Comic Kathy Griffin's upcoming tour dates have been scrapped amid outrage over the gruesome photo she posted, then deleted of herself holding a prop of President Donald Trump's head.
Griffin's web site appeared temporarily inoperable immediately after the controversy began; it was unclear whether it had been taken offline or was perhaps overwhelmed by a sudden surge in interest. A cached version at the time indicated her next performance had been planned for June 16 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Grass Valley, Calif. The venue's site noted, "Mature Content: May not be suitable for younger audiences."
An updated message on the site says the appearance has been canceled.
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A venue in New Mexico posted a similar message via its Facebook page:
Griffin's now operational site, which previously listed a slew of upcoming dates, now says simply, "No dates currently scheduled. Please check back for new tour date announcements."
CNN's also parted ways with Griffin , who had been part of their New Year's Eve coverage in the past. A statement posted by the network's public relations department read, "CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year's Eve program."
Griffin posted a somber video shortly after the firestorm sparked by the image, saying, “I sincerely apologize. I’m a comic. I crossed the line.. I went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people. It wasn’t funny. I get it.”
More recently she struck a more defensive chord during a news conference saying, "We all know what's going on here. They're using me as a shiny object so that nobody's talking about his FBI investigation...I've had everybody turn on me. I just want to make everybody laugh."
While she did repeat her apology for posting the photo, Griffin suggested the anger over the image is a political cover.
"My impression is that they have mobilized their Army," she said. "It's quite clear to me that they are using me as a distraction. I'm not going to be collateral damage for this fool. I think he's a fool. I think the president is a fool."
She became emotional, asked what the future holds: "I don't think I will have a career over this. I'm going to be honest. He broke me."
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