Comedienne Kathy Griffin wept during a press conference on Friday (02Jun17) as she attempted to defend her actions after posting images of herself holding a bloody, decapitated Donald Trump “wig head” online.
Kathy’s lawyer Lisa Bloom staged the media gathering outside her offices in Los Angeles, and the clearly emotional comic confessed she was hurt by some of the criticism she received after the stunt went viral earlier this week (beg29May17).
Griffin initially apologized for the images, which she shot at the end of a photo session with provocative snapper Tyler Shields, but at the press conference she appeared defiant, telling the media she felt bullied by President Trump, who blasted her on Twitter, writing: “Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick.”
She claimed the U.S. leader and his aides have called on anyone employing Griffin or booking her for gigs to fire the comic immediately.
“He broke me,” she said, fighting back tears, “and then I was, ‘Right, this isn’t right!’ I started to see what was happening and then there was a mob mentality… There’s a bunch of old white guys trying to silence me… I did not think that people would wanna murder me.
“I wish the President would govern, instead of trying to do what he is trying to do.”
And Griffin insisted she wasn’t going to stop making fun of Trump, adding, “He does provide a lot of material… It is a good time to be a comedienne… I just wanna make people laugh.”
In her apology earlier this week, Kathy admitted she crossed a line by holding what looked like the bloody head of the U.S. leader in her hand.
The comic and Bloom were joined by criminal defense attorney Dmitry Gorin, who confirmed reports suggesting secret service officials had opened an investigation following Griffin’s actions.
He called it “outrageous” and added, “I believe she’s going to be cleared”, calling the stunt a “bad joke” his client has apologized for.
Kathy’s actions and the fallout have cost her five upcoming shows and endorsement deals, while CNN bosses have fired her as the co-host of their annual New Year’s Eve telecast.
Her attorney Bloom claims the President’s family is trying to “ruin” her client.
The President’s wife, Melania Trump, even questioned Kathy’s mental state, writing, “As a mother, a wife, and a human being, that photo is very disturbing… makes you wonder about the mental health of the person who did it.”
