CNN said late Tuesday that it was reassessing the role that comedian Kathy Griffin plays in the cable channel’s New Year’s Eve coverage, after Griffin apologized for releasing what she admitted was a “disturbing” picture of her holding up the bloody head of Donald Trump.
“We found what she did disgusting and offensive,” CNN said in a statement.
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“We are pleased to see she has apologized and asked that the photos be taken down,” CNN added. “We are evaluating our New Year’s Eve coverage and have made no decisions at this time.”
New: CNN says Kathy Griffin photo “disgusting and offensive.” Says it is “evaluating our New Year’s Eve coverage….” Statement:: pic.twitter.com/u5rtj86Ty2
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) May 31, 2017
But that answer wasn’t nearly good enough for members of the conservative media, who were demanding that CNN remove Griffin from the show after posting the gruesome photo.
Fox News host Todd Starnes demanded a more detailed response from CNN and implied that CNN’s advertisers could boycott the program unless she was removed.
“Hey @CNN, — will Kathy Griffin be hosting your New Year’s Eve show again? Your advertisers would like to know,” he tweeted.
Hey @CNN – will Kathy Griffin be hosting your New Year’s Eve show again? Your advertisers would like to know. pic.twitter.com/ngzHbBcPhN
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) May 30, 2017
Others noted that Fox host Sean Hannity had sponsors pull out for talking about the murder of a Democratic National Committee staffer and argued that Griffin’s action was far worse.
And Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center said CNN’s delayed response to the situation seemed to demonstrate that CNN is reluctant to address the problem because the cable channel is opposed to Trump.
“It’s obvious that CNN isn’t a fan of President Trump as full-fledged cheerleaders of The Resistance, but it’s fair to say that this goes too far,” he wrote.
“Care to comment on this, CNN Public Relations? How about you, CNN Media team?” he asked hours before CNN formulated a response. “Will you pressure your own network to drop Griffin following this photo shoot depicting a beheaded President?”
Imagine the outrage had a celeb gone after Obama like this? Liberal loon @kathygriffin needs her head checked. https://t.co/eB3c3APrCE
— Brent Bozell (@BrentBozell) May 30, 2017
Griffin initially responded to the growing controversy by saying she “OBVIOUSLY” doesn’t condone any violence. But as the day wore on, she eventually released a full-throated apology.
“I sincerely apologize,” she said in a 30-second video posted to her Twitter account. She said she “crossed the line” and is “just now” seeing the outpouring of negative reactions to the photo” and concluded that “The image is too disturbing.”
By then, many on the political left had condemned the photo.
Chelsea Clinton called it “vile and wrong,” and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who has an event scheduled with Griffin on July 7, said the image was “inappropriate and not the kind of thing that should be part of our national discourse.”
It also attracted the attention of the U.S. Secret Service, which monitors all threats against the president.
In a statement, the Secret Service indicated that it could look further into the episode.
“We don’t have the luxury of knowing a person’s intent,” it said. “Each alleged or perceived threat has to be investigated thoroughly which taxes Secret Service manpower and resources that could be utilized elsewhere.”
