LOS ANGELES – Before Kathy Griffin won a creative arts Emmy last weekend for her reality show, “My Life on the D-List,” she joked that an award would move her to the C-list. She was right: “C” as in censored. The TV academy said her raucous acceptance speech will be edited when the event, which was taped, is shown Saturday on the E! channel.
The main prime-time Emmy Awards air the next night on Fox.
“Kathy Griffin’s offensive remarks will not be part of the E! telecast on Saturday night,” the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said in a statement Monday.
In her speech, Griffin said that “a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus.”
She went on to hold up her Emmy, make an off-color remark about Christ and proclaim, “This award is my god now!”
Who cares. She’s on my ZERO list.
What next from “The Catholic League” (is i like the League of Gentlman, with a vampire, etc..) anyway – what shall we expect next – them burning down an embassy of a country that makes a cartoon depicting Jesus?
Censorship once again. And we say the other religions can’t take a joke. Maybe we should burn all the Emmys. Get a life!
Shame on the producers for caving in to the demands of the Catholic League. I’m strongly against censorship. What happened to Free Speech? If you find her offensive, pick another channel to watch for christs sake!
I was under the impression that one’s religious choice in THIS country was still protected by the constitution. For this woman to be censored merely for expressing her freedom from the bonds of superstition is a gross miscalculation and should be corrected. Whether she chooses not to thank Jesus, Buddha, or her local supermarket has nothing whatsoever to do with the Catholic or any other league who gets all fired up over imagined slights to their gods. IT’S HER CHOICE. Get it?
How is this in any way hate speech? Presuming she was serious and not joking for a minute — She didn’t condemn people who felt Jesus was why they won their awards — she just said Jesus had nothing to do with her win. Well why not? Isn’t she entitled to believe that if she wants and express it? Is she under some religious obligation to credit Jesus or to stay mute about it? Why?
Then her proclamation that the Emmy was her God now. Surely it was obvious at that point that It was a joke. All of it was a joke. She’s Kathy Griffin — it’s what she does! Hell, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart had the same joke run at last year’s Emmy’s — about Hollywood worshipping that golden idol.
The bottom line was this was a comedian poking fun at award shows and winers of awards and primarily herself!. It’s what Kathy Griffin does and is known for. But I guess Christians are fine with joking about other religions. Christians even have the nerve to tell Islam to “lighten up” over its reaction to those cartoons depicting Allah that so upset them. Then here a Christian group goes clutching its pearls, or should I say rosaries, about one woman’s humorous comments that Jesus had nothing to do with her winning an Emmy and that the award was her God now. It implicated no one but her. She spoke for no one but her. It was a damn joke.
But most importantly, this is content based enfringement on the First Amendment. An Emmy winner can thank Jesus and not be consored but a winner cannot state that Jesus had nothing to do with it without being censored. Both mention Jesus, but one’s positive comments are allowed — negative are not. That is classic content-based speech enfringement of the first order. Shame on E for caving to such a ridiculous complaint. This is one viewer they have lost over their one-sided censorship. And maybe if the Catholic League focused more of their time on monitoring their priests instead of what one woman jokes about on TV, they could accomplish more for their followers.
I find all the hypocrites that get on the stage and thank Jesus for their award much more offensive than someone that says I worked hard and earned this award myself. If Kathy is censored for saying that Jesus had nothing to do with the award, then in fairness to free speech rights, all speeches that thank Jesus must be censored also.
Kathy was being honest .. and true to her beliefs .. I wouldn’t have her be any other way .. you want hypocrits? you’re welcome to them ..
so when did god start having his panties in a bunch. religion can do what they please, but when someone shakes up a god worshipping religion, people are burned at the stake. religion starts wars…religion does no good.
We have enough fanatcism in this world with the religion we are all now aware of. Does the catholic League want everyone to believe in Christ? So what if one does not, does this person become an infidel. What then is the difference between you and the ones spreading terror around the globe.
