Kathy Griffin apologises for online photo in which she appears to be holding Donald Trump’s severed head. (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT
Los Angeles — Kathy Griffin says she went way too far when she appeared in a brief video on Tuesday holding what looked like President Donald Trump’s bloody, severed head.
The comedian posted a video later on Tuesday apologising for the video image, saying it was “too disturbing” and “wasn’t funny.”
“I sincerely apologise, ” she said. “I went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people.”
The video showed a straight-faced Griffin slowly lifting the bloody head. She originally described the project with photographer Tyler Shields as an “artsy fartsy statement” mocking the commander in chief.
In her apology video, Griffin begs her fans for forgiveness and says she has asked the photographer to remove the images.
“I made a mistake, and I was wrong, ” she says.
WATCH KATHY’S APOLOGY VIDEO HERE:
The video, which was first obtained by TMZ, had apparently been removed from Shields’ blog by late Tuesday. A publicist for Shields did not respond to a request for comment.
CNN, whose New Year’s Eve coverage Griffin has co-hosted, called the images “disgusting and offensive.”
“We are pleased to see she has apologised, ” CNN said in a statement. “We are evaluating New Year’s Eve and have made no decisions at this point.”
Many online called Griffin out on Twitter, including the US Secret Service.
While the tweets – which clearly state “any threats made against Secret Service protectees receive the highest priority of all of our investigations” – were not a direct response to Griffin, they were sent out shortly after her video went viral.
SEE THE SECRET SERVICE TWEETS HERE:
Anti-Trump celebs including Chelsea Clinton, Debra Messing, Alyssa Milano and Anderson Cooper also voiced their distaste in the video.
SEE THE TWEETS HERE:
Donald Trump Jr also responded to the video on social media, calling it “Disgusting but not surprising.”
READ TRUMP JR’S FULL RESPONSE HERE: (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)
Trump Jr also called on CNN to ban Kathy from commentating on future shows.
SEE THE TWEET HERE:
