Kathy Griffin Opens Up About "Fashion Police" Departure During Atlantic City Show
If you made it down to Atlantic City this weekend to see Kathy Griffin perform at the Borgata, you got to hear the caustic comic open up about her departure from E!'s Fashion Police just days earlier.
Related: Kathy Griffin Quits "Fashion Police"
Griffin took the stage Saturday night, the centerpiece of the casino's Out at the Borgata weekend, aimed at attracting LGBT tourists to the area. They couldn't have picked a better star: Between her dishing on tabloid stars and spilling the tea on Fashion Police, Griffin gave us a smorgasbord of shade.
“I’m not down on putting down photos of women. I’m 54, a feminist, and it’s not what I do," she said of her decision to leave the red-carpet rundown. "If you want me to make fun of Justin Bieber pissing in a bucket, fine... But I’m not gonna look at a picture of Lena Dunham and go, ‘She’s fat—good night, everybody!’"
The risqué redhead clarified she wants "to make fun more of celebrities’ behavior,” not their hair and outfits.
Her departure received significant support this weekend, including tweets from Kelly Osbourne, Whoopi Goldberg, Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling—a frantic phone call from Cher. (We pray to the gay gods Cher told her to "snap out of it!")
Other targets in Griffin's mammoth two-hour set included Taylor Swift ("the Gwyneth Paltrow of music"), Barry Manilow ("He talks like The Sopranos—if it was on Logo") and the whole Kardashian Clan. Griffin went surprisingly easy on America's favorite reality family, actually—calling Kim "nice" but dimwitted, and wondering where in the world brother Rob is.
She did weigh in on Bruce Jenner's reported transition, in a politically incorrect but ultimately supportive way: Citing the antics of Kris Jenner and the girls, Griffin said, “[Bruce] is like, ‘Give me a fucking dress and a wig and get me the fuck out of this family.’ I support him whatever letter or number he is. He’s got the fucking side pony and the nail polish and he’s like, ‘Take that, Kris.'’"
Other events in the Out at the Borgata weekend included a concert by Sarah McLaughlin, a club night with Wendy Ho and RPDR queen Mimi Imfurst, and a party hosted by Nick Cannon and Amber Rose. Producers haven't set a date for the next event, but hope to continue the series throughout the year.
To reach the LGBT community, the Borgata has launched a Facebook page, and a dedicated microsite is expected this spring. The hotel/casino has also partnered with the Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance and the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, and welcomes same-sex couples to have their wedding at the Borgata.
"Gays and lesbians and their straight friends, who are with them, are just a very lucrative demographic," said Jeff Guaracino, executive director of the Atlantic City Alliance.
Photos: Nancy J. Friedman and Associates
