Kathy Griffin says 'Trump is going to go down in a spectacular way'
More than two years after seeing her career get derailed in the wake of outrage over an image depicting Donald Trump’s severed head, Kathy Griffin is back with a new documentary — and more criticism aimed at the president.
The comedian spoke with the Los Angeles Times to promote Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story, a documentary chronicling the blowback stemming from a video she posted on social media on May 30, 2017. The video showed Griffin holding up a ketchup-smeared mask modeled after Trump, a violent image that was roundly slammed by both supporters of the president and his critics on the left.
“I’m still totally blacklisted,” the Emmy winner told the Times of reaction to the shoot. “No agency will touch me. No network will touch me. No streaming service will touch me. Nobody. And yet, I’m an earner. I’ve made them all money, and I’ll make them money again. I have to dig myself out of this hole.”
Despite losing jobs over the stunt and being accused of crossing the line, the 58-year-old has remained defiant.
“My stunt was on brand,” she said. “I knew it was a strong statement. I also know about the history of that kind of imagery and comedians taking those leaps and going to drastic measures. The photo was pre-Harvey Weinstein and pre-#MeToo. It was still a time when it was easier to dog pile on a woman and someone like me. What surprised me most about the blowback was all the people who forgot about the eight years of Barack Obama depicted in a noose. Obama on a cross. Obama with his head cut off.”
She also speculated that a “beloved and blond” celebrity might have gotten away with the Trump stunt.
“I’m very aware that this situation would have not been the same for Gwyneth Paltrow or Ellen DeGeneres, someone who’s beloved and blond,” she said. “All the things I’m not. I’ve been poking the bear in my comedy for a while, and this was a way for people to put me in my place. That is painful for me to think that I engender in people when I’m just trying to make them laugh. But I think that’s a reality.”
She predicted that Trump will have his own comeuppance.
“Trump is going to go down in a spectacular way,” Griffin added. “It’s a fascinating time to be alive.”
Backlash or not, Griffin is getting support from at least one another well-known Trump foil: Bette Midler, who was recently blasted by the president on Twitter.
A love letter to an extraordinary woman, who survived...well...you know. https://t.co/OvrJ3RfrCR
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) July 22, 2019
Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza also showed Griffin some love.
I love this piece and I love this woman. I want to be her when I grow up. Love you Kathy. https://t.co/i6GOrVLrzw
— Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) July 22, 2019
Good god, woman. I thank you. Where ever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever spell you are casting, I’M IN!
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) July 22, 2019
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