CNN fires Kathy Griffin over Trump video as backlash builds
CNN sacks comedian Kathy Griffin, as endorsers decide to follow suit, after the comic appeared in a brief video Tuesday holding what looked like US President Donald Trump's bloody, severed head; she later apologized, saying that the brief video was 'too disturbing' and not funny
Comedian Kathy Griffin has lost her decade-long gig ringing in the new year for CNN, as she recieves a barrage of criticism over a video she posted displaying the likeness of US President Donald Trump's severed and bloody head.
CNN, which had called the images “disgusting and offensive” after Griffin posted the video on Tuesday, announced Wednesday it would not invite her back this year for the Times Square live New Year’s Eve special she had co-hosted annually since 2007 with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
"For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in," Cooper tweeted on Tuesday. "It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate."
A New Mexico casino has also canceled a performance by Griffin, who was scheduled to perform at Route 66 Casino, operated by Laguna Pueblo, on July 22.
Squatty Potty, a Utah-based bathroom products company, said in a statement Tuesday that it has suspended an ad campaign featuring Griffin.
“We were shocked and disappointed” by the video, said Bobby Edwards, the company’s CEO. “It was deeply inappropriate and runs contrary to the core values our company stands for.”
“I am a true supporter of free speech, but feel Kathy crossed the line,” Edwards added. “I regret having to make these decisions, but have no choice.”
"I sincerely apologize," Griffin said in a follow-up video. "I went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people."
In her apology video, Griffin asks her fans for forgiveness and says she has asked the photographer to remove the images.
"I made a mistake, and I was wrong," she stressed.
The video had apparently been removed from Shields' blog by late Tuesday. A publicist for Shields did not respond to a request for comment.
Griffin's video caused a wave of backlash, with Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US President Bill Clinton and former US Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, calling it "vile and wrong," and Minnesota Senator Al Franken, who has an event scheduled with Griffin on July 7, said the image was "inappropriate and not the kind of thing that should be part of our national discourse."
Griffin’s video made Trump seethe. Tweeting Wednesday morning, he said Griffin “should be ashamed of herself” for creating the video. “My children, especially my 11-year-old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!”
First lady Melania Trump issued a statement of her own: “As a mother, a wife, and a human being, that photo is very disturbing. When you consider some of the atrocities happening in the world today, a photo opportunity like this is simply wrong and makes you wonder about the mental health of the person who did it.”
The video also attracted the attention of the US Secret Service, which monitors all threats against the president.
In a statement, the Secret Service indicated that it could look further into the episode.
"We don't have the luxury of knowing a person's intent," it said. "Each alleged or perceived threat has to be investigated thoroughly which taxes Secret Service manpower and resources that could be utilized elsewhere."
(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
