CNN, the cable-news network which has featured Kathy Griffin in its New Year’s Eve broadcasts for a decade, has decided to cut its ties with the celebrity after the comedian’s bloody photo shoot with a mock head of a decapitated President Trump.
“CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year’s Eve program,” the network tweeted on Wednesday.
CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year’s Eve program.
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) May 31, 2017
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who has co-hosted with Griffin, also expressed his own personal shock, tweeting: “For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.”
For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.
— Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) May 31, 2017
Griffin is now apologizing and begging for forgiveness for the photo shoot that features her holding the bloody, severed head of a figure resembling Trump.
“I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong,” Griffin tweeted Tuesday evening.
The U.S. Secret Service has reportedly launched a probe into the incident.
“Law enforcement sources tell us the Secret Service has launched an investigation into ‘the circumstances surrounding the photo shoot,'” TMZ reported Wednesday. “We’re told agents will most likely attempt to interview her and Tyler.”
The shoot, documented by TMZ, was with famed photographer Tyler Shields, known for creating edgy photographs.
“Tyler and I are not afraid to do images that make noise,” said Griffin in a video posted by TMZ.
“First, I’m an artist,” she explains, as she is shown holding the gory image of the Trump lookalike near her own head.
Then she clowns with Shields about the possibility of her going to federal prison for her provocative posing and the immediate need to move south of the border.
“We have to move to Mexico today because we’re gonna go to prison. Federal prison. … Because we’re not surviving this, OK?”
See TMZ video of the photo shoot:
[jwplayer Xai3zGoN]
Reaction to the gruesome imagery has not been favorable.
“If Kathy Griffin really wanted to shock people, if that was her objective, to shock people, you know what she should do? Try being funny,” noted radio titan Rush Limbaugh on his Wednesday broadcast. “That would stun people. That would really shock them, that she could be funny.”
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Trump lashed out Wednesday morning at Griffin, saying his kids — especially his youngest son Barron — are having a difficult time with the gory image of the comic holding their father’s bloody head.
“Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!” he tweeted about 7:30 a.m.
The president’s child was watching television and yelled for his mother after seeing the disturbing image flash across the screen, reported TMZ.
“Mommy, mommy!” the panicked child reportedly screamed.
First lady Melania Trump said that ‘[a]s 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.”
Sarah Palin, a frequent target of Griffin, also jumped on the bandwagon and blasted the “sick” display.
“No one should be shocked at the sick audacity of sick characters. Kathy is a hurting individual. She needs help,” she tweeted.
Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the president, tweeted: “Disgusting but not surprising. This is the left today. They consider this acceptable. Imagine a conservative did this to Obama as POTUS?”
“Since when did this kind of behavior become OK?” the Republican Party stated on its Twitter account.
Chelsea Clinton expressed her strong displeasure, tweeting: “This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president.”
Jedediah Bila, co-host of “The View, noted: “And now everyone’s talking about it. Which is why she does stuff like this, even if it’s vulgar.”
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Griffin herself is now pulling the plug on her own comedy, issuing a video apology:
[jwplayer Nym92fOX]
“I sincerely apologize,” she said.
“I am just now seeing the reaction of these images. I’m a comic. I crossed 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. [I’m] taking down the image. [I’m] 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.”
TMZ posted an online poll to gauge reaction to Griffin’s photo. With about 40,000 respondents, 72 percent say the photo goes “too far,” with 28 percent indicating it’s “fair game.”
Even followers of “Satan” found Griffin’s stunt repugnant.
Mike Cernovich tweeted, “CNN has yet to issue a statement about Satanic-ISIS death threats made by its employee Kathy Griffin.”
The Church of Satan responded, “Please do not include us in this.”
Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway noted that Griffin had ample opportunity to back out of the pre-arranged stunt.
“Kathy Griffin did not misspeak or misstep. She plotted & posed for photoshoot. Ample time for reflection/correction,” she tweeted.
Griffin is no stranger to controversy, and certainly no fan of Trump.
Following the president’s address to Congress in March, she told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews she didn’t enjoy having to “watch this idiot for an hour and nine minutes” say “one hateful thing after another.”
“I’m a big resister and I don’t believe in compromise with this president. I also think he’s crazy, I think he’s mentally ill. He’s also an idiot.”
As WND reported in 2007, Griffin used her appearance on the Emmy awards program to tell Jesus to “suck it” and to claim full credit for the honor for herself.
At the 59th annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards, she was honored for having the Outstanding Reality Program “My Life on the D-List,” overtaking ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” after several attempts.
“I guess hell froze over,” Griffin announced. “A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this. He had nothing to do with this. … Suck it, Jesus! This award is my god now.”
Griffin also kissed the crotch of Anderson Cooper during a live New Year’s Eve broadcast as 2012 was becoming 2013.
Follow Joe Kovacs on Twitter @JoeKovacsNews
