dismissive of Oksana Baiul — and said Tonya "just surrounded herself with the wrong people."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Allison Janney shocked some viewers after accepting her Golden Globe for playing Tonya's mother in the biopic about the champion figure skater who kept silent after her husband, Jeff Gillooly, brought along a thug to attack rival skater
Nancy Kerrigan.
Photo credit: Getty Images
The actress praised Tonya as "a woman who was not embraced for her individuality" — and even added: "I would just like to thank Tonya for sharing her story." (Allison didn't thank Tonya while
accepting her Academy Award for the role, however.)
Photo credit: Getty Images
But other Olympians like Johnny Weir still hold Tanya in contempt for doing "a horrible thing." They also haven't forgiven Tonya for never apologizing to Nancy, despite Tanya having often claimed that she'd told her old rival that she was sorry.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Nancy herself —
who preceded Tonya on "DWTS" — revealed in 2017 that Tonya had never apologized. “Does it matter?” Nancy asked, adding: “We were at an event four years after I was attacked, but we didn’t really speak to each other. So it was very awkward and strange.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
Olympians also remain resentful of how Tonya tried to cover up for her husband after the 1994 attack on Nancy. She was ultimately sentenced to 500 hours of community service and three years' probation. Tonya also paid a $100,000 fine plus court costs, and agreed to establish a $50,000 fund for the Special Olympics.
Photo credit: Getty Images
The locals of Oregon don't take much pride in Tanya, either. She was routinely ridiculed through the '90s for trying to rehabilitate her image while seeking new fame! Audiences pelted her with plastic bottles in 1995 when she tried to launch a singing career at a medical benefit. She also released a single to commemorate the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Tonya was also
resented in the bars of Oregon — with women saying she'd flaunt her notoriety to steal their boyfriends. Diane Poyner blasted Tonya for stealing her fiancé in 1994, saying he "went out one night with Tonya and never came back. We were to be married next month in Reno...he went running into her arms and left me and my 5-year-old daughter behind."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Part of Tonya's local appeal was
being a local amateur porn star. Her "leaked" honeymoon sex tape with Gillooly, however, was ridiculed for being faked. Despite being billed as "Tonya's Wedding Night," the 1994 release — that Tonya blamed on her ex-husband — was filmed over different periods. Gillooly's mustache even goes missing at one point of the home video.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Tonya also lost her ex-boyfriend Darren Silver as a fan in Feb. 2000 — after she brutally attacked him in a shocking display of domestic violence. Cops hauled Tonya away in handcuffs by Washington State police.
Photo credit: Getty/Files
"She had a crazy look in her eyes," said Darren, "as she punched me in the face, kneed me in the groin, and threw a hub cover like a Frisbee at my head!" She'd spend three days in jail after pleading guilty.
Photo credit: Getty Images
But at least Tonya has one longstanding fan before her Hollywood comeback. The ENQUIRER caught Olympics legend Peggy Fleming standing up for the disgraced skater back in 1999. The 1968 gold medalist actually called Nancy a "very ungracious loser" who was dismissive of Oksana Baiul — and said Tonya "just surrounded herself with the wrong people."
Photo credit: Getty Images
