Kathy Griffin ends her friendship with Anderson Cooper

almost 7 years in NY Daily

Kathy Griffin revealed that she's still feeling the after-effects of the infamous image she posted of a fake, bloody Donald Trump head in May — and that her friendship with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper is the scandal's latest casualty.

Griffin and Cooper's friendship stretches back nearly two decades, and the pair have hosted CNN's New Year's Eve broadcast together since 2007.

But when Griffin found herself in hot water after posting an image of herself holding Trump's head in her hands, her old pal waited nearly four months before reaching out.

Cooper, like many other celebrities, including Debra Messing and Chelsea Clinton, denounced the photo on Twitter shortly after it went viral.

"For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate," he wrote.

For her part, Griffin told The Cut she understood that Cooper was in a difficult position, but that she wishes he had given her a heads up before he tweeted, or had reached out in any capacity — and not waited until Aug. 10 to check in on his friend.
CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS Griffin said Cooper waited until August to reach out, nearly four months after the scandal first broke.

Griffin told the outlet that what hurt her the most was Cooper's appearance on "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen" on July 26, when he maintained to the public that he and Griffin were still friends — despite the fact that he still had yet to reach out.

"Yeah, we're still friends, and look I said what I said about — I didn't think what she did was appropriate, but I wish her the best and I hope she bounces back," he told Cohen.

The "My Life on the D-List" star told The Cut that she told Cooper their friendship was over when he finally did attempt to contact her with a series of text messages.

"(Cooper) was shocked and upset by the photo, and while he was not ready to talk to her personally about it, he still considered her to be a friend, and was publicly supportive when asked about the controversy," a source told the outlet.

Cooper's friendship wasn't the only thing Griffin lost as a result of the scandal.

The comedian faced intense backlash almost immediately, leading to a loss of sponsors, canceled appearances and, most notably, a statement from CNN that declared she was fired from hosting New Year's Eve alongside Cooper.

Griffin offered an emotional apology after the photo went viral, and admitted that the photo was "horrible" while refusing to fully back down.

"I'm not laying down for this guy," she said. "I'm going to keep making jokes about this guy."

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