Kathy Griffin And Anderson Cooper Reportedly Shot CNN Pilot Before Trump ‘Beheading’ Photo
After Kathy Griffin posted a shocking photo depicting Donald Trump being “beheaded,” longtime friend and CNN co-worker Anderson Cooper was among the many celebrities to take a stand against her behavior.
In a post to his millions of fans on Twitter, Anderson Cooper wrote, “For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.”
A short time later, Kathy Griffin was fired from her hosting gig with CNN for their New Year’s Eve broadcast celebration from New York City’s Times Square. She also faced career ramifications in the form of several canceled comedy tour dates, including shows in New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, and Nevada.
In response to Kathy Griffin’s firing, Anderson Copper told the press he understood CNN’s decision to fire the comedian and said he wished her well. He also said that while he doesn’t approve of what she did, he doesn’t think that anyone should have their career destroyed as the result of something stupid.
Anderson Cooper went on to reveal that he has not spoken to his former friend since she shared the shocking photo, which was taken by popular photographer Tyler Shields.
A post shared by Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) on
Following news of the tension between Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper, a source has spoken out in regard to their previous plans for an alleged show together on CNN. While the network hadn’t yet announced any such thing at the time Griffin was canned from her New Year’s Eve gig, an insider spoke to In Touch Weekly magazine on June 6, revealing the celebrities had recently shot a pilot for the network.
“The ironic thing is CNN wanted [Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper] to do a show together. They shot a pilot, and I heard there was real momentum behind the project,” the insider explained. “Kathy begged Anderson to go to Jeff [Zucker, CNN Worldwide president] and save her.”
In the shocking “beheading” photo of President Donald Trump, Kathy Griffin was seen with a straight face as she holds a mock-up of Trump’s head with blood spilling out from all over and coating his hair completely. The photo garnered tons of backlash from celebrities and fans from all sides of the political spectrum.
In regard to her exit from CNN, the In Touch Weekly source said Kathy Griffith was “devastated.”
“[Kathy Griffin] was devastated by the reaction at CNN,” said the insider. “This was her big statement, and it crashed and burned.”
In Touch Weekly didn’t share much in regard to Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper’s potential show. In fact, the outlet failed to reveal what the show was about. That said, it seems fairly safe to say that if the series does eventually come to air, it will not have a home with CNN. In addition, the show’s airing may be a bit unlikely at this point due to Griffin and Cooper’s strained relationship.
After experiencing massive backlash due to her shocking photo of the president, Kathy Griffith offered an apology and held a press conference admitting that the photo went “too far.”
“I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong,” she wrote on Twitter along with a video apology to her fans and followers on social media. “I’m just now seeing the reaction to this… 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.”
[Featured Image by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images]
