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Griffin sorry for video, butloses jobs

Kathy Griffin

NEW YORK — Kathy Griffin’s video holding what was meant to look like Donald Trump’s severed head made the president seethe and now the comic known for her abrasive brand of humor not only has the White House mad at her, but also has lost an endorsement deal, at least one club engagement and a lucrative TV job.

President Donald Trump said Griffin “should be ashamed of herself” for appearing in the video. Trump tweeted Wednesday morning: “My children, especially my 11-year-old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!”

First lady Melania Trump issued a statement of her own: “As a mother, a wife, and a human being, that photo is very disturbing. When you consider some of the atrocities happening in the world today, a photo opportunity like this is simply wrong and makes you wonder about the mental health of the person who did it.”

Griffin has apologized, conceding that the brief video, which she originally described as an “artsy-fartsy statement” mocking the commander in chief, was “too disturbing” and wasn’t funny.

“I went too far,” she says in her contrite follow-up video. “I sincerely apologize.”

But many people online were calling for more than an apology they called for Griffin to be jailed.

A New Mexico casino said it has canceled a performance by Griffin. She was scheduled to perform at Route 66 Casino, operated by Laguna Pueblo, on July 22.

Griffin has also lost a commercial endorsement deal that she landed just three weeks ago. Squatty Potty, a Utah-based company whose products include toilet stools and other bathroom accessories, said it was suspending an ad campaign that featured Griffin.

“We were shocked and disappointed” by the video, said Bobby Edwards, the company’s CEO. “It was deeply inappropriate and runs contrary to the core values our company stands for.”

“I am a true supporter of free speech, but feel Kathy crossed the line,” Edwards added. “I regret having to make these decisions, but have no choice.”

CNN, whose New Year’s Eve coverage Griffin has co-hosted for a decade, called the images “disgusting and offensive” and said she would not be invited back.

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