Comic’s attempt at humor drew swift condemnation from both sides of the aisle.
Anderson Cooper had better start looking for a new date for New Year’s. CNN announced Wednesday (May 31) that it has fired Kathy Griffin, the longtime co-host of the network’s New Year’s Eve coverage alongside Cooper, from the annual gig.
The move comes after Griffin created an uproar by sharing a photo through social media this week that showed her holding up a bloodied prop head of President Donald Trump. The photos were later deleted from her accounts.
The damage, however, was already done, drawing fierce condemnation from both sides of the political aisle. That included from CNN anchor Cooper, who wrote via Twitter, “I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.”
Trump himself commented on the post, saying on Twitter that Griffin “should be ashamed of herself.” He added: “My children, especially my 11-year-old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!”
By Tuesday evening, Griffin — an often-controversial shock comic known for her envelope-pushing humor — had issued an apology, saying, among other things: “I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong.”
In the wake of the uproar, CNN said it was evaluating its New Year’s coverage. That evaluation, it turns out, was brief, with the announcement that it was parting ways with Griffin coming Wednesday (May 31) shortly after noon Central Time.
The cable-news network made the news official with a statement reading simply, “CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year’s Eve program.”
Griffin has yet to comment on her termination.
