Kathy Griffin Is Sorry (And Struggling to Fill Theaters)
Comedian's ghastly Trump stunt, and its aftermath, haunt 'D-list' talent
Celebrities have done everything possible to attack Donald Trump over the past eight years.
They’ve called him a racist, a Nazi and/or Hitler and wished death upon him in too many ways to count. None have suffered professional blowback for those actions, save one “D-List” celebrity.
Kathy Griffin.
The “My Life on the D-List” star shared an image of her holding Trump’s bloody head aloft at the dawn of the real estate mogul’s presidency. All heck broke loose.
CNN fired her from its New Year’s Eve coverage. Comedy clubs stopped booking her. She tearfully apologized for her actions and watched her idiosyncratic career crumble.
She claimed at the time to be temporarily put on a governmental no-fly list. She told her side of those events in the 2019 documentary “Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story.”
That was then.
Today, celebrities are still allowed to say anything about Trump sans repercussions. Griffin later rescinded her apology for the photograph and even re-shared it on social media without a fraction of the outrage the original posting inspired.
Except now her career is flailing all on its own.
Griffin begged fans via social media to buy tickets to her upcoming shows which, apparently, are struggling to fill up venues.
Living by the wise words of my dear friend Joan Rivers during these times!! “When you’re heartbroken you’re your funniest” right now I must be a riot!! This tour means everything to me so don’t miss out and please buy your tickets!!https://t.co/mGMpKJ9Ywd pic.twitter.com/xq1Iu8CxIM
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 25, 2024
“I need comedy fans to come out and see me in Kansas City. Come on! I need sell-outs. I’ve been through hell. I’ve been through so much crap since my last tour. I actually just have to laugh at it. I just have to laugh.”
Axios Des Moines reported Griffin’s upcoming Iowa appearance still has a “significant” number of unsold seats.
She told the outlet, again, that she shouldn’t have apologized for the bloody Trump image. She also noted that her current act focuses more on her personal woes and lacks a single, structured bit tied to Trump.
“As of now, I don’t even mention Trump in my new show … He just kind of doesn’t come up,” she told the Omaha World-Herald.
Griffin, 63, has suffered some personal blows in recent years, including a divorce, addiction and a battle with lung cancer.
I saw her show a few years ago. She’s not funny. She was so boring people were looking at their watches and a number of them started walking out. She’s not funny.
That’s a shame. I saw her about 15 years ago in DC and found her pretty solid. Met her post-show, too, and she was very gracious. A very different time, alas.
Great show last night in Kansas City! I could listen to her stories for hours. She’s fabulously funny!!! Love this gal.
The show had a couple of good one-liners and maybe two amusing stories. If you’re a fan; go see her. Her Trump views are her view. Unless her ticket sales decreased substantially; the should not have cancelled her shows on her tour years ago. CNN, Fox and other outlets dogged her with the continuation and options on her Trump antics.
So many comedians tragically end their lives themselves. Waiting…
Griffin should be in jail for her disgusting stunt. Ban her from ever appearing on television at the very least.
It was a horrible unfunny misstep, that’s it. The only thing that should have happened was maybe lose her gig on CNN. All of the othe fallout was cruel.