Jesus gag sparks outrage
US comic Kathy Griffin to be censored
American comic Kathy Griffin is to be censored by TV chiefs after enraging hardline Christians with a joke about Jesus.The comedian won an Emmy award last weekend for her reality show My Life On The D-List – but her acceptance speech will be shown in ‘an abbreviated version’ when the ceremony airs on Saturday night.
On being named winner, she told the Hollywood audience: ‘Can you believe this shit? Hell has frozen over.
‘A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this. He had nothing to do with this. Suck it, Jesus. This award is my God now.’
Although she got a laugh, her comments did not impress the Catholic League, whose president Bill Donohue called them a ‘vulgar, in-your-face brand of hate speech’ and ‘obscene and blasphemous’.
He added: ‘It is sure bet that if Griffin had said, ”Suck it, Muhammad,” there would have been a very different reaction from the crowd and from the media who covered this event. To say nothing of the Muslim reaction.’
In a statement, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which gives out the awards, also branded Griffin’s line ‘offensive’.
It said: ‘Kathy Griffin's offensive remarks will not be part of the E! telecast on Saturday night.’
Published: 11 Sep 2007
