Comedian Kathy Griffin still isn’t over her breakup with her former BFF Anderson Cooper.
After Griffin posed for a gory photo that showed her holding Donald Trump’s decapitated head, the popular comedian’s life was shattered as her friends backed away, politicians and pundits denounced her, and Trump launched an intimidation campaign against her.
Griffin had hosted CNN’s annual New Years Eve special with Cooper for a decade and the popularity of the program was driven by their off-screen friendship. After the photo appeared, CNN dropped her from the lineup and Cooper condemned her without giving her the courtesy of a phone call first.
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Related: Gay Latino Trump supporter brandishes knife at Kathy Griffin show. Says he’s the victim.
She has frequently spoken about the aftermath of the photo, but Cooper’s treatment has obviously stung the most.
In late 2017, Griffin read a letter on stage that was sent by a gay man to both her and Cooper.
“I’m going to leave you with a cup of tea, honey. This is a cup of gay tea that is fucking scandalous and it involves Anderson Cooper,” she said on stage. “It’s so heinous and so over-the-top horrible that I admit it made me laugh out loud.”
“Dear Anderson, from one homo to another, you’re a fickle faggot,” she read. “Really? Not supporting and backing Kathy Griffin after she had your back for years. Even to talk about your cock-sucking in her comedy back when you were still a closeted queen. And another thing, Anderson: Homo rule 101, you always back your fag hag.”
In a new interview for Variety as she continues her comeback tour, Griffin succinctly described her feelings about the end of the friendship.
“I was devastated. It still hurts. I mean, I really loved him,” she said. “I don’t have a punchline for that one.”
Griffin is getting ready to release her first concert film, Kathy Griffin: A Hell of A Story. The movie will concentrate on the fallout surrounding the photo and Trump’s nonstop attacks on her over social media.
“No matter how polarizing you may find her, this is an unprecedented story in US history,” the film’s description reads. “An attempt to decimate an American citizen from the highest levels of government. From losing an entire career, receiving death threats, being the subject of a federal investigation, it only took Kathy Griffin one afternoon to learn the impact one photo could have to ignite a continuous smear campaign.”
Here's the trailer for @kathygriffin's first concert film which chronicles the aftermath of her Trump photo. It's premiering at @sxsw next month. pic.twitter.com/HAnmIp9fKB
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 1, 2019
“I’m going to leave you with a cup of gay tea…and it involves @andersoncooper.” @kathygriffin reads letter they both received. ☕️ pic.twitter.com/VxqETeiKXO
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) October 9, 2017