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Kathy Griffin revealed that her infamous photoshoot, where she held a fake bloody head resembling former President Trump, resulted in her losing “about a third” of her fanbase.
The Emmy-winning comedian discussed the fallout she experienced following the image’s release in 2017 during a recent appearance on Dan Le Batard’s podcast, “South Beach Sessions.”
Reflecting on the impact of the Trump incident, Griffin shared, “One thing that breaks my heart is why I would say I’ve lost, probably permanently, about a third of my audience because of the Trump thing.”
She noted that while she has attracted some new fans who are more politically engaged and liberal, she used to have a significant following in the South due to her ability to humorously critique Hollywood and celebrities like the Kardashians.
The backlash Griffin faced was intense, leading to an investigation into her for conspiracy to murder the president and her placement on a no-fly list. Additionally, she was fired from CNN, where she co-hosted New Year’s Eve coverage that same month. “I was interrogated under oath,” Griffin recounted.
“They were seriously considering charging me with conspiracy to assassinate the president of the United States. That has never happened in the history of comedy, never.”
Although she initially felt unsafe walking outside, Griffin noted that attitudes toward her have shifted since then. “People come up to me now, they’re much nicer and they go, ‘good for you, you were ahead of your time, I get the pun,’” she explained. “But, man, I was afraid to walk down the street.”
Earlier this year, Griffin disclosed that she was unaware of how serious the Department of Justice (DOJ) was about pursuing charges against her after the photo emerged.
“I actually just got a FOIA back, Freedom of Information Act, recently, expressing how serious they were about trying to charge me with the crime of conspiracy to assassinate the president of the United States,” she said in January.
