CNN cuts ties with Kathy Griffin amid controversy over comedians gruesome anti-Trump photo

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

Kathy Griffin continues to drown in backlash over a gruesome photo shoot that enraged President Trump, drew widespread bipartisan criticism, and has now cost the comedian her long-time New Years Eve co-host job with CNN.

The comedian and reality TV star apologized Tuesday night for a shocking picture in which she was seen holding a prop of Trumps bloody, severed head.

In a video posted on social media, Griffin said she crossed the line and that the image was too disturbing. I sincerely apologize. I am just now seeing the reaction of these images, she said of the picture.

Multiple members of the Trump family have spoken out against Griffin. The president, [link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/05/31/president-trump-tweets-despite-the-constant-negative-press-covfefe-twitter-explodes/?utm_term.389251378f3f&tida_inlreturning from his covfefe break] Wednesday morning, attacked her over the widely denounced image, which Trump called sick!

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/05/30/kathy-griffin-apologizes-for-severed-donald-trump-head-photo-after-backlash/?utm_term=.578ca36ee0f2&hpid=hp_no-name_hp-in-the-news%3Apage%2Fin-the-news

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We knew this was coming.

CNN has their story up -

[*** CNN fires Kathy Griffin

Kathy Griffin will not be back as co-host of CNN's annual New Year's Eve program, the network announced Wednesday.

CNN's decision comes one day after photos were released of Griffin that showed the comedian holding up a bloody head resembling that of President Donald Trump.

"CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year's Eve program," the network said in a statement.

Griffin has apologized for the photos, taken by provocative celebrity photographer Tyler Shields. She asked for them to be removed in a apologetic video statement she posted to Instagram late Tuesday.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/31/media/cnn-kathy-griffin/index.html ***]

[Freethinker65]

1. Meh. Now cut ties with the likes of Santorum

[JHan]

2. the ridiculous outrage

Jeffrey Lord does more fucking damage on CNN than Griffin could in a lifetime.

[yallerdawg]

44. We just can't tolerate provocative satire, can we?

[JHan]

46. ++++++++++

[MADem]

3. Fuck CNN

They are cowards.

[a kennedy]

9. got that right......fawk em. Ugh. eom

[renate]

4. New Year's Eve was my first thought when I heard about this

It's too bad. My favorite part about their show is Anderson's giggle, not so much her jokes, but I wonder whether anyone else will be able to bounce stuff off him like she can.

But I think it's totally appropriate that she lose the gig. Some stuff just isn't funny.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. I have seen her a couple times over the years on New Years

and her whole schtick with Anderson was just irksome, IMHO. He's supposed to play the "straight guy" and she is just wacked out. She lacks the smoothness of a Sarah Silverman.

[leftynyc]

5. She screwed up

and is paying the price. Now what is the right wing going to whine about?

[citood]

43. The photographer

"Now what is the right wing going to whine about?"

[hrmjustin]

7. Her own fault.

[6000eliot]

8. There is no such thing as being offended anymore.

How can a country that elected the pussy-grabber be offended by ANYTHING? Man, this fucking country.

[JI7]

10. they hired lewandowski after he physically attacked a woman

[shenmue]

30. Yes

[Mosby]

11. Sad, but funny

To watch the media lose it over a comedian.

[Timmygoat]

12. I missed something

I missed the outrage when they portrayed Obama hanging from a tree, also when they portrayed the Obama's as natives whith bones through the nose and bananas in their hands.

[DesertRat]

13. I agree with you.

Welcome to DU!

[karynnj]

18. Two wrongs don't make a right

I will NOT condone something I would have been appalled at had the target been Obama because it was aimed at Trump.

Trump LOVES this. He can play the victim and her initial reaction appeared to be happiness that she was trending on twitter. She does not have a brain in her head if she thinks that this is helpful in any way. There is nothing the right would like more than people here defending a pretty disgusting action. I vaguely remember that years ago she similarly did something controversial but can't remember.

I know she is a comedian, but what is the humor there -- especially in a world where ISIS has actually done things like that. She deserves every bit of criticism she gets. I wish I could hope that it might get her to see that this actually might make a few people on the fence consider that maybe the "left" really is unfair to Trump -- at a point we need them to being looking at what Trump is doing.

[Perseus]

19. Correct

I found that she went over the top, no need for that kind of visual. You can criticize Trump and his minions all you want, there is plenty of material there, but the visuals she presented are out of line with humor, or any moral behaviour.

She screwed up, and I feel that even people who like her and don't like Trump will have a negative reaction to that stupid show of brainless attempt at humor, or whatever she was attempting to do.

[chwaliszewski]

29. Completely agree with your assessment.

I wouldn't piss in Trump's ass if his guts were on fire, but what Kathy did is indefensible. I know Repubs and their ilk have said and done worse but I refuse to be like them. She deserves the backlash she's currently getting because that stunt was disgusting and uncalled for.

[Paladin]

20. Or when Ted Nugent threatened to shoot both Obama and Hillary.

Same old story: Liberals end up PAYING for their indiscretions; conservatives walk away untouched.

[deurbano]

26. Threatening to kill 45's predecessor and his election opponent gets you invited to the Oval Office!

[Paladin]

39. trump and Nugent deserve one another's company. (nt)

[LenaBaby61]

49. Same old story: Liberals end up PAYING for their indiscretions; conservatives walk away untouched.

Yup, Dems usually end up bending over and taking abuse. But people like Ann Coulter can spew bile, racism and wish death on people. Ted Nugent Rush Limpballs and the rest. Meanwhile, many Dems stay defending Coulter's "freedom of speech," or her right to go spewing bile and racism. Meanwhile, muzzle Griffin's "freedom of speech." Chelsea Clinton even piled on Griffin. I hope I'm wrong, but did I miss Chelsea Clinton ever saying anything about Pres. Obama lynching photos and WORSE for the past 8 years?

