CNN Drops Kathy Griffin From NYE Program After 'Offensive' Trump Photo
May 31, 2017, 2:52 p.m.
On Tuesday, Kathy Griffin posted a video to Instagram showing her holding a prop of Donald Trump's bloody and severed head.
Kathy Griffin posted this gory, controversial image to social media Tuesday, then deleted it after an outcry. (Kathy Griffin's Instagram)
On Tuesday, Kathy Griffin posted a video to Instagram showing her holding a prop of Donald Trump's bloody and severed head. She explained the short clip was from a project she was working on with photographer Tyler Shields, who also posted photos from the shoot. A lot of people had feelings about this:
It's really easy to have no take on Kathy Griffin. Watch this:
— Barry Petchesky (@barry) May 31, 2017
By nightfall, after receiving criticism from both the left and the right, Griffin deleted the video and posted a new one of her apologizing: "I'm a comic, I went way too far. The image is too disturbing... it wasn't funny, I get it. I beg for your forgiveness."
The criticism that followed the initial images being released included some from Donald Trump Jr., who called it: "disgusting but not surprising." Chelsea Clinton also chimed in, stating the image was "vile and wrong." And according to "Trump family sources" who spoke to TMZ, Barron Trump allegedly saw the image flash on a television screen and thought it was real—"He's 11. He doesn't know who Kathy Griffin is and the head she was holding resembled his dad." Trump tweeted about his son's reaction, too:
Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017
CNN was asked about its involvement with Griffin, who appears alongside Anderson Cooper annually on New Year's Eve, and on Wednesday afternoon they stated that they "terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year's Eve program." In a previous statement a CNN rep called the images "disgusting and offensive."
They aren't the only ones distancing themselves from Griffin, Cooper said he was appalled:
For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.
— Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) May 31, 2017
And Squatty Potty, who recently worked on an ad campaign with Griffin, dropped her as well, stating they were "shocked and disappointed." CEO Bobby Edwards told AdWeek, "In response, Squatty Potty has suspended its ad campaign featuring Ms. Griffin. We have acted swiftly and decisively to demonstrate our commitment to a culture of decency, civility and tolerance."
And the hits keep coming...
The July 22nd performance by Kathy Griffin has been cancelled.
— Route 66 Casino (@RT66CasinoHotel) May 30, 2017
We'll see how Griffin weathers this negative press covfefe. Speaking of covfefe, Trump is reportedly revoking the United States' commitment to the Paris climate change agreement.
