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Kathy Griffin Backs Kimmel Amid Trump Attacks: 'I Wish Somebody Had Done This For Me'
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Kathy Griffin is adding her name to the support flooding in for Jimmy Kimmel as President Donald Trump continues to call on ABC to fire the late night host over a joke he cracked about the first lady. The comedian, in Tuesday’s episode of her “Talk Your Head Off” podcast, said she was “tearing up a bit” before likening Kimmel’s ordeal to the backlash she faced over her 2017 photo with a fake decapitated head of the president. “Man, do I wish somebody had done this for me,” said Griffin while sporting a “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” shirt. Her remarks arrive as Donald and Melania Trump attempt to pressure the network into giving Kimmel the boot after the host quipped that the first lady was glowing “like an expectant widow” in a show filmed days before the shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. The first couple drew further attention to the joke after a clip from Kimmel’s ABC show circulated in MAGA social media spaces earlier this week. Kimmel — whose show was briefly yanked off the air last year following comments on the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination — has offered a defiant response to the recent wave of criticism. On her podcast, Griffin underscored that Kimmel “never canceled” her despite her self-proclaimed status as the “most censored” comedian in Hollywood due to the 2017 episode. Griffin’s photo with the faux severed head led to an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, a probe she’s claimed Trump played a role in ordering. “I’m just going to be honest: It still hurts,” said Griffin of the decade-old photo and the subsequent career fallout. She later continued, “My First Amendment rights were truly violated because I had the actual Department of Justice coming after me, not a private company. So that’s what’s happening to Jimmy right now.” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), George Clooney, Jane Fonda’s First Amendment group and Kimmel’s former “Man Show” co-host, Adam Corolla, are among those who have come to his defense since the start of the MAGA world complaints. On Tuesday, “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert was spotted at a New York Knicks playoff game rocking a “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” beanie in a show of support for his friend on the West Coast. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.