Comedian Kathy Griffin has recorded an anxious-looking apology mere hours after a photo shoot depicting her holding the severed head of Donald Trump became public.
TMZ shared the photo of Griffin, shot by photographer Tyler Shields.
Related: Is this even legal? Kathy Griffin decapitates Trump in grisly photo shoot
Joking about the image, Griffin apparently said “that she and Tyler would need to move to Mexico once the pics got released.”
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Here’s just a small portion of the swift reaction on social media:
This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president. https://t.co/zIiuKoMyFw
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) May 30, 2017
In a publicity stunt era, Kathy Griffin's act breaches all standards of acceptability. Now let's stop giving it the attention she desired.
— Mindy Finn (@mindyfinn) May 31, 2017
Our politics have become too base, too low, & too vulgar, but Kathy Griffin's post descends into an even more repugnant & vile territory.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) May 30, 2017
Hey @CNN – will Kathy Griffin be hosting your New Year's Eve show again? Your advertisers would like to know. pic.twitter.com/ngzHbBcPhN
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) May 30, 2017
If CNN doesn't completely cut ties with @kathygriffin, it will expose them yet again as a disgraceful network.
Will they disavow?
— Adam D. Brown (@aduanebrown) May 30, 2017
Here’s what she had to say via her Facebook page:
Hey everybody, its me Kathy Griffin. I sincerely apologize. I am just now seeing the reaction of these images. I’m a comic; I cross the line; I move the line, then I cross it. I 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. I ask 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.
Posted by Kathy Griffin on Tuesday, May 30, 2017
What do you think? Did Kathy cross the line?
mhoffman953
If this was someone that leaned right in their political opinions, you’d see an entire group of leftists creating lists of all of the upcoming Kathy Griffin appearances and petitioning all of those companies to cut ties with her
Something tells me that most companies won’t cut ties with her
Donston
I’ve never found Griffin funny or appealing in any way. But it’s not about “leaning” anywhere. It’s about having a president that has actively spewed and promoted hate and then expecting not to be reflected back. I’m not one of those people who cried and ranted when Trump was elected. I’m way too cynical about all people and politics for that nonsense. But I do understand the anger.
She perhaps should be fired, especially considering her show is on a cable news network. But like when there was an array of crazy things when Obama was president I’ve become indifferent to these antics and the repercussions.
mhoffman953
@Donston
No one said you can’t disagree with the President. Obviously, every President has people on some side of the aisle who disagree with him. That doesn’t mean it’s ok to normalize and glamorize the idea of beheading the man (not that I’m saying you condone it, just stating a point)
I agree that she should be fired too
Donston
There’s a difference between disagreeing with policy and having to accept that someone with no experience who has spewed and promoted hate and prejudice for many years is your leader. People try to turn everything into policy when defending Trump (even though they can’t win the battle there either), but beneath that are human emotions and basic common sense. As I said, it was in extremely bad taste, and I have no problem with her being let go. There was nothing clever or artistic or comedic about that image. It was done purely to piss people off and appease her following. But she didn’t realize that even non right leaning people were gonna get upset.
jspatlanta
Oh PLEASE. She is just showing you what’s ahead, Trump is going to have his head served on a platter. He is going to get impeached and like Nixon will resign in lieu of impeachment. Leaving us with Pence, a fat ugly debutante homophobe we’ll all take down too.
rmarin776
Yes, because left wing people are the ones who tend to go overboard with their opinions/reactions. [irony]
I don’t find it particularly funny, to tell you the truth. But that’s only because I like good comedy, not because I like Trump.
1EqualityUSA
The same, though Trump is a tragicomedy.
Charlie in Charge
Republican wins election after body-slamming a reporter
“Hey Montana’s rough and tumble and men are men up here”
Comedian holds up a bloody plastic Trump head
“Too far!”
KaiserVonScheiss
LOL. Did she cross a line? Yeah. Should she be fired? No.
1EqualityUSA
Her apology was acceptable. Her filter is clogged.
Stilinski26
She only apologized because secret service responded to the tweets people sent them about her lol. would be funny if she gets arrested.
Richard 55
When a childless woman’s looks fade and menopause sets in, Kathy Griffin is what happens.
ChrisK
Ha. You really do hate women don’t you Brian.
Donston
As long as they date men who have sex with other men and/or admit to being gay he’s fine with them.
davidjohng
Actually Richard’s comment reminds me exactly of Kathy Griffin’s style…she is always putting people down and worse.
Prax07
I’m all for anyone getting rid of every Trump out there, so I see no reason she needs to apologise for that picture.
mhoffman953
So you advocate for the killing of people you disagree with? I see…
KMF11
@mhoffman953 LOOOOOOOOOOOOL
“so you advocate for the killing of people you disagree with?” that awkward moment when an american utters these words… that is literally ALL ur country does!!!
Neonegro
Oh just imagine a picture of Obama’s head with a noose around his neck……the cities would be burning for weeks…..lol
I like what she did, now that allows the extreme right to behave in the same manner.
1EqualityUSA
You’re a thinker. The world is a better place. (sarcasm: the use of irony to mock or convey contempt.)
Uppity
I’ve always been a fan of Kathy Griffen, but I am NOT a fan of what she did here. And I’m definitely not a Trump supporter either. What she did was just wrong. But I guess Griffen has now bested all her rivals and that’s what it was probably partly about for her. She’s left Sykes, Schumer, Handler and O’Donnell in her dust, no way they can top this. She’s now got her life-long notoriety, while also covering her ass with a sober, wan apology. Win-win for Griffen.