And Malaria can miss me with that FAKE outrage statement of her's, questioning Griffin's mental state when she has an insane, treasonous husband who will throw and kill at least some of those 24 millions that he wants to throw off their health care. Yep, that racist, birthing, $50,000 jacket wearing HUSSY can miss me with her fake, plagiarizing-self outrage.


Maybe Griffin should have gone retro and held up an Obama mask with a noose around it's neck. Pretty sure the right would have lauded her for that.

[shenmue]

34. Yep, and Ted Nugent was never punished for his violent threats to Clinton and Obama

[IronLionZion]

14. She went too far

I want Trump sent to prison or removed from office or something nonviolent.

The most violence I would wish upon him is for him to get the same treatment as protesters at his rallies.

[Cryptoad]

15. I dont remember,,,,

any CNN rage against Ted Nugent for all his Covfefe spewing

[LisaM]

23. Probably not, but he also isn't an employee of CNN.

So what can they do to him?

[BeyondGeography]

27. Correct

Imagine the outrage if Anderson Cooper was yucking it up on New Year's Eve with a comedian who thought it was fine to pose with a mock-up of Barack Obama's bloody beheaded skull. Amazing how hard that is for some people here to grasp.

[shenmue]

36. Yes!

[JaneQPublic]

17. I won't hold my breath...

...waiting for Fox News to follow suit and ban Ted Nugent for saying he wanted to see Obama dead.

[Perseus]

21. Was it Michelle Obama who said "when they go low we go higher"?

This action by a comedian was as low as it can get. I think most people understand that Nugent is an idiot, but she did not have to stoop so low, that is not the way to do it, stupid actions like this only energize his base.

[MFM008]

33. When we go high

We lose.

[JaneQPublic]

40. No, not nearly as "low as it can get."

Luckily, you apparently missed the 8-year onslaught of fake Obamas being lynched or the viral meme of a dog taking a crap on a photo of Obama or... I could go on and on.

Anyone who thinks a beheaded Trump was as low as you can get isn't familiar with beheadings in the Bible or in the history of the English Monarchy (e.g., Anne Boleyn, Mary Queen of Scots, and Charles I), to say nothing of the long tradition of the guillotine.

We all admire Michelle O. for going high, but let's face it: GOPers see people who turn the other cheek as weaklings who don't deserve to win if they won't give twice as good as they got.

[Kaleva]

22. Kathy is a D list celebrate and this episode will fade from the spotlight soon enough.

Trump is bound to tweet something outrageous that will take over the news.

[Ilsa]

25. He'll whine about it long enough

to give his kid PTSD, though. Seriously, I doubt orange man will ever stop until his dementia overtakes his speech.

Yes, she went too far. And she apologized for it in every way. And she's losing a lot for her mistake. I don't think the trumpers will be happy until her head is on a platter.

[Kaleva]

32. She owned up to it and this will cost her some income

But to try and blame her actions on all of us is similiar to saying all Muslims are bad because of the actions of ISIS.

[bucolic_frolic]

24. How's that for free speech?

[IronLionZion]

31. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

A cable news network is NOT the government. Free speech doesn't apply here.

[bucolic_frolic]

47. Government regulates and licenses airwaves

If they have privatized parts of it for the use of regulated corporations, or licensed the public
airwaves for use by private entities, a law was passed that concerns free speech.

[IronLionZion]

48. Cable TV uses cables, not airwaves

very different from broadcast TV

[Bayard]

28. I find this less offensive

Than Rump chopping the heads off the poor in this country.....

[MFM008]

35. I find it much less offensive

Than what maggot and Republicans are doing to this world.

[LenaBaby61]

50. The double-standards abound ....

"I find it much less offensive than what maggot and Republicans are doing to this world."

Now, now.

What Griffin did was MUCH worse than what tRumputin and the GOP are doing in threatening to kick 24 million people off their health care don't cha know, even tough some of those 24 million could die immediately if they're fighting a life-threatening disease such as cancer and lose health care/coverage right in the middle of treatment.

Nah, Griffin IS the much worse offender. I mean, WHO the hell cares about 24 million people and them potentially losing their health care when Griffin's destroying the world with what SHE did

[shenmue]

37. Me too

[nocalflea]

38. But, but, but ...

What she did was stupid and inflammatory. What was thrown at the Obamas does not make this ok.

[enid602]

41. Resistance

Resistance takes many forms. Some are not pretty.

[democrank]

42. CNN did the right thing.

For sure, I would have been very upset if someone held up Obama's bloody head. Griffin crossed the line.

[Kablooie]

45. With extremist beheading being a real thing,...

Her picture of the bloody trump head was truly horrifying.

I don't know what she was thinking.

[Motley13]

51. I like her

but I was getting tired of her stupid behavior New Years eve & Anderson giggling at every ridiculous (joke?)

[Doug the Dem]

52. CNN's Skin Now As Thin As Trump's

It must be a virus.

[sagesnow]

53. If she was a personality from the Trumpster world

she would be elected President
or at least Governor of Montana.

[kacekwl]

54. Not her best move but

things are getting alot more gruesome for all of us being "beheaded" by trump and the GOP fascists. Hers was just a depiction there's is reality.

[judesedit]

55. Spare me. He's gutting and putting up policies that will kill real people

and has already killed many innocent people with his reckless bombings for show and attention. Their fake outrage is hogwash. Kathy ignored their influence on the MSM. And, unfortunately, not all people are horror enthusiasts, so that was bound to backfire. Live and learn.