As some on this blog know, I have never been a fan of comedian Kathy Griffin. I have found her crude humor to be juvenile and never understood why CNN and Anderson Cooper continued to use her during New Year’s Eve programming. As I previously stated, Griffin often seems to substitute an increasingly obvious lack of comedic talent with a rising level of obscenity. Now, she has shocked even many of her many enablers with a picture holding the bloody severed head of President Donald Trump. Griffin clearly must have known that a firestorm would result from the disgusting and deeply disturbing image. That buzz however seems to be turning into a buzz saw with even her former supporters are expressing outrage at the image. Update: CNN finally cut Griffin after two days of fierce criticism.
Griffin initially refused to apologize and insisted that she was just mocking Trump. She noted that she captioned the picture “there was blood coming out of his eyes, blood coming out of his…wherever.” That somehow was supposed to make this all acceptable and she added “OBVIOUSLY, I do not condone ANY violence by my fans or others to anyone, ever! I’m merely mocking the Mocker in Chief.”
So let me try to work through this. Griffin (like most of us) found Trump’s comments disgusting. Her response is to create an even more disgusting image of beheading the President and displaying his blood soaked head. Moreover, while Griffin has been appalling many of us for years with her crude, shocking comments, this grotesque act was meant for some higher calling.
Late on Tuesday, the hue and cry finally caught up with Griffin who admitted that she went “too far.” For the irrepressibly and unapologetically profane Griffin, that is quite a statement. For two days, CNN said that it had not decided whether the grotesque display will keep it from using Griffin again as a co-host for New Year’s Eve. It later announced that it would indeed cut her from the New Year’s Eve coverage.
Just out of curiosity: if a co-host hoisting the bloody severed head of Barack Obama, would CNN still be deliberating whether she might still co-host New Year’s Eve coverage? Indeed, talking about killing Trump appears a common discussion point for some celebrities.
I once said that Trump seems to bring out the worst in his critics. Griffin is now the best example of that curious pattern. Her blood-soaked message will do more for Donald Trump than he could have possibly achieved on his own. Just as Trump’s ratings were falling, Griffin swooped in to make him the victim and liberal extremism the story. She is the face of the increasing hysterical and unhinged response to Trump, a trend that undermines the very arguments against his actions and policies.