RantCrush Top 5: May 31, 2017

Kathy Griffin’s brand of comedy usually involves shocking people, but yesterday, a photo of her holding a severed fake head that looked like President Trump sparked bipartisan outrage. The photo was taken in a recent photo shoot with celebrity photographer and director Tyler Shields, and many thought she just went too far. “Kathy is all about pushing the limits and she went above and beyond on this one. Now let’s just hope she stays out of jail,” said a representative for Shields.

This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president. https://t.co/zIiuKoMyFw

— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) May 30, 2017

Initially, Griffin said the photo was an artful expression inspired by Trump’s previous comments about Megyn Kelly. Trump once said that Kelly had “blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her–wherever.” But a few hours later, after being criticized by celebrities, including Chelsea Clinton and Anderson Cooper, Griffin posted a video message with an apology. “I sincerely apologize,” she said. “I went way too far. The image is too disturbing.”

Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.