The Biggest Mistake of Her Life
Kathy Griffin spirals in the wake of her offensive Donald Trump joke
Kathy Griffin was all over the place. Vacillating between defiance, nervous humor and tears, she tried to explain herself during a frenetic press conference alongside her legal team on June 2. Three days earlier, the Emmy-winning comedy star had incited controversy — and sparked a Secret Service investigation — after posting a graphic image of herself holding a bloodied mask styled as the decapitated head of President Donald Trump, who she says is now bullying her. “I really screwed up, and then I apolo- gized,” she told reporters, referring to the tearful video mea culpa she had released the same day the video came out. And that, added her civil rights attorney, Lisa Bloom, “should have been the end of it.”
It wasn’t. The comedian, 56, and her team are now scrambling to do “damage control,” says an insider, but it’s probably too late following the worst mistake of Kathy’s life. “Her closest friends have talked about her obsession with Donald Trump, and they were worried that she would eventually go too far.” Within days of the incident, Kathy lost her comedy tour, her endorsement deal with Squatty Potty and her beloved job at
CNN, where — In Touch has learned exclusively — she was in talks to launch another show with her friend and longtime colleague Anderson Cooper, who refused to publicly support her through the controversy. “She was devastated by the reaction at CNN,” says the insider. “This was her big statement, and it crashed and burned.”
One of the few times she got emotional at the press conference was over Anderson’s denunciation of her. When prodded about the news anchor’s comments — he tweeted that he was “appalled” by Kathy’s “disgusting and completely inappropriate” shoot — she said, “That hurt, that’s all,” and broke down in tears. “Kathy begged Anderson to go to Jeff [Zucker, CNN Worldwide president] and save her,” a network source tells In Touch. “The ironic thing is CNN wanted Kathy and Anderson to do a show together. They shot a pilot, and I heard there was real momentum behind the project. Anderson’s pissed. He loves Kathy but never dreamed she’d pull a stunt like this.”
She’s really paying for it in other ways, too. Despite blaming Trump, 70, for “trying to ruin my life forever,” the various venues where she was scheduled to perform cited both public complaints and security concerns for canceling. The Secret Service also opened a criminal investigation, which her criminal defense attorney, Dmitry Gorin, said he believed would be closed. “There really wasn’t a threat,” he told reporters. “She basically exercised her first amendment rights to tell a joke.”
Several stars agreed, and publicly expressed their support for Kathy. Alec Baldwin urged her to “ignore” the president, while Jamie Foxx said she deserved forgiveness. “Don’t kill the comedian,” he said. “We’re entertainers — we don’t mean any harm.” Kelsey Grammer was also sympathetic. “I’ve always liked her. I think she’s very funny,” he said, adding that the photo stunt was “bad judgment. We all do that.” Though Saturday Night Live writer-turnedMinnesota Sen. Al Franken canceled a July event with Kathy following pressure from constituents, he made it clear that she’s still “a friend” and “a terrific comedian.”
But she’s convinced her huge mistake will haunt her forever. “Kathy is in a terrible place right now. She can’t eat and hasn’t slept. She’s worried she’ll lose her livelihood,” says the insider. And the comedian admitted as much herself to reporters. “I don’t think I will have a career after this. I’m going to be honest,” she said. “[Trump] broke me.” ◼
The way the Kardashians see it, Scott Disick made a big mistake. In late May, he fueled a week’s worth of troubling headlines as he was photographed partying hard with a bevy of beauties in Cannes, France, before continuing to rage in Ibiza, Spain. Then he was photographed partying with a topless woman on a balcony in London. His wild behavior embarrassed — and worried — his ex Kourtney Kardashian, the mother of his three children, and left her powerful reality TV family fuming. “Now he’s been cut off from doing any more filming with the Kardashians,” says an insider close to Scott. “He knows his ride on the gravy train is over.”
And he wants revenge. Scott, 34, “is gearing up to do a complete takedown of the Kardashians,” the insider tells In Touch exclusively. “He’s been compiling a 10-year dossier on the family. It includes the dirty tactics Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and [mom] Kris Jenner use against their enemies, how scripted the drama on Keeping Up With the Kardashians
really is, and the women’s innermost secrets.” It’s their worst nightmare, but Scott thinks they’ve brought it on themselves. “The Kardashians turned Scott’s partying into a story line on KUWTK for years. They milked him for drama, and now they’re just casting him to the side.”
Kris is his prime target. “She’s obsessed with money, and the only reason she hasn’t completely severed ties with Scott is because she can make a fortune off him from their house-flipping show that’s in production,” says the insider. “But he doesn’t want to proceed and wants to go it alone. He also isn’t going to protect Kris anymore. He knows some pretty bad things she’s done over the years.” For example, when Lamar was rushed to the hospital in 2015 after his drug overdose and was fighting for his life, Kris, 61, held a crisis public relations meeting in the hospital conference room — not only because she was concerned with his health but also to discuss how the overdose was going to impact the Kardashian empire.
Scott was also there when Kanye had his mental breakdown in 2016. “Scott saw how everyone reacted, including Kim,” says the insider. “Everyone tried to spin it [in the press] that it wasn’t that serious, but it was. Scott knows so many secrets about their relationships, and he’s no longer holding back. They’ve burned him one too many times.”
Even Kourtney isn’t safe. Scott is telling people, according to the source, that before Kourt, 38, went to Cannes with her new boyfriend, model Younes Bendjima, 24, “she was begging Scott to come with her and saying she truly loves him and wants to reconcile! But it’s too late for that.”
He’s already considering his options. “Scott is fielding offers from production companies for his own docuseries that would focus on his many issues with the family. Book offers are also being proposed,” says the insider. Scott signed a nondisclosure agreement, so he’s at risk of getting sued, adds a second insider, but that may not stop him: “He’s already running his mouth to all of his hookups, telling them the family’s secrets. He knows everything, and he’s telling all.” ◼