Prax07
Actually yes, I’d applaud any person, state, or organization that rids the world of the Trumps. Just as I’d applaud any person, state, or organization that rids the world of Putin and any other evil dictator.
DarkZephyr
OK. I don’t agree with holding up an effigy of a President’s severed head. It was indeed wrong and I am glad she apologized. This post is not really about that or about people being offended by it or approving of it, etc. I don’t approve of it personally.
What is bugging me here though are the people who are saying “If this had been an image of Obama, why all the liberals would blah blah blah!”
You know what? You are probably right. But what is bugging the hell out of me here is that you can’t compare Trump to Obama. They are not the same type of POTUS, they do not have anywhere close to the same level of integrity and goodness. So leave Obama the hell out of it.
rmarin776
I totally agree. And also there were tons of inappropriate attacks on Obama and the “liberals” never went did blah, blah, blah. I think we actually took 8 years of disturbing (and often barely veiled) racism against Obama in stride (as did he).
Mo Bro
@DarkZephyr:
“Integrity” and “goodness”?? Obama?!?
Only because you refused to see past the facade, I’m afraid.
IMHO, of course.
(if you’d like me to do so, I’ll gladly provide a list of Obama’s failures that were scarcely reported by the mainstream press, because I suspect you’ve been grossly misinformed on his reputed “integrity” and “goodness”)
Xzamilloh
This is what happens when you go too far left and too far right. Also, social media — namely Twitter — is just straight up toxic now. There is nothing redeemable about that godawful platform anymore. It’s not fun anymore, not about cute hashtags… it’s about outrage du jour, and slactivism, and being mad at the left or the right for doing this or that. Kathy Griffin, I will still watch your comedy specials, but most celebs need to take the hint and stay the hell out of politics, ‘kay?
Heywood Jablowme
“most celebs need to take the hint and stay the hell out of politics, ‘kay?”
Ah yes… in a normal world, the former host of “Celebrity Apprentice” would have Kathy Griffin on his show as one of the kookier celebrity apprentices.
Covfefe!
Xzamilloh
Every time I see “Covfefe” I think of Peter Griffin singing “Shipoopi”… Seth MacFarlane is missing out on pure gold by not making a Family Guy song and dance number with “Covfefe”
Goforit
Oh it was just “locker room” antics. Or does that excuse only work when the right does something disgusting?
mhoffman953
Not sure what locker rooms you go to where people hold up bloodied, severed heads
Mo Bro
@mhoffman953:
Touché, my friend.
Goforit
mhoffman953/mo bro. That would be the same locker room where Trump bragged about sexually abusing women. (as if you didn’t catch the reference)
Mo Bro
@Goforit:
The reference came through loud and clear.
But if what Trump did (while out of office) is your idea of “sexually abusing women,” then in your mind Bill Clinton must’ve qualified as a genuine rapist and sexual assailant of women (while in office).
Or haven’t you heard about that?
mhoffman953
@Goforit
Obviously I understand what you were alluding to. However, one was a private, leaked conversation of guys bragging about being famous and getting laid. The other was a publicly released act that was planned, thought through, and carried out which normalizes and glamourizes the beheading of people you don’t like – something ISIS would support, not an American.
If you think both are the same, then you must think bragging about sex with friends is the same as advocating for violent death
michel_banen
How stupid is she ? If the images were received with applause she would have “stand for what she tried to express”. Now that it’s obvious she destroyed her carreer [or whatever this attention seeking individual thinks she has] she is waaaaay too quick to apologise.
DarkZephyr
I will be pretty surprised if her career is destroyed. She apologized and most of the people who will steadfastly refuse to accept it are Trump lovers, who didn’t like her anyway. They weren’t giving her any money. I doubt she lost many fans. The people who have been paying her will most likely keep paying her.
Xzamilloh
Precisely, DZ… these Trump supporters are rich, engaging in the same snowflake behavior that they accuse us on the left of doing. People will forget about this and Trump will still plummet in approval ratings and continue using America as his grand boardroom.
Keebler ILF
I don’t think Kathy has anything to worry about. To paraphrase Trump, she could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue with the fake severed head of Donald Trump and she would not lose any fans.
Rex Huskey
I forgive her.
ChrisK
I have no problem with it either.
fredo777
I’m not writing her off because of it. When the right has done something heinous during Obama’s administration (or, in general), most of these pearl-clutchers were the same ones calling libs special snowflakes for taking offense.
ChrisK
Yep. The right does not ever apologies no matter what. That’s practically their first rule.
MediaGuy
“does not ever apologies no matter what” How about you, idiot, do you ever apologies?
Mo Bro
I think that I shall never see
A thing as hideous as Kathy G.
(not to mention she can be
as funny as a broken knee)
barkomatic
I recall all of the awful images that *some* right leaning people released of Obama being burning in effigy, hanged, portrayed as not human etc and there was little to no outrage from the right. It was presented as a “joke” or we were told not to take it seriously.
I will say that the image which Kathy Griffin released was pretty gross and further lowers the bar on the chance that we’ll ever have civil discourse with each other. I wish she hadn’t done it.
Terrycloth
It will become a sick halloween mask…I can just sense it
kthcst
KATHY KATHY KATHY……I love you, and have seen you tons of times… BUT, this was and is totally wrong. Most of us despise trump, but we CANT go around doing anything like this. If this was just any ordinary joe like me doing this on facebook or anywhere else, the Secret Service would for sure be knocking on my door… just not cool….
BriBri
Chelsea Clinton said it best; it’s never appropriate to joke about killing a president.