CNN Fires Kathy Griffin Over Controversial Anti-Trump Photo Shoot
Kathy Griffin is paying the price for that controversial anti-Trump photo shoot. While the comedian apologized profusely for holding a mock severed “head” — resembling Donald Trump’s — during a photo shoot with provocative shutterbug Tyler Shields, she’s taking a hit where it hurts: her wallet.
CNN announced on Wednesday that it had “fired” the redheaded firecracker from her New Year’s Eve hosting gig, which she’s held for a decade, opposite Anderson Cooper. “CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year’s Eve program,” the network said in a statement.
CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year's Eve program.
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) May 31, 2017
Cooper had already tweeted that he was “appalled” by the photo, which saw Griffin holding a “head” that looked like the president’s, covered with blood.
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
While Griffin, 56, faced the music and apologized pretty much immediately following the publication of the photo, that wasn’t good enough for CNN or Trump himself, who called her “sick” in a tweet on Wednesday morning.
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
Trump also said that his children were “having a hard time” with the photo, especially his 11-year-old son, Barron. (According to TMZ, the boy thought the head really was his dad’s. The story claims that he was “in front of the TV watching a show when the news came on and he saw the bloody image. We’re told that he panicked and screamed, ‘Mommy, Mommy!’”)
Griffin has also lost an endorsement with Squatty Potty over the incident. Company CEO Bobby Edwards, whose product is a toilet footstool designed to allow for better bowel movements (can’t make this stuff up), said he was “shocked and disappointed to learn about the image Ms. Griffin shared” and called it “deeply inappropriate” and “contrary to the core values our company stands for.” Griffin had recently been hired to appear in their ad campaign.
— Squatty Potty? (@squattypotty) May 31, 2017
On Tuesday, Griffin apologized in a video shared on social media. She said, “I sincerely apologize. I am just now seeing the reaction of these images. I’m a comic. I crossed the line. I move the line, then I cross it. The image went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people. It wasn’t funny. I get it. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my career. I will continue [to do so] … I ask for your forgiveness … taking down the image, gonna ask the photographer to take down the image, and I beg for your forgiveness. I went too far. I made a mistake, and I was wrong.”
I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong.
A post shared by Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) on May 30, 2017 at 4:53pm PDT
Apologies can only get you so far, though, as Griffin is learning the hard way.
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