Comedian Kathy Griffin won a Creative Arts Emmy during the recent ceremony, for her show, Life on the D-List. Now it is being said that the comedian will be having her speech edited and ripped apart because it is not appropriate enough to be aired on television. The Creative Arts Emmys will air on E! on Saturday night, which is the night before the Primetime Emmys will be shown live.
So, what did Griffin say to get in such trouble? She didn’t say the N-word and she didn’t talk about Britney’s boo boos. Instead she is being censored for what appears to be some remarks she made about…Jesus. Apparently his peeps (the Catholic League) had a problem with her “hate speech”.
If you are wondering what she said it wasn’t anything about roasting Jesus on a cross, though you might think that by this overreaction of necessary editing that is going on. Griffin began by saying, “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.” Offended? I know I am…not. Of course, there is more.
She also said, “This award is my God now!” Again, I have to ask…so what? It wouldn’t have been anything at all and there would have been no problem had no one said anything. However, the one to speak up was Catholic League President, Bill Donohue who said the speech was “vulgar” and an “in your face brand of hate speech.”
In all honesty, Griffin said little if anything wrong. Considering the fact that many non-Christians are exposed to “God” talk every single day, there was no reason to consider a comedian’s remarks about Jesus that last about 1-2 minutes, as deplorable.
Unfortunately, E! is succumbing to the demands of the Catholic League. The remarks will be edited out. “Kathy Griffin’s offensive remarks will not be part of the E! telecast on Saturday night,” according to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. While the four hour show needs to be edited down to at least two, they said in a statement that Griffin’s remarks will be shown in “an abbreviated version” and some of the language may be censored out.
[tags]Kathy Griffin, Life on the D List, Creative Arts Emmy, Censored, E!, Catholic League[/tags]
4 comments ↓
If there was nothing wrong with Kathy’s deleted comment regarding Jesus, it wouldn’t have been censored.
When a character in a movie or television show uses the name “Jesus”, or “Jesus Christ” as a replacement expletive for words like “dammit”, “sh!t”, or “fu©k”, they generally don’t make the air according to FCC regulations. While, in this case, the name “Jesus”, was a expletive replacement, it was conjoined to a command to perform oral copulation. In Kathy’s words, “Suck it!”
Her attempt at humor was at the expense of a religious figure held sacred by roughly 2 billion of the world’s population.
As a Christian, I don’t particularly care for people who give “Jesus” the glory for any accolades garnered for art, music, presentations or performances that are, by all evidence, contrary to a life devoted to the disciplines of Christian faith. I “got” the joke. It was just made at the wrong person’s expense.
Of course she will get a pass from Hollywood and the anti-faith crowd, but it will be interesting to see what effect her comment will have on her career.
Let me go on record as saying that ever since she appeared on Seinfeld (in her early stand-up days), I thought her schtick was tired, venomous, unattractive and typical of the loud-mouth pus-heads that should (by all rights) have a heavy old shoe tossed at their flapping pernicious yaps.
I’m a Christian, but I disagree with what the Catholic League has done to censor these comments. Our brave men and women are giving their lives in Iraq and Afganistan because a religion has been hijacked by radicals. We must not let radical Christianity continue to grow here in America. Otherwise, we are no better than radical Muslims. I don’t care for Ms. Griffin or her comedy, but this is America where we allow free speech. Thank God we live in a country where Ms. Griffin can say what she said, and I can choose to turn the channel on my television!
Steve,
Don’t you see. We don’t live in a country free to say such things without them being edited out. You won’t have to turn the channel because there won’t be anything offensive. The Catholic League has seen to that.
The Catholics are the biggest hypocrites on the planet. I should know. I used to be one. Now I like to say I’m a recovering Catholic. I was so disgusted with the church that I no longer follow any Christian based faith. They should be worrying about their Priests having affairs with little boys instead of worrying about what some Hollywood comedian said about Jesus.
As someone who no longer believes in the Christian faith or the “wonderment” of Jesus, I must say that I find it offensive that people can preach to me about their Christian religion on the street, in hospitals, or practically anywhere I go, but if you say anything against Christianity, it becomes a personal attack. Why isn’t Christine doctrine shoved down my throat on a nearly daily basis a personal attack on my non-Christian faith?
Most people tell me Christianity is the only way and God will save my soul. I can’t censor that. I can’t censor the “thanks Jesus” speeches on award shows, so why censor Kathy Griffin?
To those who don’t understand why certain people might view Griffin’s remarks as “wrong.”
We live in a country founded on freedom of religion and religious tolerance. Just like we are free to change channels when a TV show comes on we don’t want to watch, we are free to worship..or not worship the God of our choice. America is a melting pot of people and belief systems. Most comedians know this. They might poke fun at preachers, rabbis, priests, nuns, etc. in their acts, but they are usually very, very careful to separate making fun of religious people from making fun of their Higher Power. -Also, most people don’t care if an actor or actress thanks Jesus, thanks God or thanks their Aunt Sue, when they win an award.
Why Griffin felt it necessary to publicly display her religious intolerance at a televised award show only she knows.
I think that if the Catholic League had not said something that the sponsors probably would have. Remarks like that usually make sponsors very nervous. -No one wants to sponsor a show where a comedian insults an entire religious group. That’s just asking for a boycott.
No, Griffin did not have utter the “N” word. But it appears she has now placed herself in the same category occupied by comedians who do utter racial slurs and urinate in public. And it will probably affect her bookings.
Leave a Comment