I have no problem with what was said. For one, it’s comedy either you find it funny or you dont. Second, she finally said something that made sense, she is taking credit herself for her work not giving credit to a religious figure. I get sick and tired of people not wanting to take credit for their own work and saying that it’s all because of a “higher powerâ€. “I would like to thank (insert religious figure here) for all of my life accomplishments since I cant take any credit for myselfâ€. Please
She couldn’t be more correct. Jesus certainly wouldn’t have had anything to do with her getting an award. Our society is the loser when we honor people like this. I agree with the person that said “get a life”. Our world needs to get a life and quit putting ridiculous people in elevated positions they don’t deserve.
Personally, I think the woman is an abrasive ass. What she said was tactless and tasteless, but it’s her opinion. I say let it go uncensored, let people know who she really is. The more people dislike her, the less likely it is I’ll have to watch her.
It always amazes me how worked up some people get when they find out there’s people out there who neither hear nor see their invisible friend and are gutsy enough to actually say “Hey, I don’t see this guy you claim follows you everywhere and talks to you and helps you out every day. Why didn’t he help you when you tripped and fell off the curb and broke your ankle yesterday? Was he off duty?”
Some peple get so worked up they’ll kill anyone who doesn’t agree that they have a nifty invisible friend with magical superpowers in fact.
We non-believers are expected to tolerate and respect people’s expressions of religious belief, but believers are unable to tolerate and respect people’s expressions of dis-belief. It doesn’t sound like a fair deal to me. This sort of thing reminds me why I’m no longer catholic and while I never heard of KG before, I will now support her work whenever possible.
Thank you Kathy! I know it was a joke, but it’s about time that someone actually pokes fun at the fact that everyone who goes up on stage to get the award that they’ve won thanks God or Jesus! I am so tired of it, I believe in God and Jesus, but I know that it has been through my own hard work and efforts that I obtain what I have! She should be allowed the same freedoms that those who thank Jesus and God have, she should not be censored! Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, these are the basic building blocks for this country!
Ignorant christians…oh wait, that’s redundant
She doesnt know God so of couse he didnt help her get it. That is why her life is miserable and of no substance. She believes in Aliens …Rob #17 -your such a miserable person, I can tell your life sucks.
KG is jewish, it makes since that she thinks the public worship of Christ is a bit ridiculous because, well, it is. When some rapper that sings about killing people thanks Jesus….it seems a tad bit disingenuous.
but mostly I commented because I think MARYM just further confirmed Rob’s statement.
So explain to me how a director’s choice to cut a perceived insult out, when he has to cut two hours out of a four hour show constitutes censorship. It’s an editorial choice they made.
Further, I believe those who compared the Catholic League issuing a press release to riots in the streets over a cartoon would, upon reflection, doubt the appropriateness of the comparison.
Its a sad day in America when a comedian gets censored for making a joke without even using a four-letter word. In this case it confirms that the American media are either unduly controlled by Christian influences, or that they are terrified of losing the support of their humorless Christian audience. Either way, it illustrates the choke-hold that the Christian point of view has on the mass media of this country. Censorship is a poor substitute for dialogue, pluralism and tolerance.
CLARE-Ignorance is not confined to Christians-look at your parents. God Bless-I am off to tour and spread the word of God in Europe.
P.S- She shouldnt be censored-everyone needs to hear her -she, along with most of the people commenting on this site make the case for our cause of bringing people to Christ.
I’m just posting a comment so I can say I posted on the posting with the most comment postings.
Marym- did you just call my parents ignorant? I’m having a real hard time understanding how you’re trying to help the cause of christ by calling people names.
Hey, I’ll off for europe soon too…maybe we can run into each other as you try to save the souls through endless bible beatings and I just show them through kindness ; )
Clare: Dont be rude to someone and then expect sweetness back, even Christians are human. Hopefully you will run into her in Europe and learn something. Oh, never mind, you probably wont be helping the sick and helpless while you are there…