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:
