Former Minnesota Gov., professional wrestler, and actor Jesse Ventura called Chris Kyle of American Sniper fame a liar during an unplanned drop-in on a national radio show Tuesday.
Ventura interrupted a broadcast of the Sirius XM's Opie and Jimmy Show to tell hosts Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Jim Norton that he had won his suit against the estate of the deceased Kyle.
"I won. Chris Kyle was a liar," Ventura said. "I won in federal court."
"I won. I won."
When asked by the hosts to sit down and do a full interview, Ventura walked away.
The lawsuit stems from comments Kyle made in his book, American Sniper, and in subsequent media interviews where he said he punched Ventura in the face for insulting the Navy SEALs during a wake for a fallen member of the group.
Kyle said he punched Ventura in the face after Ventura said the SEALs "deserved to lose a few." Ventura contends that altercation never happened and that he never made those comments.
"I can’t go to UDT-SEAL reunions anymore because that was the place I always felt safe, and who will be next to throw me under the bus?" Ventura told the Washington Post of the situation in 2014. "I’d have to spend my time looking over my shoulder."
In an 8-2 split, a jury awarded Ventura $1.8 million in damages last July, despite Kyle insisting his story was true in testimony taped before his death, the Blaze reported. The sum is less than the $5 million to $15 million Ventura's lawyer had suggested would be an appropriate amount.
Norton and Hughes, who have a volatile history with Ventura, were upset with Ventura's drop in.
"That's typical him," Norton said. "That, to me, in that moment, is everything I don't like about the guy. ‘I just gotta say something real quick and go.’"
"Yeah," Hughes said. "Why don't you debate it?"