In a 2018 chat on “Late Show,” Kathy Griffin accused Stephen Colbert of doing something unexpected. In her YouTube video titled “Stephen Colbert made me cry!”, she remembered her appearance on the show, which occurred about 18 months after the Trump photo incident.
When she arranged the interview, Griffin mentioned that Colbert insisted they wouldn’t discuss the Trump photo because he was tired of it, and the producers agreed. However, right before she went on, she claims she was told that Colbert would indeed ask her about it.
Although Griffin wasn’t thrilled with this, she made an effort to steer the conversation elsewhere. But, much to her surprise, he kept pushing her on the Trump image, comparing the experience to being interrogated on “60 Minutes.”
She felt taken aback, remarking on how much more aggressive Colbert had been than she anticipated. Griffin even mentioned shedding tears during the interview to mask her pain in front of the audience.
Reflecting on the situation, she observed, “It felt like it was steeped in misogyny,” claiming Colbert didn’t treat male comedians similarly.
Griffin accused him of using his platform to target “D-list” celebrities. Once, she held Colbert in high regard, but this experience seemingly changed her perspective as a comedian.
“To see him come at me like that made me lose a lot of respect,” she added, expressing her disillusionment with him.
CBS hasn’t responded to requests for comments.
During the 2018 interview, Colbert devoted about ten minutes to questioning Griffin about the photo and the fallout that followed.
Griffin articulated the impact this fallout had on her career, mentioning how many Americans misidentified her as a terrorist. She also defended her right to take that photo, despite Colbert’s pushback.
“But there are limits to what you can say about the president,” he argued.
To which Griffin replied, “I didn’t.”
Colbert countered, saying, “Well, you were holding a severed head.”
To this, Griffin clarified, “No, it was just a Halloween mask with ketchup. Where’s the severed head?”
“It looks like one. There’s blood on his neck,” Colbert rebutted.
