Celebrity News May 31, 2017
Kathy Griffin Apologizes, Admits She Crossed the Line with 'Bloody Trump' Photo
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UPDATE: Following the photo scandal, CNN has fired Kathy Griffin from the New Year's Eve special she hosts with Anderson Cooper. The company tweeted, "CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year's Eve program."
Cooper tweeted, "For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate."
Comedian Kathy Griffin took to social media to apologize to fans for posing for a disturbing photo by Tyler Shields that depicts her holding a mask representing President Trump's bloody, severed head.
Griffin posted a video saying, "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."
Kathy explained that she had removed the image herself and asked Shields to do the same, adding, "I beg for your forgiveness. I went too far. I made a mistake, and I was wrong."
When the image was first released, Griffin tweeted the caption, "there was blood coming out of his eyes, blood coming out of his...wherever,” referencing a controversial comment Trump made regarding Megyn Kelly during the presidential campaign.
She then followed up by tweeting, “OBVIOUSLY, I do not condone ANY violence by my fans or others to anyone, ever! I'm merely mocking the Mocker in Chief.”
Trump said the photo was disturbing to his children. The President tweeted, "Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!"
His son Donald Jr. wrote on social media, “Disgusting but not surprising. This is the left today. They consider this acceptable. Imagine a conservative did this to Obama as POTUS?”
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In fact, many liberals spoke out against the stunt. Chelsea Clinton blasted Kathy, tweeting, “This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president.”
Anderson Cooper, who has co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve special with Griffin for years, tweeted, "For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate."
Squatty Potty has since dropped Kathy from their ad campaign. CEO Bobby Edwards released a statement saying, “We were shocked and disappointed to learn about the image Ms. Griffin shared today. It was deeply inappropriate and runs contrary to the core values our company stands for. In response, Squatty Potty has suspended its ad campaign featuring Ms. Griffin. We have acted swiftly and decisively to demonstrate our commitment to a culture of decency, civility and tolerance.”
