At the parade, Kerrigan was overheard telling Mickey Mouse, “This is dumb, I hate it. This is the corniest thing I’ve ever done.” She insisted afterward that she meant having to wear her medal was corny, that of course she loved Mickey and Disney.
Her SNL appearance was panned, though in hindsight she was just as good as numerous male athletes who’ve landed the gig over the years. Her reaction to the slime wasn’t jolly enough for critics’ tastes. Her tone at the Olympics was re-examined, with some concluding that she actually didn’t sound all that gracious. Even her behavior seconds after being clubbed in the leg was subject to second-guessing.
“People made such a big deal and almost, like, complaining, like, why would I say that?” Kerrigan told ABC News in 2017, referring to her memorable shriek of “Why?” She explained, “Well, after getting attacked, you don’t know what you’re going to say. But I think it’s a reasonable question. Like, ‘Why did this just happen? What happened? Like, why?'”
It was as if the court of public opinion was just waiting until after the Games to give Kerrigan hers, while it had taken care of Harding beforehand. Nancy Mania turned into Nancy Overload, which turned into No More Nancy.