Kathy Griffin said she felt hurt after being left out of Rosie O’Donnell’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest-hosting week. The longtime friends have both been outspoken critics of Donald Trump, making Griffin’s unexpected snub sting even more.
O’Donnell began her guest-hosting run on Aug. 17 and planned to continue through Aug. 20. Griffin discussed the omission on her YouTube show while reflecting on their friendship and shared political history.
Kathy Griffin says she was hurt after not being invited to Rosie O’Donnell’s week hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live
In an Instagram video, Griffin called O’Donnell “one of her oldest friends” during her discussion. She also praised O’Donnell for challenging Trump early during her The View tenure.
Griffin said, “My feelings are really hurt that I was not invited to go on Rosie’s week of the Jimmy Kimmel show.”
She connected those feelings to her own history with Trump and her 2017 controversy. Griffin had faced fierce backlash after posting a photo involving a bloodied mask resembling Trump’s severed head.
“I just felt, for me, after everything I went through in 2017 with Donald Trump,” Griffin said. She added that she had faced significant personal risks while attacking Trump publicly.
Griffin then addressed comments O’Donnell made during an episode of The Tangle. O’Donnell said, “I felt horrible for what [Trump] did to Kathy Griffin.”
She continued, “I didn’t agree with her choice of having that decapitated mask.” O’Donnell also acknowledged the “torment” Griffin endured afterward.
“I think she did suffer a lot,” O’Donnell added. “And went through some very dark times.”
Griffin said those remarks surprised and hurt her. She even considered calling O’Donnell after hearing the comments.
“I might have cried for, like, a second,” Griffin said.
She also questioned why O’Donnell never offered positive comments about the controversial photograph. Griffin stressed that she did not consider herself a “shock comic.”
Instead, she said politics shaped her comedy because she followed “where the news is going” and the cultural moment.
Meanwhile, O’Donnell opened her Jimmy Kimmel Live! stint with another Trump jab. She joked about moving to Ireland because of “Mango Mussolini.” O’Donnell also told viewers, “Hi, I know you’re watching!” while smiling toward the camera.
She later called Trump her “arch nemesis” after years of public clashes. O’Donnell said she remained “happy that he asked me” to host Kimmel’s show.
TELL US – SHOULD ROSIE O’DONNELL HAVE INVITED KATHY GRIFFIN TO GUEST-HOST JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!?
